On January 24, 2012, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (MA DPU), in response to a request filed by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and 15 other distributed generation providers, issued Order 11-75, establishing a Distributed Generation Interconnection Collaborative Working Group.

According to MA DPU:

“The original DG Collaborative established uniform standards for the interconnection of distributed generation in the wake of the restructuring of the electric industry. D.T.E. 02-38, at 1-2. Building on this foundation, the goal of the Working Group here is to determine what changes should be implemented to ensure an efficient and effective interconnection process that will foster continued growth of distributed generation in Massachusetts. The Department notes that the Working Group should not endeavor to recreate or reconvene the DG Collaborative, but rather should focus on the issues that need to be addressed in order to update the existing generation interconnection framework.” [D.P.U. 11-75-A, at 4]

“The goal of the Working Group is to reach consensus on distributed generation issues. However…consensus may not be attainable on some issues and additional Department process may be necessary, including a possible adjudicatory proceeding. [D.P.U. 11-75-A, at 5]

The 2012 Massachusetts Distributed Generation Working Group, first convened on May 31, 2012, and included key stakeholders from four different clusters: distributed generators, utilities, state agencies, and customers/cities.

The Group’s Final Report, submitted September 14, 2012, delineated all of the Working Group’s recommendations for changes to the Uniform Standards for Interconnection Standards for Distributed Generation. The Report represents an intensive effort over a four-month period by the Massachusetts distribution utilities, MA DOER, MA CEC, and representatives of distributed generators and customers, to seek improvements in the interconnection process. This diverse group of stakeholders reached consensus on all but one of the extensive recommendations in this package. Taken together, these recommendations should help to improve the interconnection process in Massachusetts.

On October 31, 2012, the Working Group submitted a fully-vetted redlined tariff, to the DPU. Concurrently, the distribution companies have agreed to begin work on the enhanced timeline tracking systems and monthly DOER reporting approach, as described in the Report.

A leader in designing and facilitating stakeholder processes on energy, environmental, climate and regulatory issues, Raab Associates, Ltd., facilitated the original Massachusetts Distributed Generation Collaborative in 2002-2003, and the MA DG Working Group Stakeholder process in 2012.

This website contains all the working documents from the Working Group, as well as the Working Group’s schedule, membership, and contact information.

For deeper background on distributed generation in Massachusetts, see the Massachusetts DG and Interconnection website, maintained by MA DOER .

On October 3, 2013, a DG Time Frame Enforcement Mechanism settlement mediated by Raab Associates among the Distribution Companies, MA DOER, Borrego Solar Systems, Inc., the Northeast Clean Heat and Power Initiative (“NECHPI”), Prime Solutions, Inc., Spire Solar Systems, Veolia Energy North America, and Source One, Inc. was filed, pursuant to D.P.U. 11-75-E, with the MA Department of Public Utilities. This document is available here.