NAC701B.155. Application for reservation; cancellation and resubmission of application; duties of utility and applicant; limits on reservation of capacity; submission and contents of claim; effect of failure to install system.

     1. A host customer may submit an application for the reservation of an incentive to the utility using forms approved by the Commission once the host customer has executed a contract with a third party for, or has received a purchase order demonstrating proof of purchase of, solar generating equipment. The application for the reservation of an incentive must include, without limitation:

     (a) Signatures of the applicant, the host customer and the system owner, if different from the host customer;

     (b) A copy of the executed agreement to purchase and install the solar energy system;

     (c) If the system owner is not the host customer, a copy of the executed agreement between the host customer and the system owner;

     (d) Any documentation required by the utility which substantiates ownership of the equipment;

     (e) If the host customer is designated pursuant to NAC 701B.150 as a public entity, other than a corporation for public benefit or an Indian tribe or tribal organization, an attestation that the host customer has complied with all applicable provisions of chapters 338 and 701B of NRS;

     (f) An attestation executed by the contractor involved in the installation of the solar energy system stating that the installation will meet siting requirements as determined by the utility; and

     (g) A refundable application fee, payable to the utility, of:

          (1) For a solar energy system with a capacity of not more than 25 kilowatts, $50.

          (2) For a solar energy system with a capacity of more than 25 kilowatts but less than 500 kilowatts, $100.

Ê The fee must be refunded without interest upon the installation of the solar energy system. The fee is forfeited if the solar energy system is not installed by the expiration date contained in the reservation notice. Each fee that is not refunded must be used by the utility to fund the costs of the Lower Income Solar Energy Pilot Program established pursuant to NRS 704.786.

     2. The utility shall provide on its Internet website, adjacent to the application forms, a best practices guide to selecting a contractor and other consumer resources, including, but not limited to, the current contact information for the State Contractors’ Board.

     3. If an application is found to be incomplete or requires clarification, the utility shall request additional information. If the applicant has not submitted the requested information within 20 calendar days after receipt of the request, the application will be cancelled and the applicant may resubmit the application to the utility. The utility shall treat all resubmitted applications as new applications and process them in sequence with other new applications. Money for an incentive is not reserved until the utility receives all information and documentation required for the application and the project is approved.

     4. The utility shall review and approve applications in the order in which the applications are received, subject to the utility’s process for review and approval of applications. The utility shall, within 30 days after receipt of an application, review the application for completeness and determine eligibility. Once the utility approves the application, the utility shall issue a notice confirming that a specific incentive amount is reserved for the project. The solar energy system must be installed and capable of producing electricity on or before the expiration date listed on the notice. The notice must list:

     (a) The incentive type and the amount that has been reserved for the project;

     (b) The approved kilowatt capacity of the project; and

     (c) An expiration date for the reservation, which must be 12 months after the date of the issuance of the notice.

     5. If a host customer:

     (a) Has consumed energy delivered by the utility during each of the 12 months immediately preceding the filing date of the application, the reservation of capacity for an applicant must not exceed an amount of capacity that would produce an amount of energy greater than 100 percent of the annual requirements for electricity of the customer-generator, as determined by the consecutive 12-month period with the highest energy usage during the 2-year period immediately preceding the filing date of the application.

     (b) Has not consumed energy delivered by the utility during each of the 12 months immediately preceding the filing date of the application, or if the host customer is installing the solar energy system on a new building, the reservation of capacity for an applicant must not exceed:

          (1) For a residential host customer, 2 watts per square foot of the building; or

          (2) For a nonresidential host customer, the maximum amount of capacity allowable for the building as determined by a procedure that the utility includes in its annual plan filed pursuant to NAC 701B.125 and that is approved by the Commission.

     6. To receive the full incentive for the reservation, the applicant must complete the installation of a solar energy system not later than the expiration date listed on the notice issued pursuant to subsection 4. If the applicant fails to complete installation of the participating solar energy system on or before the expiration date listed on the notice, the reservation is forfeited and the utility must make the capacity for that reservation available to other applicants.

     7. To claim the incentive, the applicant must submit a form approved by the Commission to the utility after the solar energy system is installed and capable of producing electricity. The form must include, without limitation:

     (a) Signatures of the applicant, the host customer and the system owner, if different from the host customer;

     (b) Any supporting documentation deemed necessary by the Commission; and

     (c) Any documentation required by the utility which substantiates ownership of the equipment.

     8. If a host customer has received a reservation for an incentive but failed to install a solar energy system within the time prescribed by this section on three or more occasions, the host customer may not file any additional applications.

     (Added to NAC by Pub. Utilities Comm’n by R184-09, eff. 4-20-2010; A by R025-12, 9-14-2012; R122-13, 2-26-2014)