Holy Cross Energy - Net Metering

Summary

Holy Cross Energy, an electric cooperative, offers net metering to residential and commercial customers that generate electricity using photovoltaic (PV), wind, geothermal, hydroelectric or biomass systems up to 25 kilowatts (kW) in capacity. Customer net excess generation (NEG) is applied as a kilowatt-hour credit to the customer's following bill. If a customer has NEG credit at the end of a calendar year, Holy Cross will purchase the credit at a price equivalent to the cooperative’s average cost of power, per kilowatt-hour, over the prior calendar year. All grid-tied renewable-energy systems are assessed a monthly customer charge by the Holy Cross Energy. For systems greater than 10 kilowatts (kW) in capacity, an additional monthly minimum charge (MMC) is assessed to address the poles and wires cost component associated with the cooperative's distribution facilities. With the exception of the annual financial limit imposed on rebates for renewable-energy systems, there is no limit on the overall enrollment in the net-metering program. However, if the total capacity of all net-metered energy systems exceeds 1% of the capacity necessary to meet Holy Cross Energy’s annual peak demand, the cooperative may elect to discontinue providing net-metering service to any additional customers. Holy Cross Energy takes ownership of the renewable energy credits (RECs) associated with grid-tied renewable-energy generation by customers. In conjunction with its net-metering policy, Holy Cross Energy also offers a rebate for renewable-energy systems installed in its service territory. The cooperative will pay up to $2.00 per watt of installed capacity for systems up to 25 kW in capacity that generate electricity using biomass, geothermal technology, hydroelectric, photovoltaic or wind. The rebate payment may not exceed 50% of actual system cost. This program currently has an annual aggregate limit of $75,000 for rebates.