Recommendations to BPA regarding Conservation and Renewables Discount

General Criteria used to screen measures and activities

(excerpted from full recommendations document)

Related links: full document (125k Acrobat PDF), appendices (HTML)

Bonneville requested that the RTF develop a "comprehensive list of energy efficiency measures and renewable resource development actions that are predetermined to qualify" for a rate discount. This list of measures is to be "extensive, covering a broad range of measures, projects and activities." It is to include both conservation measures (as defined by the Northwest Power Act) as well as renewable resources. Bonneville also requested that the RTF establish a subset of measures for which "deemed" savings can be determined, including the appropriate program standards and guidelines associated with these savings.

The RTF used the following general criteria to select measures for inclusion on its list of eligible measures. The RTF recommends that Bonneville adopt these same criteria.

1. The technology or practice must satisfy that Act's definition of conservation and/or renewable resources:
   1. "Resource" means electric power, including the actual or planned electric power capability of generating facilities, or actual or planned load reduction resulting from direct application of a renewable energy resource by a consumer, or from a conservation measure.
      "Conservation " means any reduction in electric power consumption as a result of increases in the efficiency of energy use, production, or distribution.
   2. "Renewable Resource" means a resource which utilizes solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass or similar sources of energy and which is either used for electric power generation or will reduce the electric power requirements of a consumer, including by direct application.
2. Documented evidence must exist that the technology or practice improves energy efficiency or produces energy from renewable resources. Such evidence must include at least one of the following:
   • generally accepted engineering calculations,
   • independently reviewed evaluation reports or case studies,
   • prototype testing and/or evaluation, metering results; and/or,
   • peer reviewed scientific research.
3. Magnitude and longevity of electricity savings, or net energy production in the case of renewable resources can be reliably determined through direct measurement; controlled experiment or other generally accepted engineering calculations or evaluation protocols.
4. In the case of customer "contributions" to organizations, the organization must:
   1. have an explicit objective to increase the use of energy efficiency technologies or practices and/or qualifying renewable resources in the Pacific Northwest,
   2. demonstrate that it is actively engaged in programs or activities that have or are designed to result in improvements in the energy efficiency of electricity generation, distribution or use, or the actual installation and use of qualifying renewable resources.
5. In the case of renewable resources, the energy from qualifying facilities must directly or indirectly serve or offset the regional consumer loads of Bonneville customer utilities.

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