The following definitions shall apply throughout this part, and any references to this part shall include these definitions except as required by context or by Arkansas Code § 23-18-604(c)(11)(A) as interpreted by the Arkansas Public Service Commission in Docket No. 23-021-R:

1. (1)

   1. (A) “Additional meter” means a meter associated with the net-metering customer’s account to which the net-metering customer may request an electric utility apply credit with net excess generation or net-metering surplus from the net-metering customer’s generation meter.

   2. (B) Additional meter or meters:

      1. (i) Shall be under common ownership within a single electric utility’s service area;
      2. (ii) Shall be used to measure the net-metering customer’s requirements for electricity;
      3. (iii) May be in a different class of service than the generation meter;
      4. (iv) Shall be assigned to one (1), and only one (1), generation meter;
      5. (v) Shall not be a generation meter; and
      6. (vi) Shall not be associated with unmetered service;
2. (2) “Annual billing cycle” means the normal annual fiscal accounting period used by the electric utility;
3. (3) “Avoided cost” means as defined in Arkansas Code § 23-18-603(1);
4. (4) “Billing period”. The billing period for net-metering will be the same as the billing period under the net-metering customer’s applicable standard rate schedule;

5. (5)

   1. (A) “Biomass resource” means a resource that may use one (1) or more organic fuel sources that can either be processed into synthetic fuels or burned directly to produce steam or electricity, provided that the:

      1. (i) Resources are renewable and environmentally sustainable in their production and use; and
      2. (ii) Process of conversion to electricity results in a net environmental benefit.

   2. (B) This includes, but is not limited to:

      1. (i) Dedicated energy crops and trees;
      2. (ii) Agricultural food and feed crops;
      3. (iii) Agricultural crop wastes and residues;
      4. (iv) Wood wastes and residues;
      5. (v) Aquatic plants;
      6. (vi) Animal wastes; and
      7. (vii) Other accepted organic, renewable waste materials;
6. (6) “Commission” means the Arkansas Public Service Commission;
7. (7) “Distribution cooperative” means a member-owned electric utility organized pursuant to the Electric Cooperative Corporation Act, Arkansas Code § 23-18-301 et seq., that purchases the wholesale electricity it distributes to its members from Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation;

8. (8)

   1. (A) “Electric utility” means as defined in Arkansas Code § 23-18-603(3).
   2. (B) Pursuant to Arkansas Code § 23-18-604(e), a person who acts as a lessor or service provider as described in Arkansas Code § 23-18-603(8)(A)(ii) or § 23-18-603(8)(A)(iii) shall not be considered an electric utility;

9. (9) “Energy storage device” means a device that:

   1. (A) Captures energy produced at one (1) time;
   2. (B) Stores that energy for a period of time; and
   3. (C) Delivers that energy as electricity for use at a future time;
10. (10) “Facilities Agreement” means an agreement that provides the net-metering customer a good-faith estimate, based on the results of a facilities study, for the net-metering customer’s appropriate portion of the make-ready costs and associated expenses required to enable the net-metering customer’s use of the electric utility’s facilities and to cover the direct costs of interconnection and any grid upgrades required to connect the net-metering facility pursuant to Arkansas Code § 23-18-604(c)(9)(B)(i) and (ii), including applicable costs of constructing the electric utility facilities necessary to interconnect a net-metering facility as referred to in Arkansas Code § 23-18-604(c)(11)(A)(ii);

11. (11)

    1. (A) “Facilities study” means a comprehensive engineering study conducted by an electric utility detailing the electric system infrastructure and the impacts to the transmission and/or distribution systems that would result if a proposed interconnection request were connected without project modifications or electric system modifications.
    2. (B) The purpose of a facilities study is to determine the required modifications to the electric utility’s transmission and/or distribution system to mitigate any potential adverse system impacts, including the appropriate portion of the estimated make-ready costs and the approximate time required to build and install such modifications as necessary to accommodate an interconnection request;
12. (12) “Fuel cell resource” means a resource that converts the chemical energy of a fuel directly to direct current electricity without intermediate combustion or thermal cycles;
13. (13) “Generation meter” means the meter associated with the net-metering customer’s account to which the net-metering facility is physically attached;

14. (14)

    1. (A) “Geothermal resource” means a resource in which the prime mover is a steam turbine.
    2. (B) The steam is generated in the earth by heat from the earth's magma;

15. (15)

    1. (A) “Hydroelectric resource” means a resource in which the prime mover is a water wheel.
    2. (B) The water wheel is driven by falling water;

16. (16)

    1. (A) “Locational Marginal Price” means a market-based pricing mechanism used in electricity markets to determine the cost of electricity at a specific location on the power grid.
    2. (B) It reflects the cost of supplying electricity at a particular point, taking into account the cost of generation, transmission losses, and congestion on the power grid;
17. (17) “Micro turbine resource” means a resource that uses a small combustion turbine to produce electricity;
18. (18) “Monthly grid charge” means as defined in Arkansas Code § 23-18-603(4);
19. (19) “Net excess generation” means as defined in Arkansas Code § 23-18-603(6);
20. (20) “Net-metering” means as defined in Arkansas Code § 23-18-603(7);

21. (21)

    1. (A) “Net-metering customer” means as defined in Arkansas Code § 23-18-603(8).
    2. (B) “Legacy net-metering customer” means a customer who submitted a Standard Interconnection Agreement for Net-metering Facilities for a particular net-metering facility prior to March 13, 2023.
    3. (C) “Legacy-transitional net-metering customer” means a customer who submitted a Standard Interconnection Agreement for Net-metering Facilities for a particular net-metering facility on or after March 13, 2023, but whose net-metering facility qualifies to remain under the rate structure, terms, and conditions in effect before December 31, 2022, until June 1, 2040, pursuant to Arkansas Code § 23-18-604(c)(11)(A).
    4. (D) “Non-legacy net-metering customer” means a net-metering customer whose net-metering facility does not qualify to remain under the rate structure, terms, and conditions in effect before December 31, 2022, until June 1, 2040, pursuant to Arkansas Code § 23-18-604(c)(11)(A);
22. (22) “Net-metering facility” means as defined in Arkansas Code § 23-18-603(9);
23. (23) “Net-metering surplus” means as defined in Arkansas Code § 23-18-603(10);

24. (24) “Parallel operation”.

    1. (A) “Parallel operation with an electric utility’s distribution facilities” means the operation of a net-metering facility in compliance with applicable safety standards and power generation limits under this part while the net-metering facility is connected to the electric utility’s distribution system.
    2. (B) “Parallel operation with an electric utility’s transmission facilities” means the operation of a net-metering facility in compliance with applicable safety standards and power generation limits under this part if an electric utility owns transmission facilities that will be impacted by a net-metering facility;
25. (25) “Renewable energy credit” means as defined in Arkansas Code § 23-18-603(11);
26. (26) “Residential use” means service provided under an electric utility’s standard rate schedules applicable to residential service;
27. (27) “Solar resource” means a resource in which electricity is generated through the collection, transfer, and/or storage of the sun's heat or light; and
28. (28) “Wind resource” means a resource in which an electric generator is powered by a wind-driven turbine.

Codification Notes: This section was promulgated as Rule 1.01 of the Net-metering Rules prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules.