Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual

Transcription

1 Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 1

2 Contents 1. Introduction Overview Process Application Form: Submission and Validation - Submitting Application Form Overview Information/Documents Required Information/Documents Required Steps To Complete This Section Navigate to the Application Form Subscriber Organization Primary Application Manager Developer/System Owner Information Solar garden Information Finalizing the Application Form Next Steps Application System Login Overview Credentials Logging In Application Step 1: Initial Application and Deposit/Escrow Overview Information/Documents Required Steps To Complete This Section Downloading Deposit and Escrow Forms Uploading Deposit and Escrow Forms Next Steps Application Step 2: Submission and Validation - Subscribers Overview Information/Documents Required Steps To Complete This Section Submit Data Privacy Forms Add Subscribers Updating and Removing Subscribers Download Subscriber Forms Upload Subscriber Forms Identifying and Updating Invalid Subscribers Upload State of Colorado Certificate of Good Standing Submit Subscribers Next Steps Application Step 3: Engineering Review Overview Information/Documents Required Steps To Complete This Section Next Steps Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 2

3 7. Application Step 4: Documents and Contract Submission Overview Information/Documents Required Steps To Complete This Section Download Contracts and Documents Upload Contracts and Documents Submit Production Meter Phone Number to Xcel Next Steps Application Step 5: Completion Overview Information/Documents Required Steps To Complete This Section Adding Subscribers Updating and Removing Subscribers Next Steps Application Step 6: Application Active Overview Information/Documents Required Steps To Complete This Section Adding Subscribers Updating and Removing Subscribers Next Steps Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 3

4 1. Introduction 1.1. Overview A solar garden is a solar generation facility that is located in or near a community served by the qualifying retail utility. The beneficial use of the electricity generated by the facility belongs to subscribers to the solar garden, community members who have purchased shares of the facility. The solar garden can be owned/developed by a subscriber organization, the utility or a Third Party developer. When the garden is not owned by the utility, the utility purchases all of the generation and provides credit to the subscribers. The utility purchases all RECs produced by the solar garden. Solar*Rewards Community is the name of Xcel Energy s solar gardens program offering in Colorado. In this document you will find the steps to complete the application process for a Solar*Rewards Community project. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 4

5 1.2. Process Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 5

6 2. Application Form: Submission and Validation - Submitting Application Form 2.1. Overview 2.2. The Application Form is the first thing to complete for your solar garden application. All fields are required and must be filled out before the form can be submitted. The subscriber organization is the group that is sponsoring the solar garden and its subscribers. It may also be responsible for funding and maintaining the garden itself. The primary application owner will be the primary contact for the application process. The Developer/System owner information should be populated if there is a Third Party developer involved with this project organization. In the solar garden section you will enter the physical address and other information about the solar garden. Expected operation date must be within 1 year of the application date for Small and Medium program applications. The sum of the Name plate Capacity for all arrays must be greater than 10 kw and less than 500 kw for the Standard Offer. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 6

7 Information/Documents Required 1) Before beginning to complete the application, please make sure to review all requisite information detailed in this section. All fields in the application are required. You will need the following information to complete the application: a. Subscriber organization address b. Primary application manager address c. Developer/system organization address d. Solar garden address e. Total system cost f. Estimated completion date g. Array information (Array/Azimuth) h. Name plate capacity of your garden 2.3. Steps To Complete This Section Navigate to the Application Form When you have compiled all the above information, navigate to the form Subscriber Organization 1) Enter the organization name. 2) Enter the street address of the subscriber. 3) Enter the city of the subscriber. 4) Select the state from the drop down menu. 5) Enter the zip code of the subscriber Primary Application Manager The primary application manager will be the primary contact for the application process. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 7

8 1) Select the salutation from the drop down menu. 2) Enter the first name of the primary contact. 3) Enter the last name of the primary contact. 4) Enter the phone where the primary contact can best be reached during business hours. 5) Enter the for the primary contact. 6) Re-enter the for the primary contact to confirm the correct was captured Developer/System Owner Information 1) If the subscriber organization is the same as the developer/system organization, check the Same as Subscriber box and the remaining fields in this section will be auto-populated. 2) Enter the organization or legal entity name of the developer/system owner. 3) Enter the street address of the developer/system owner. 4) Enter the city of the developer/system owner. 5) Enter the state of the developer/system owner. 6) Enter the zip code of the developer/system owner. 7) Enter the phone of the developer/system owner. 8) Enter the of the developer/system owner. 9) Re-enter the of the developer/system owner. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 8

9 Solar garden Information In the solar garden section you will enter the physical address and other details about the solar garden. 1) Enter the street address of the physical location of the solar garden. 2) Enter the city of the physical location of the solar garden. 3) Enter the state of the physical location of the solar garden. 4) Enter the county of the physical location of the solar garden. 5) Enter the zip code of the physical location of the solar garden. 6) Select the PV Watts location from the drop down menu. 7) Enter the name of the garden. 8) Enter the total system cost of the garden with no commas. 9) Check the box to validate you are using original equipment. 10) Enter the expected date of commercial operation. 11) Enter information for the Primary Array a. Mount Location (Ground or Roof Mount) b. Tracker Type (Fixed, Single, or 2-axis) c. Azimuth (Value between 0 and 360) d. Tilt (Value between 0 and 90) e. Enter the DC name plate capacity for this array. The sum of all arrays must meet a minimum 10 kw and a maximum 2000 kw. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 9

10 12) If you have more than one array, click on the Add Additional Rays (Optional) button and repeat step 11 from this section Finalizing the Application Form 1) Click the check box to indicate that you agree to meet the low income requirements. These requirements must be met in order for the system to become commercially operational. 2) If you would like to print the application for your records, select Print and a pdf will be created with your application information. 3) To submit your form click Send Forward Next Steps 1) Xcel will review the information provided on the Application Form. If your Application Form is approved, you will be granted access to the solar garden Application System where you will complete the rest of the application process. 2) Upon approval, you will receive an with your login information required to access the Application System. If your initial application is not approved by Xcel, you will receive an with the reason, as well as instructions for next steps. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 10

11 3. Application System Login 3.1. Overview After you complete the Application Form you will receive an with credentials to log in to the Application System. This portal will be used to complete the rest of your application Credentials Upon initial submission the system will send the primary contact an with a user name and password for the Application System where the application will be completed. Your user name and password for the Application System. Link to the Application System login page Logging In Enter your user name and password provided in your credentials and click login. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 11

12 4. Application Step 1: Initial Application and Deposit/Escrow 4.1. Overview Within 5 business days receiving your user name and login to the Application System you will need to submit your deposit and escrow via mailed check or wire transfer. Please mail your deposit to: Checks Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community 1800 Larimer St. Suite 1500 Denver, CO Or Wire transfer Bank: Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. City/State: San Francisco, CA Routing/ABA: Acct No: Acct Name: Public Service Company of Colorado In addition, you will need to download deposit and escrow forms from the application. After you fill out the forms and submit your deposit and escrow you will need to upload the signed deposit and escrow forms back into the application This section will help you submit those forms Information/Documents Required 1) The following documents are required to complete this section: a. Deposit form - Form that accompanies deposit fee, signed by provider b. Escrow form - Form that accompanies escrow fee, signed by provider 4.3. Steps To Complete This Section Downloading Deposit and Escrow Forms 1) From the Application System home screen, in the Actions Required to Proceed section, click on the Download Documents button. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 12

13 2) On the download documents screen select the Download Document button for the Deposit form. A Deposit Form will open in a separate window/tab with your solar garden information already pre-populated. 3) Save the file to your computer. 4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the Escrow Form. 5) Print and sign your forms. 6) Scan and upload your forms to the application by following the process below Uploading Deposit and Escrow Forms 1) From the Application System home screen, in the Actions Required to Proceed section, click on the Upload Documents button. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 13

14 2) Select the radio button for Deposit Form. Click Browse and to search for the file on your computer. 3) Locate the Deposit Form on your computer and click Open. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 14

15 4) Click on the Upload Document button. 5) From the Solar garden Detail page select the Upload Documents button. 6) Repeat steps 2 4 for the Escrow Form. Reminder: Deposit and escrow forms must be submitted within 5 business days of gaining access to the Application System in order for application to move forward in the application process Next Steps 1) Once your Deposit and Escrow forms have been uploaded and deposit/escrow payments have been received by Xcel you will receive an with the next steps to continue the application process. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 15

16 5. Application Step 2: Submission and Validation - Subscribers 5.1. Overview When you have compiled your subscriber information you will need to add the subscribers to the portal. This section will help you add your subscriber information and attach documents. Please note: You have 30 days from the time of your deposit and escrow approval to submit a minimum of 10 valid subscribers. Each subscriber will require submission of a Data Privacy Form and a Subscriber Agency Agreement form prior to being approved in the application. You will also need to upload a State of Colorado Certificate of Good Standing at this time Information/Documents Required 1) State of Colorado Certificate of Good Standing 2) The following required fields for each subscriber: a. First and last name of the subscriber. b. Subscriber s 7 digit account number. (For example, if the customer gives you an account number of , enter the middle 7 digits, c. Subscriber s 9 digit premise number. d. The amount of kw that will be allocated to the subscriber in the system allocated field. Following are the parameters for this entry: The amount must be 1 or greater unless the subscriber is a low income participant and then it can be.1 or greater. The total amount allocated to all subscribers cannot exceed the system s DC name plate capacity. No individual subscriber s allocation can exceed 40% of the total DC name plate capacity. e. Subscriber s address. 3) A Subscriber Agency Agreement form is required for each subscriber. 4) A Data Privacy form is required for each subscriber 5) A Low Income Verification Form is required for qualified low income participants 6) A minimum of ten subscribers need to be entered in order to submit the application. More subscribers can be added later Steps To Complete This Section Submit Data Privacy Forms 1) Data Privacy (Consent) Forms must be submitted for each subscriber in your Solar garden. These Consent Forms should be submitted as early as possible in the application process. a. You will not be able to continue the application process until Xcel has received and approved Consent Forms for all of your subscribers. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 16

17 2) Visit the following website to download the Data Privacy Consent Form y_regulations_-_co a. Our customer(s) must sign the new Colorado PUC consent form [and we must validate it] before any customer information, including consumption information can be released to you. b. Each customer must enter their account number, service address and name in the customer section of the consent form, sign and date the form and return to you. c. Submit your request and the completed and signed consent forms to Xcel Energy at or P.O. Box 8 Eau Claire WI Invalid or incomplete forms will be returned to you Add Subscribers 1) From the Application System home screen, in the Actions Required to Proceed section, click on the Add Subscriber button. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 17

18 2) Enter the subscriber information. All fields are required: a. Enter the first and last name of the subscriber. b. Enter the middle 7 digits of the subscriber s account number (xx x). c. Enter the subscriber s 9 digit premise number. d. Enter the amount of kw that will be allocated to the subscriber in the system allocated field. Following are the parameters for this entry: The amount must be 1 or greater unless the subscriber is a low income participant and then it can be.1 or greater. The total amount allocated to all subscribers cannot exceed the name plate capacity. Each individual subscriber s allocation cannot exceed 40% of the total name plate capacity. e. Enter the subscriber s . f. Select the check box if the subscriber is a qualified low income participant. 3) Click the Submit Subscriber button to add the subscriber. 4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all subscribers have been added, there should be at minimum 10 subscribers per garden. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 18

19 Updating and Removing Subscribers 1) If you need to make changes to your subscribers, from the Application System home screen, navigate to appropriate Solar garden by clicking on the solar garden link. 2) Scroll to the bottom of the solar gardens detail view and click Edit next to the subscriber you would like to edit. 3) Update subscriber information and click submit subscriber. a. If the system recognizes the account number and premise number to be a valid Xcel account the account number and premise number will not be editable. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 19

20 b. If you need to remove a subscriber click View instead of Edit and then click the Remove Subscriber button on the Subscriber Detail screen Download Subscriber Forms 1) The Subscriber Agency Agreement and Low Income Verification Form is available for each subscriber on their respective subscriber detail screen. From the Application System home screen, navigate to appropriate solar garden by clicking on the solar garden link Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 20

21 2) Scroll to the bottom of the solar gardens detail view and click View next to the subscriber you would like to download the forms for. 3) Click the Download Documents button. 4) On the download documents screen select the Download Document button for the Subscriber Agency Agreement Form. A Subscriber Agency Agreement will open in a separate window/tab with your solar garden information already pre-populated. 5) Save the file to your computer. 6) Repeat steps 4 and 5 and download the Low Income Verification form if the subscriber is a low income subscriber. 7) Repeat Steps 2 through 6 for each subscriber. 8) Ensure all of your subscribers review and sign the forms. 9) Scan and upload the signed forms to the application by following the process below. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 21

22 Upload Subscriber Forms 1) The Subscriber Agency Agreement and Low Income Form (if necessary) must be uploaded to each subscriber s profile. From the Application System home screen, navigate to appropriate solar garden by clicking on the solar garden link 2) Scroll to the bottom of the solar gardens detail view and click View next to the subscriber profile you would like to upload the forms to. 3) Click the Upload Documents button. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 22

23 4) Select the radio button for Subscriber Agency Agreement. Click Browse and to search for the file on your computer. 5) Locate the Appropriate Subscriber Agency Agreement Form on your computer and click Open. 6) Repeat Steps 3 through 5 and upload the Low Income Verification Form for any customers who have been identified as a low income customer. 7) Repeat Steps 2 through 5 for each of your subscribers until a signed Subscriber Agency Agreement Form has been uploaded for all subscribers. Also, all Low Income Subscribers should have the Low Income form uploaded to their profile at this time. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 23

24 Identifying and Updating Invalid Subscribers 1) Before you can submit your subscribers and move on to the next step of the application process you need to verify each one of your subscribers is marked Valid in the application. To check subscriber status, from the home tab in the Application System, click on the Solar garden link. 2) Scroll down to the Subscriber Allocation section and locate any customers with a status of Not Valid. Click on the View link for the Not Valid subscriber to view the subscriber details. 3) In the example below the subscriber has all of the required forms submitted. However, this subscriber does not reside in the same or adjacent to the county where the solar garden is located. This subscriber is not qualified to participate in this garden and should be removed using the Delete Subscriber button. If the subscriber failed the validation for 120% validation you would click the Edit button and reduce the allocation to this subscriber to ensure they fall below the 120% threshold. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 24

25 4) You can also check the status of your subscribers by clicking on the View link in the Subscriber Validation Report field on the Application System home page. 5) The report will list all of your subscribers and provide the status for each. It will also show you reason for a subscriber showing a status of Not Valid Upload State of Colorado Certificate of Good Standing 1) To upload your State of Colorado Certificate of Good Standing navigate to the home tab of the Application System and click on the solar garden link for the garden to which you need to upload the form. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 25

26 Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 26

27 2) On the solar garden Detail page click on the Upload Documents button. 3) Select the radio button for Step 2: State of Colorado Certificate of Good Standing Form and click Browse to search for the file on your computer. 4) Locate the file to upload and click Open. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 27

28 5) Click on the Upload Document button. Your document will be uploaded to the application Submit Subscribers 1) When all subscribers, subscriber forms, and the Colorado Certificate of Good Standing have been added to the garden you can submit your application and subscribers for approval. From the Application System home page, click on the solar garden link. 2) 3) On the Garden Detail page click on the Submit Subscriber button Next Steps 1) All of the information you submitted will be reviewed by Xcel. You will receive an with the next steps to continue the application process. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 28

29 6. Application Step 3: Engineering Review 6.1. Overview The next step in the application process requires you to submit line diagram, SGIA and site plan documents which will be forwarded to engineering and metering for review. This section will help you upload documents to the application Information/Documents Required 1) The following documents are required to complete this section: Line Diagram - Electrical one-line drawing detailing system metering and interconnection SGIA - Small Generation Interconnect Application - Application for interconnecting to the Xcel Energy grid Site plan - Drawing of site where system will be located, including details of the placement of panels, inverts, and meters Meter request via Builders Call Line Steps To Complete This Section 1) From the Application System home screen, navigate to the Solar Gardens tab and click on the solar garden id. 2) On the Solar Garden Detail page click on the Upload Documents button. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 29

30 3) Select the radio button for Step 3: Line Diagram and click Browse to search for the file on your computer. 4) Locate the Line Diagram file on your computer and click Open to upload the file. 5) Click on the Upload Document button. Your document will be uploaded to the application. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 30

31 6) Repeat Steps 2 through 5 for the SGIA and Site Plan Next Steps 1) Your line diagram, SGIA and site plan documents will be reviewed by the engineering team at Xcel. Upon approval, you will receive an with the next steps to continue the application process. 2) Please request an Xcel Energy service meter via the Builders Call Line ( ). Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 31

32 7. Application Step 4: Documents and Contract Submission 7.1. Overview After you receive notification that your line diagram, SGIA and site plan have been approved, you will need to upload your final documents. This section will help you upload those documents. You also will need to set up phone line for your solar garden to transmit garden production information to Xcel. You will need to this phone number to before moving to the next step in the application process Information/Documents Required 1) The following documents are required to complete this section: a. Reservation letter - Letter detailing project specifications and incentive offer. Signed by system owner. b. Interconnect Agreement - Agreement between system owner and Xcel Energy regarding the terms of interconnecting to the electric grid. c. Solar*Rewards Community Contract - Contract between system owner and Xcel Energy detailing terms of program participation, including incentive level and term d. Invoice - Copy of invoice to shows details of the equipment installed and total system cost e. Insurance - Copy of liability insurance from system owner, which covers address of system location f. Inspection - Proof of final electrical inspection by city/state 2) A solar garden production meter phone number must be supplied to Xcel to complete this section Steps To Complete This Section Download Contracts and Documents 1) From the Application System home screen, navigate to the Solar Gardens tab and click on the solar garden id. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 32

33 2) On the Solar Garden Detail page click on the Download Documents button. 3) On the Download Documents screen select the Download Document button for the Reservation Letter. A Reservation Letter will open in a separate window/tab with your solar garden information already pre-populated. 4) Save the file to your computer. 5) Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the Interconnection Agreement and Solar*Rewards Community Contract. 6) Print and sign your forms. 7) Scan and upload your forms to the application by following the process below Upload Contracts and Documents 1) From the Application System home screen, navigate to the Solar Gardens tab and click on the solar garden id. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 33

34 2) On the Solar Garden Detail page click on the Upload Documents button. 3) Select the radio button for Step 4: Reservation Letter and click Browse to search for the file on your computer. 4) Locate the Reservation Letter file on your computer and click Open to upload the file. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 34

35 5) Click on the Upload Document button. Your document will be uploaded to the application. 6) Repeat Steps 2 through 5 for the Interconnection Agreement and Solar*Rewards Community Contract. 7) At this time, you should also upload your proof of Insurance, proof of Inspection, and a copy of your invoice. Repeat Steps 2 through 5 until all documents have been uploaded Submit Production Meter Phone Number to Xcel 1) Set up your solar garden phone line used to transmit garden production data to Xcel Energy. 2) this phone number to solarrewardscommunity@xcelenergy.com Next Steps 1) Your contracts and documents will be reviewed by Xcel. Upon approval, you will receive an with the next steps to continue the application process. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 35

36 8. Application Step 5: Completion 8.1. Overview Your Application is complete. No further action is required at this time. You may continue to manage your subscribers until your solar garden becomes active Information/Documents Required 1) All new subscribers will require a Data Privacy form and Subscriber Agency Agreement. Please refer to sections 6.2, 6.3.1, and of this document for additional details on adding new subscribers. Please note: You must maintain at least 10 subscribers and 5% production allocation to Low Income subscribers at all times Steps To Complete This Section Adding Subscribers 1) Refer to section of this document Updating and Removing Subscribers 2) Refer to section of this document Next Steps 1) The application process is complete. Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 36

37 9. Application Step 6: Application Active 9.1. Overview Your solar garden is Active! No further action is required. You may manage your subscribers at any time through the Application System Information/Documents Required 1) All new subscribers will require a Data Privacy form and Subscriber Agency Agreement. Please refer to sections 6.2, 6.3.1, and of this document for additional details on adding new subscribers. Please note: You must maintain at least 10 subscribers and 5% production allocation to Low Income subscribers at all times. Also, all changes to the subscriber records must be made no later than 5 days prior to the end of the month Steps To Complete This Section Adding Subscribers 3) Refer to section of this document Updating and Removing Subscribers 4) Refer to section of this document Next Steps The application process is complete Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community Application Process Manual 37