Sec. 5.
As used in this act:
(a) "Electric provider", subject to sections 21(1), 23(1), and 25(1), means any of the following:
(i) Any person or entity that is regulated by the commission for the purpose of selling electricity to retail customers in this state.
(ii) A municipally-owned electric utility in this state.
(iii) A cooperative electric utility in this state.
(iv) Except as used in subpart B of part 2, an alternative electric supplier licensed under section 10a of 1939 PA 3, MCL 460.10a.
(b) "Eligible electric generator" means that a methane digester or renewable energy system with a generation capacity limited to the customer's electric need and that does not exceed the following:
(i) For a renewable energy system, 150 kilowatts of aggregate generation at a single site.
(ii) For a methane digester, 550 kilowatts of aggregate generation at a single site.
(c) "Energy conservation" means the reduction of customer energy use through the installation of measures or changes in energy usage behavior. Energy conservation does not include the use of advanced cleaner energy systems.
(d) "Energy efficiency" means a decrease in customer consumption of electricity or natural gas achieved through measures or programs that target customer behavior, equipment, devices, or materials without reducing the quality of energy services.
(e) "Energy optimization", subject to subdivision (f), means all of the following:
(i) Energy efficiency.
(ii) Load management, to the extent that the load management reduces overall energy usage.
(iii) Energy conservation, but only to the extent that the decreases in the consumption of electricity produced by energy conservation are objectively measurable and attributable to an energy optimization plan.
(f) Energy optimization does not include electric provider infrastructure projects that are approved for cost recovery by the commission other than as provided in this act.
(g) "Energy optimization credit" means a credit certified pursuant to section 87 that represents achieved energy optimization.
(h) "Energy optimization plan" or "EO plan" means a plan under section 71.
(i) "Energy optimization standard" means the minimum energy savings required to be achieved under section 77.
(j) "Energy star" means the voluntary partnership among the United States department of energy, the United States environmental protection agency, product manufacturers, local utilities, and retailers to help promote energy efficient products by labeling with the energy star logo, educate consumers about the benefits of energy efficiency, and help promote energy efficiency in buildings by benchmarking and rating energy performance.
(k) "Federal approval" means approval by the applicable regional transmission organization or other federal energy regulatory commission approved transmission planning process of a transmission project that includes the transmission line. Federal approval may be evidenced in any of the following manners:
(i) The proposed transmission line is part of a transmission project included in the applicable regional transmission organization's board-approved transmission expansion plan.
(ii) The applicable regional transmission organization has informed the electric utility, affiliated transmission company, or independent transmission company that a transmission project submitted for an out-of-cycle project review has been approved by the applicable regional transmission organization, and the approved transmission project includes the proposed transmission line.
(iii) If, after the effective date of this act, the applicable regional transmission organization utilizes another approval process for transmission projects proposed by an electric utility, affiliated transmission company, or independent transmission company, the proposed transmission line is included in a transmission project approved by the applicable regional transmission organization through the approval process developed after the effective date of this act.
(iv) Any other federal energy regulatory commission approved transmission planning process for a transmission project.
History: 2008, Act 295, Imd. Eff. Oct. 6, 2008
Last modified: October 10, 2016