Western Illinois Electrical Coop. is pleased to offer a Net Billing program for our members, now that our Net Metering program is fully subscribed.
With Net Billing, members using a renewable energy system first utilize their generated power at their location, getting full retail value for those generated kilowatt-hours (kWh). Any time the renewable energy system is producing more energy than the location is using, the excess energy is sent to WIEC electric grid. At the end of the month, WIEC pays the member for that excess energy at our on-peak wholesale energy rate which is set annually by Prairie Power Inc.
To qualify for our Net Billing program, your renewable energy system MUST:
- have a nameplate rating of 100 kW or less (AC).
- be sized to offset no more than 110% of the account’s energy requirements over the previous 12 months.
- 110% Energy Provision Worksheet (Included in solar packet)
The following steps will guide you through the approval process for a Net Billing installation.
STEP 1
Contact us at 800-576-3125 to let us know you are interested in a system. Member MUST come by the office 524 N Madison Street, Carthage, Illinois to pick up a solar packet and a WIEC employee will explain the process necessary to interconnect with WIEC energy grid.
- WIEC Solar Information Packet Confirmation (Included in solar packet)
(WIEC Employee will go over this information when member picks up solar packet at WIEC office)
STEP 2
Provide us with the following information:
- Signed Interconnection Application Agreement (Attachment A) – Policy 526
- Interconnection Application Fees Agreement (Attachment C) – Policy 526
- One-line diagram of your system
- Site plan for the proposed system
- Specification sheets for solar panels & inverters
- $250 application fee (non-refundable)
- $1000 Engineering study fee
- Proof of $1 million insurance policy coverage (sample)
STEP 3
We will study your application materials to determine its impact on our system. Based on the size and your location, there may be additional engineering study fees, and other utilities may have to determine impact on their system as well. Once the potential system is approved, we will let you know so your contractor/installer can begin the installation.
Provide us with the following information:
STEP 4
Once installed, but before the system is turned on and energized, please contact WIEC at 800-576-3125.
We will inspect your system and may need to install some special metering equipment. Once inspected and everything completed member will need to sign an Interconnection and Parallel Operation of Distributed Generation Agreement and an Authorization to Energize Agreement. Once both agreements are signed by the member, the member or installer can then fully energize the system.
- Interconnection and Parallel Operation of Distributed Generation Agreement (Attachment D) – Policy 526
- Authorization to Energize Agreement (Attachment E) – Policy 526
Policy 526 – Interconnection and Parallel Operation of Distributed Generation
Policy 527NB – Net Billing and Cooperative Purchase of Excess Member Owned Generation Capacity