2011 Missouri Revised Statutes
TITLE XXV INCORPORATION AND REGULATION OF CERTAIN UTILITIES AND CARRIERS
Chapter 393 Gas, Electric, Water, Heating and Sewer Companies
Section 393.1030. Electric utilities, portfolio requirements--tracking requirements--rulemaking authority--rebate offers--certification of electricity generated.

393.1030. 1. The commission shall, in consultation with the department, prescribe by rule a portfolio requirement for all electric utilities to generate or purchase electricity generated from renewable energy resources. Such portfolio requirement shall provide that electricity from renewable energy resources shall constitute the following portions of each electric utility's sales:

(1) No less than two percent for calendar years 2011 through 2013;

(2) No less than five percent for calendar years 2014 through 2017;

(3) No less than ten percent for calendar years 2018 through 2020; and

(4) No less than fifteen percent in each calendar year beginning in 2021.

At least two percent of each portfolio requirement shall be derived from solar energy. The portfolio requirements shall apply to all power sold to Missouri consumers whether such power is self-generated or purchased from another source in or outside of this state. A utility may comply with the standard in whole or in part by purchasing RECs. Each kilowatt-hour of eligible energy generated in Missouri shall count as 1.25 kilowatt-hours for purposes of compliance.

2. The commission, in consultation with the department and within one year of November 4, 2008, shall select a program for tracking and verifying the trading of renewable energy credits. An unused credit may exist for up to three years from the date of its creation. A credit may be used only once to comply with sections 393.1020 to 393.1030 and may not also be used to satisfy any similar nonfederal requirement. An electric utility may not use a credit derived from a green pricing program. Certificates from net-metered sources shall initially be owned by the customer-generator. The commission, except where the department is specified, shall make whatever rules are necessary to enforce the renewable energy standard. Such rules shall include:

(1) A maximum average retail rate increase of one percent determined by estimating and comparing the electric utility's cost of compliance with least-cost renewable generation and the cost of continuing to generate or purchase electricity from entirely nonrenewable sources, taking into proper account future environmental regulatory risk including the risk of greenhouse gas regulation;

(2) Penalties of at least twice the average market value of renewable energy credits for the compliance period for failure to meet the targets of subsection 1. An electric utility will be excused if it proves to the commission that failure was due to events beyond its reasonable control that could not have been reasonably mitigated, or that the maximum average retail rate increase has been reached. Penalties shall not be recovered from customers. Amounts forfeited under this section shall be remitted to the department to purchase renewable energy credits needed for compliance. Any excess forfeited revenues shall be used by the department's energy center solely for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects;

(3) Provisions for an annual report to be filed by each electric utility in a format sufficient to document its progress in meeting the targets;

(4) Provision for recovery outside the context of a regular rate case of prudently incurred costs and the pass-through of benefits to customers of any savings achieved by an electrical corporation in meeting the requirements of this section.

3. Each electric utility shall make available to its retail customers a standard rebate offer of at least two dollars per installed watt for new or expanded solar electric systems sited on customers' premises, up to a maximum of twenty-five kilowatts per system, that become operational after 2009.

4. The department shall, in consultation with the commission, establish by rule a certification process for electricity generated from renewable resources and used to fulfill the requirements of subsection 1 of this section. Certification criteria for renewable energy generation shall be determined by factors that include fuel type, technology, and the environmental impacts of the generating facility. Renewable energy facilities shall not cause undue adverse air, water, or land use impacts, including impacts associated with the gathering of generation feedstocks. If any amount of fossil fuel is used with renewable energy resources, only the portion of electrical output attributable to renewable energy resources shall be used to fulfill the portfolio requirements.

5. In carrying out the provisions of this section, the commission and the department shall include methane generated from the anaerobic digestion of farm animal waste and thermal depolymerization or pyrolysis for converting waste material to energy as renewable energy resources for purposes of this section.

(L. 2007 S.B. 54, A.L. 2008 Adopted by Initiative, Proposition C, November 4, 2008, A.L. 2010 S.B. 795)

Annotation Copyright Missouri Joint Committee on Legislative Research