(A) Certification. A customer-generating facility must be certified as complying with the following standards, as applicable, prior to connecting to the city’s distribution system:
(1) IEEE Standard 1547, Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power systems, as amended and supplemented;
(2) UL Standard 1741, Inverters, Converters and Controllers for Use in Independent Power Systems, as amended and supplemented;
(3) An equipment package shall be considered certified for interconnected operation if all components have been submitted by a manufacturer to a nationally-recognized testing and certification laboratory and has been tested and listed by the laboratory for continuous interactive operation with an electric distribution system in compliance with the applicable codes and standards listed above. The city has the right to approve or deny other distributed energy resource components on a case-by-case basis; and
(4) A Utah-licensed electrical contractor (S200, S201 or S202) or equivalent must install the photovoltaic systems.
(B) Approval and inspection.
(1) Prior to interconnection.
(a) Any customer desiring an interconnection agreement must take application with and receive approval from the city. The customer must complete a form with applicable information about the interconnection for accounting and safety purposes. All required modifications or improvements to the city’s distribution system to accommodate the customer’s generating facility shall be paid by the customer.
(b) After installation of the customer-generating facility and prior to interconnection with the city’s distribution system, the facility shall be inspected and approved by the city’s Inspection and Public Power Departments and/or their designees. The customer must also obtain any local, state or federal permits and pay all applicable fees.
(c) The city will enable the bi-directional capability of the city standard meter, that is capable of measuring power flow in and out of the customers metering equipment. The city will also provide one production meter, at the customer’s cost.
(2) After interconnection. The city shall have the right to inspect a customer-generating facility after interconnection approval is granted, at reasonable hours and with reasonable prior notice to the customer. If the city discovers that the customer-generating facility is not in compliance with the requirements of this policy, and the non-compliance adversely affects the safety or reliability of the electric distribution system, the city shall require the customer to disconnect the customer-generating facility immediately until compliance is achieved.
(C) Testing and maintenance. Once an interconnection has been approved under this policy, the city will require a customer to test or perform maintenance on its facility as per the following:
(1) An annual test in which the customer-generating facility is disconnected from the city’s distribution system to ensure that the inverter stops delivering power to the grid; and
(2) Any manufacturer-recommended testing or maintenance and any post-installation testing necessary to ensure compliance with IEEE 1547 or to ensure safety.
(D) Disconnection and metering.
(1) The city shall have the right to disconnect the customer-generating facility at any time, in the event it causes problems to the distribution system. The customer will have the option of correcting the problem, at which time the system will be re-inspected before beginning operation again.
(2) The customer shall be required to install a manual disconnect, which is of the visible break type in a metal enclosure which can be secured by a padlock and is located within ten feet of the meter. The disconnect shall be readily accessible by city authorized personnel at all times. In addition, roof-mounted systems must have a roof-mounted manual disconnect as per NEC and local codes.
(3) The customer shall be required to meet all current applicable electrical codes (NEC, NESC) and the city’s metering and disconnection requirements, including, but not limited to, installation of new meter base and panel.
(E) Liability. The customer shall be responsible for any damage caused by the customer-generating facility to the city’s distribution system and/or neighboring services. The customer shall be responsible for the installation and maintenance of applicable protection equipment, and for any damage caused by improper application, maintenance or faulty equipment. The city shall not be liable directly or indirectly for permitting or continuing to allow an attachment of an interconnected facility, or for the acts or omissions of the customer-generator that caused loss or injury, including death, to any third party.
(Prior Code, § 10.05.040) (Ord. 11-05, passed 3-17-2011; Ord. 22-20, passed 9-1-2022)