Requires the Long Island power authority to conform to safety standards regarding manual lockable disconnect switches for solar electric generating equipment.

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S4548-2011 Actions

• Jun 13, 2011: SUBSTITUTED BY A5525A
• May 16, 2011: ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
• May 11, 2011: 2ND REPORT CAL.
• May 10, 2011: 1ST REPORT CAL.609
• Apr 12, 2011: REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

S4548-2011 Meetings

Energy and Telecommunications: May 10, 2011

S4548-2011 Calendars

Active List: Jun 13, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 11, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 16, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 17, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 18, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 23, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 24, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 25, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 1, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 2, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 6, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 7, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 13, 2011

S4548-2011 Votes

S4548-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S4548

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the public authorities law,
in relation to external disconnect
switches on solar electric generating equipment

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To eliminate any requirement that
solar electric generating equipment of less than 25 kilowatts have an
external disconnect switch.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Under no circumstances shall such
standards require the use of such a manual lockable disconnect switch
on residential solar electric equipment of not more than twenty-five
kilo watts, when such equipment is in compliance with Underwriters
Laboratories interconnection standard 1747. The authority shall
comply with the provisions of section sixty-six-j of the public
service law.

JUSTIFICATION:
In February 2009, the state's Public Service Commission
issued a ruling requiring that all utility companies eliminate the
requirement for the external disconnect switch used in solar
installations sized 25kW and smaller.

Since that ruling, all the state's utility companies have complied
however the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), a state owned utility
company, has not.

All solar energy converting equipment currently sold on the market
today, are required to meet the rigid standards of IEEE 1547 and UL
1741 anti Islanding provisions, preventing "grid connected" inverter
equipment from back feeding power to the grid when there is a utility
power failure.

Requiring a redundant manual disconnect switch only adds to the cost
of an already expensive solar installation between $700 and $1400 to
the customer.

This amendment changes the current law to reflect the February PSC deci-
sion.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2009-2010: S.7712, Passed Senate

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

S4548-2011 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                    4548

                         2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                               April 12, 2011
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by  Sen. MAZIARZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
    printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
    cations

  AN  ACT  to  amend  the  public authorities law, in relation to external
    disconnect switches on solar electric generating equipment

    THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section 1.  Section 1020-cc of the public authorities law, as added by
  chapter  517 of the laws of 1986 and as renumbered by chapter 334 of the
  laws of 1987, is amended to read as follows:

    S 1020-cc. Authority subject to certain provisions  contained  in  the
  state  finance  law, the public service law, the social services law and
  the general municipal law. All  contracts  of  the  authority  shall  be
  subject to the provisions of the state finance law relating to contracts
  made  by  the  state. The authority shall also establish rules and regu-
  lations with respect to providing to its residential gas,  electric  and
  steam utility customers those rights and protections provided in article
  two  and  sections one hundred seventeen and one hundred eighteen of the
  public service law and section one hundred thirty-one-s  of  the  social
  services  law.    THE  AUTHORITY  SHALL  CONFORM TO ANY SAFETY STANDARDS
  REGARDING MANUAL LOCKABLE DISCONNECT SWITCHES FOR SOLAR ELECTRIC  GENER-
  ATING EQUIPMENT ESTABLISHED BY THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION PURSUANT TO
  SUBPARAGRAPH  (II) OF PARAGRAPH (A) OF SUBDIVISION FIVE AND SUBPARAGRAPH
  (II) OF PARAGRAPH (A) OF SUBDIVISION FIVE-A OF  SECTION  SIXTY-SIX-J  OF
  THE   PUBLIC   SERVICE  LAW.  The  authority  shall  let  contracts  for
  construction or purchase of supplies, materials, or  equipment  pursuant
  to  section  one  hundred three and paragraph (e) of subdivision four of
  section one hundred twenty-w of the general municipal law.
    S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD08771-03-1