Bill Text: NJ S881 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Directs BPU to establish microgrid program for State agencies and local governmentunits.*

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-02-27 - Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee [S881 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2016-S881-Amended.html

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[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 881

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

217th LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator  LINDA R. GREENSTEIN

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

Senator  CHRISTOPHER "KIP" BATEMAN

District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Directs BPU to establish microgrid program for State agencies and local government units. 

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Senate Environment and Energy Committee on February 27, 2017, with amendments.

  

An Act concerning microgrids and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a. As used in this section:

     "Board" ¹[and "on-site generation facility" shall have the same meaning as prescribed for those terms in section 3 of P.L.1999, c.23 (C.48:3-51)] means the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities or any successor agency¹.

     ¹"Critical facility" means any facility that is designated as critical by the State Office of Emergency Management or the State Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, or that could serve as a shelter during a power outage including, but not limited to, any hospital, police station, water or wastewater treatment facility, school, or multifamily dwelling.

     "Local government unit" means any county or municipality, or any agency, authority, corporation, or other instrumentality of any county or municipality.¹

     "Microgrid" means a ¹[small-scale electric grid directly connected to the electric grid with definable and contiguous geographic boundaries which can operate independent of, or in conjunction with, the electric grid, utilizing an on-site generation facility] group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources within clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid, which can connect and disconnect from the grid to enable it to operate both connected to, or independent of, the grid.

     "State agency" means any department, division, agency, commission, authority, or other instrumentality of State government¹.

     b.    (1) The board shall establish a microgrid ¹[pilot]¹ program for ¹[municipalities] State agencies and local government units¹.  The purpose of the microgrid ¹[pilot]¹ program shall be to equip ¹[public and private] critical¹ facilities ¹[deemed critical by the State Office of Emergency Management in the Division of State Police during a State or federally-declared disaster or state of emergency]¹ with microgrids in order to allow these facilities to continue to operate during a disaster or emergency.

     (2)   The board shall establish an application and approval process for ¹[municipalities] State agencies and local government
units¹ to participate in the microgrid ¹[pilot]¹ program.  ¹[A municipality may apply to construct, own, and operate a microgrid within its borders.  The board shall approve no more than three microgrid pilot program applications] The board, in its discretion, may limit the number of microgrid program applications it approves¹. 

     c.     ¹[The board shall use any available funds, including unused funds from the societal benefits charge imposed pursuant to section 12 of P.L.1999, c.23 (C.48:3-60), to establish a grant program to fund the microgrid pilot program.]¹  Electric power shall be delivered within an approved microgrid ¹[at a rate] under a cost recovery mechanism¹ to be determined by the board.

     d.    Within two years ¹[of] after¹ the effective date of P.L.   , c.   (C.       ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the board shall issue a report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), containing an evaluation of the microgrid ¹[pilot]¹ program.  The report shall also provide the board's opinion as to whether the microgrid ¹[pilot]¹ program should be continued and, if so, recommendations for further improvement and implementation.  ¹[The microgrid pilot program shall end after the third calendar year following the effective date of P.L.  , c.  (C.      ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill)]

     e.     The board may adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), such rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement this act¹.

 

     2.    This act shall take effect ¹[on the 180th day following the date of enactment] immediately¹.