Published April 2014
The essentials
- Arizona’s Renewable Energy Standard & Tariff (REST) requires that 4.5% of electricity comes from distributed generation (DG) systems such as rooftop solar.
- Regulated utilities demonstrate compliance with the REST by collecting Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from their customers who have installed DG systems, in exchange for upfront cash incentives meant to help customers finance the installation of the DG system.
- With the rising demand for DG installations since the start of the REST, the Arizona Corporation Commission agreed to significantly reduce upfront incentives. As a result, the regulated electric utilities lost their guaranteed source of RECs that are needed to demonstrate compliance.
- During June 2012, Arizona Public Service (APS), Tucson Electric, & Power (TEP), and UNS Electric (UNS) proposed a Track and Record option that would allow utilities to demonstrate compliance by tracking and counting towards compliance any new DG connection added within each service territory, independent of REC ownership.
- On February 24, 2014, the ACC issued an order indicating that good cause exists for authorizing a one-year waiver to the regulated utilities’ (APS, TEP, and UNS) 4.5% DG requirement. The purpose of this waiver is to allow the ACC time to develop a new method to track utility compliance with REST.