Virginia Law

The following terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Administrative charge" is the reasonable incremental cost to the investor-owned utility to administer the program as determined by the commission.

"Applicable bill credit rate" means the dollar-per-kilowatt-hour rate (effective retail rate of the customer's rate class, expressed in dollars or cents per kilowatt-hour) inclusive of all supply charges, delivery charges, demand charges, fixed charges, and any applicable riders or other charges to the customer. The applicable bill credit rate shall be set such that the shared solar program results in robust project development and shared solar program access for all customer classes.

"Bill credit" means the monetary value of the electricity, in kilowatt-hours, generated by the shared solar facility allocated to a subscriber to offset that subscriber's electricity bill.

"Investor-owned utility" or "utility" means each investor-owned utility in the Commonwealth including, notwithstanding subsection G of § 56-580 of the Code of Virginia, any investor-owned utility whose service territory assigned to it by the commission is located entirely within the Counties of Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, and Wise. "Investor-owned utility" does not include a Phase I Utility, as that term is defined in subdivision A 1 of § 56-585.1 of the Code of Virginia.

"Multi-family customer" means an investor-owned utility customer residing in an apartment , condominium, or duplex complex with individually metered residences and at least three subscribers to the shared solar facility.

"Multi-family shared solar program" or "program" means the program created through this chapter to allow for the development of shared solar facilities described in subsection C of § 56-585.1:12 of the Code of Virginia.

"Shared solar facility" means a facility that:

1. Generates electricity by means of a solar photovoltaic device with a nameplate capacity rating that does not exceed 3,000 kW alternating current at any single location or that does not exceed 5,000 kW alternating current at contiguous locations owned by the same entity or affiliated entities;

2. Is operated pursuant to a program whereby at least three subscribers receive a bill credit for the electricity generated from the facility in proportion to the size of their subscription;

3. Is located in the service territory of an investor-owned utility;

4. Is connected to the electric distribution grid serving the Commonwealth; and

5. Is located on a parcel of land on the premises of the multi-family utility customer or adjacent thereto.

"Subscriber" means a multi-family customer of an investor-owned electric utility that owns one or more subscriptions of a shared solar facility that is interconnected with the utility.

"Subscriber organization" means any for-profit or nonprofit entity that owns or operates one or more shared solar facilities. A "subscriber organization" shall not be considered a utility solely as a result of its ownership or operation of a shared solar facility. An investor-owned utility shall not be a subscriber organization.

"Subscription" means a contract or other agreement between a subscriber and the owner of a shared solar facility. A subscription shall be sized such that the estimated bill credits do not exceed the subscriber's average annual bill over the past 12 months for the customer account to which the subscription is attributed.