Independent developers and installers of renewable energy generation systems are finding a growing market in the Tennessee Valley, thanks to Green Power Providers.
Participants in the Green Power Providers program are usually the owners of the generation systems. However, in some cases an outside developer may own a system that is located on a participant’s property. In that case the developer and participant sign a separate agreement covering the use and inspection of the system on the participant’s site and the payment from the developer for using the site.
PLEASE NOTE: The participant, not the outside developer, is the one who is paid for the power generation for 20 years. This agreement is separate from the participation agreement signed with the distributor.
General Overview of Green Power Providers
Projects that generate electricity from technologies using any one of the following sources are eligible: solar, wind, low-impact hydropower and biomass. Biomass includes all solid, liquid and gaseous forms of these fuels:
Go to the Renewable Energy Resources page to learn more about each technology.
The generating system must be installed and approved by the local power company within 180 calendar days of TVA’s approval of the participation agreement. This information can be found in section 2.1 of the participation agreement. Solar installations approved by TVA in Calendar Year 2015 must be designed, inspected, and approved by a renewable energy professional that has passed the NABCEP entry level exam at a minimum. Upon approval, the NABCEP installer must sign the System Acceptance Form. NABCEP is an acronym for the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (www.nabcep.org). The system must comply with environmental regulations and national standards, be certified by a licensed electrician, and comply with all applicable codes.
There will not be an opportunity to extend this 180 Calendar Day term. Systems that do not meet this installation deadline are welcome reapply, subject to the terms and conditions of the program at the time TVA provides final approval of the Participation Agreement.
Participation in the program is entirely at the discretion of the power company. Go to the Participating Power Companies page for more information.
Customers must submit an interconnection application to their local power company. The power company will determine whether the project can be fast-tracked or if it must undergo a feasibility study to determine the impact on the distribution system. Local power companies may alter the proposed interconnection procedures and agreement drafted by TVA to suit their local guidelines or processes. Contact your local power company for more information.
Customers must submit an interconnection application to the local power company. The power company will determine whether the project can be fast-tracked, or if it must undergo a feasibility study to determine the impact on the distribution system. Local power companies may alter the proposed interconnection procedures and agreement drafted by TVA to suit their local guidelines or processes. Contact your power company for more information.
TVA and local power companies worked together in the product development process in 2011–12 and received feedback from consumers about the length of the contract. Overall, consumers indicated that a 20-year contract term, as opposed to a longer agreement, would meet their needs.
TVA looked at the incentives from several perspectives:
TVA
Customer
Federal tax credits (these are subtracted from the total tax liability, in contrast to a tax deduction):
The system and all interconnection-related equipment must have been tested and listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory for continuous interactive operation with an electric distribution system in compliance with: