Upon review of a load profile study submitted by Xcel Energy, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) found that “it is clear … that solar PV facilities contribute to Xcel’s capacity requirements and that the existing Standby Service tariff does not reflect that contribution.” The commission ruled that $5.15 per kW per month would be a reasonable, conservative interim rate to be paid to sellers in the form of a capacity credit.

The Michigan Public Service Commission (PSC) authorized Detroit Edison to implement an AMI opt-out program. The commission approved the specifics of the opt-out proposal submitted by the utility, except that it reduced the associated charges recommended by the company, finding that the company’s forecasted participation rate was too low. For complete regulatory coverage, citations, and analysis, subscribe to Utility Regulatory News http://www.fortnightly.com/urn-subscribe

The District of Columbia Public Service Commission (PSC) has denied a request by the city’s public advocate, the Office of People’s Counsel (OPC), to reconsider an earlier decision in which the commission had rejected calls for it to require Potomac Electric Power Co. (Pepco) to offer its customers a chance to opt out of an ongoing AMI program. For complete regulatory coverage, citations, and analysis, subscribe to Utility Regulatory News http://www.fortnightly.com/urn-subscribe

The Arizona Corporation Commission has reopened the record in a pending docket on advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) to examine safety and health concerns regarding smart meters. In so doing, the commission said it was particularly interested in seeing any health studies that have been conducted since the evidentiary phase of the case had closed. The commission related that such submissions would help it determine if there was a compelling reason to continue the fact-gathering process before proceeding to the deliberations phase.

The Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a proposal by Ameren Missouri to update a voluntary program which gives consumers the opportunity to finance the purchase renewable energy credits (REC). Ameren charges customers $15 per credit, including the ability to purchase amounts equal to their monthly usage or select a set number of RECs per month. The PSC said that price was about average for such programs in the United States.