SPONSOR: Davidson
This bill creates the "Missouri Home Battery and Grid Resilience Act", which requires each electrical corporation, within 90 days after the effective date of the bill, to file with the Public Service Commission a "Residential Battery and Grid Resilience Program".
Each program must provide customer incentives for installation of eligible battery energy storage systems located behind the customer meter; require enrollment of the system in a utility- approved grid services tariff for a minimum term of five years; and allow ownership of the battery energy storage system by the customer, a third-party lessor, or an approved aggregator. Each participating utility must offer certain incentives as specified in the bill.
A minimum 20% state-of-charge reserve must be maintained for customer backup during dispatch events. Incentive payments must be made upon verification of installation and enrollment in the grid services tariff.
All prudently incurred program costs must be recorded to a regulatory asset on the utility’s books and be recoverable through an amortization of the regulatory asset balance in each of the utility’s general rate proceedings over a reasonable period of time. The Commission must ensure the program meets certain requirements.
Utilities can use Federal funds, grants, or private contributions to cover incentives, program administration, or measurement and verification costs. General revenue or taxpayer funds cannot be used to implement this Section.
Utilities must verify available capacity and dispatched energy through interval metering or certified telemetry. Each utility must file an annual report with the Commission summarizing certain information specified in the bill.
Residential customers participating in a program are entitled to certain rights and protections specified in the bill.
The Commission, in consultation with the Energy Division of the Department of Natural Resources, must establish and administer a statewide licensing program for solar and energy storage contractors operating within the State. Any person applying for a license must complete an application created by the Commission and the Department and pay a licensing fee of $500 for initial licensing and $250 for biennial renewal.
The Commission, in coordination with the Department, must maintain a public online registry of all licensed solar and energy storage as specified in the bill. License holders must comply with certain requirements.
The Commission may suspend, fine, or revoke licenses for fraudulent or deceptive practices, unsafe installations, or failure to comply with specified requirements. Fines may not exceed $5,000 per violation, plus restitution to affected customers.
Contractors holding active NABCEP certification and operating in Missouri prior to implementation of this program may receive provisional licensing within 180 days. Out-of-state firms may apply for reciprocal licensing if holding equivalent credentials and experience.
Statutes affected: