NY State Senate Bill 2009-S7712

Senate Bill S7712

2009-2010 Legislative Session

Eliminates any requirement that solar electric generating equipment of less than 25 kilowatts have an external disconnect switch

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Assembly Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jun 24, 2010	referred to energy delivered to assembly passed senate
Jun 23, 2010	ordered to third reading cal.1150 committee discharged and committed to rules
May 04, 2010	referred to energy and telecommunications

Votes

- Jun 24, 2010 - Floor Vote
  S7712
  
  54
  
  Aye
  
  7
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  1
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Floor Vote: Jun 24, 2010
      
      aye (54)
      
      Adams
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Alesi
      
      Aubertine
      
      Bonacic
      
      Breslin
      
      Diaz
      
      Dilan
      
      Duane
      
      Espada
      
      Flanagan
      
      Foley
      
      Fuschillo
      
      Golden
      
      Griffo
      
      Hannon
      
      Hassell-Thompson
      
      Huntley
      
      Johnson
      
      Klein
      
      Krueger
      
      Kruger
      
      Lanza
      
      Leibell
      
      Libous
      
      Little
      
      Marcellino
      
      Maziarz
      
      McDonald
      
      Montgomery
      
      Nozzolio
      
      Onorato
      
      Oppenheimer
      
      Padavan
      
      Parker
      
      Peralta
      
      Perkins
      
      Robach
      
      Saland
      
      Sampson
      
      Savino
      
      Schneiderman
      
      Serrano
      
      Seward
      
      Skelos
      
      Smith
      
      Squadron
      
      Stachowski
      
      Stavisky
      
      Stewart-Cousins
      
      Thompson
      
      Valesky
      
      Volker
      
      Winner
      
      nay (7)
      
      DeFrancisco
      
      Farley
      
      Johnson
      
      LaValle
      
      Larkin
      
      Ranzenhofer
      
      Young
      
      excused (1)
      
      Morahan
  Jun 23, 2010 - Rules Committee Vote
  S7712
  
  15
  
  Aye
  
  5
  
  Nay
  
  2
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  1
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Rules Committee Vote: Jun 23, 2010
      
      aye (15)
      
      Dilan
      
      Duane
      
      Espada
      
      Hassell-Thompson
      
      Johnson
      
      Klein
      
      Krueger
      
      Montgomery
      
      Parker
      
      Serrano
      
      Smith
      
      Stachowski
      
      Stewart-Cousins
      
      Valesky
      
      Volker
      
      nay (5)
      
      Farley
      
      LaValle
      
      Larkin
      
      Seward
      
      Skelos
      
      aye wr (2)
      
      Padavan
      
      Saland
      
      absent (1)
      
      Hannon

2009-S7712 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A10245
Current Committee:: Assembly Energy
Law Section:: Public Service Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §66-j, Pub Serv L; amd §1020-cc, Pub Auth L
Versions Introduced in 2011-2012 Legislative Session:: S4548, A5525

2009-S7712 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Eliminates any requirement that solar electric generating equipment of less than 25 kilowatts have an external disconnect switch, so long as such equipment complies with the interconnection standards of the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.; makes the provisions relating to net energy metering applicable to the Long Island power authority.

2009-S7712 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S7712

 TITLE OF BILL :
An act to amend the public service law and the public authorities law,
in relation to external disconnect switches on solar electric
generating equipment


 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :
To eliminate any requirement that solar electric generating equipment
of less than 25 kilowatts have an external disconnect switch.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :
Under no circumstances shall such standards require the use of such a
manual lockable disconnect switch on residential solar electric
equipment of not more than twenty-five kilowatts, when such equipment
is in compliance with Underwriters Laboratories ,interconnection
standard 1747. The authority shall comply with the provisions of
section sixty-six-j of the public service law.

 JUSTIFICATION :
In February 2009, the state's Public Service Commission issued a
ruling requiring that all utility companies eliminate the requirement
for the external disconnect switch used in solar installations sized
25kW and smaller.

Since that ruling, all the state's utility companies have complied
however the Long Island power Authority (LIPA), a state owned utility
company, has not.

All solar energy converting equipment currently sold on the market
today, are required to meet the rigid standards of IEEE 1547 and UL
1741 anti Islanding provisions, preventing "grid connected" inverter
equipment from back feeding power to the grid when there is a utility
power failure.

Requiring a redundant manual disconnect switch only adds to the cost
of an already expensive solar installation between $700 and $1400 to
the customer.

This amendment changes the current law to reflect the February PSC
decision.

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :
None.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :
None.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately.

2009-S7712 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  7712

                            I N  S E N A T E

                               May 4, 2010
                               ___________

Introduced  by Sen. THOMPSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
  cations

AN  ACT  to amend the public service law and the public authorities law,
  in relation to external disconnect switches on solar electric generat-
  ing equipment

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  Subparagraph  (ii)  of  paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of
section 66-j of the public service law, as amended by chapter 355 of the
laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
  (ii) a manual lockable disconnect switch provided by the customer-gen-
erator which shall be located on the outside of the customer's  premises
and  externally  accessible for the purpose of isolating the residential
solar and farm waste electric generating equipment.   HOWEVER, UNDER  NO
CIRCUMSTANCES  SHALL  SUCH  STANDARDS  REQUIRE  THE USE OF SUCH A MANUAL
LOCKABLE DISCONNECT SWITCH ON RESIDENTIAL SOLAR  ELECTRIC  EQUIPMENT  OF
NOT  MORE  THAN TWENTY-FIVE KILOWATTS, WHEN SUCH EQUIPMENT IS IN COMPLI-
ANCE WITH UNDERWRITERS LABORATORIES INTERCONNECTION STANDARD 1747.
  S 2. Subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 5-a of  section
66-j of the public service law, as amended by chapter 355 of the laws of
2009, is amended to read as follows:
  (ii) a manual lockable disconnect switch provided by the customer-gen-
erator which shall be located on the outside of the customer-generator's
premises  and  externally  accessible  for  the purpose of isolating the
solar electric generating equipment.   HOWEVER, UNDER  NO  CIRCUMSTANCES
SHALL  SUCH  STANDARDS REQUIRE THE USE OF SUCH A MANUAL LOCKABLE DISCON-
NECT SWITCH ON NON-RESIDENTIAL SOLAR ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT OF NOT MORE THAN
TWENTY-FIVE KILOWATTS, WHEN SUCH EQUIPMENT IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH  UNDER-
WRITERS LABORATORIES INTERCONNECTION STANDARD 1747.
  S  3. Section 1020-cc of the public authorities law, as added by chap-
ter 517 of the laws of 1986 and as renumbered by chapter 334 of the laws
of 1987, is amended to read as follows:

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD15453-02-0

S. 7712                             2

  S 1020-cc. Authority subject to certain provisions  contained  in  the
state  finance  law, the public service law, the social services law and
the general municipal law. All  contracts  of  the  authority  shall  be
subject to the provisions of the state finance law relating to contracts
made  by  the  state. The authority shall also establish rules and regu-
lations with respect to providing to its residential gas,  electric  and
steam utility customers those rights and protections provided in article
two  and  sections one hundred seventeen and one hundred eighteen of the
public service law and section one hundred thirty-one-s  of  the  social
services  law. THE AUTHORITY SHALL COMPLY WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION
SIXTY-SIX-J OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE LAW. The authority shall let contracts
for construction or purchase of supplies, materials, or equipment pursu-
ant to section one hundred three and paragraph (e) of  subdivision  four
of section one hundred twenty-w of the general municipal law.
  S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

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