Section PSC 119.02 - Definitions In this chapter:
(1) "ANSI" means American National Standards Institute.(2) "Applicant" means the legally responsible person applying to a public utility to interconnect a DG facility to the public utility's distribution system.(3) "Application review" means a review by the public utility of the completed standard application form for interconnection, to determine if an engineering review or distribution system study is needed.(4) "Category 1" means a DG facility with an export capacity of 20 kW or less. A DG facility comprised of a resource no larger than 20 kW with a non-exporting energy storage system no larger than 20 kW shall be considered a Category 1 system.(5) "Category 2" means a DG facility with an export capacity of greater than 20 kW and not more than 200 kW. The nameplate rating shall be used instead of the export capacity for this definition if the non-exporting energy storage system is larger than 20 kW.(6) "Category 3" means a DG facility with an export capacity of greater than 200 kW and not more than 1 MW. The nameplate rating shall be used instead of the export capacity for this definition if the non-exporting energy storage system is larger than 200 kW.(7) "Category 4" means a DG facility with an export capacity of greater than 1 MW and not more than 15 MW.(8) "Certified equipment" means a generating, control or protective system that has been certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory as meeting acceptable safety and reliability standards.(9) "Commission" means the public service commission of Wisconsin.(10) "Commissioning test" means the process of documenting and verifying the performance of a DG facility so that it operates in conformity with the design specifications.(11) "Customer" means any person who is receiving electric service from a public utility's distribution system.(12) "DG" means distributed generation.(13) "DG facility" has the meaning given in s. 196.496 (1), Stats.(14) "Distribution feeder" means an electric line from a public utility substation or other supply point to customers that is operated at 50 kV or less, or as determined by the commission.(15) "Distribution system" means all electrical wires, equipment, and other facilities owned or provided by a public utility that are normally operated at 50 kV or less.(16) "Distribution system study" means a study to determine if a distribution system upgrade is needed to accommodate the proposed DG facility and to determine the cost of any such upgrade.(16d) "Energy storage system" means a device or devices that capture energy produced at one time, store that energy for a period of time, and deliver that energy as electricity for use at a future time.(16h) "Energy storage system max continuous output kW in alternating current" means the maximum rated continuous power output of the energy storage system. Note: This defined term should be used when completing the standard application form, PSC Form 6031.
(16p) "Energy storage system max usable energy kWh in alternating current" means the maximum rated amount of energy stored in the energy storage system. Note: This defined term should be used when completing the standard application form, PSC Form 6031.
(16t) "Energy storage system peak output kW in alternating current" means while grid interactive, the maximum short duration rated output power of the energy storage system to the distribution system. Note: This defined term should be used when completing the standard application form, PSC Form 6031.
(17) "Engineering review" means a study that may be undertaken by a public utility, in response to its receipt of a completed standard application form for interconnection, to determine the suitability of the installation.(17m) "Export capacity kW in alternating current" means the amount of power that can be transferred from the DG facility to the distribution system. Export capacity is the lesser of the following: (a) The nameplate rating.(b) If limited using any approved means, that limited amount.(18) "Fault" means an equipment failure, conductor failure, short circuit, or other condition resulting from abnormally high amounts of current from the power source.(19) "IEEE" means Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.(20) "Interconnection" means the physical connection of a DG facility to the distribution system so that parallel operation can occur.(21) "Interconnection disconnect switch" means a mechanical device used to disconnect a DG facility from a distribution system.(22) "Inverter" means a machine, device, or system that converts direct current power to alternating current power.(23) "Islanding" means a condition on the distribution system in which a DG facility delivers power to customers using a portion of the distribution system that is electrically isolated from the remainder of the distribution system.(24) "kV" means kilovolt.(25) "kW" means kilowatt. Unless otherwise specified, the definition references units in alternating current.(26) "Material modification" means any modification that changes the maximum electrical output of a DG facility or changes the interconnection equipment, including: (a) Changing from certified to non-certified devices.(b) Replacing a component with a component of different functionality or UL listing.(27) "MW" means megawatt. Unless otherwise specified, the definition references units in alternating current.(27m) "Nameplate rating alternating current" means the sum total of maximum continuous rated power (kW) output while grid connected of all of a DG facility's constituent generating units or energy storage systems, or both, as identified on the manufacturer nameplate, regardless of whether it is limited by any approved means.(28) "Nationally recognized testing laboratory" means any testing laboratory recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration's accreditation program. Note: A list of nationally recognized testing laboratories is available at www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/index.html.
(29) "Network service" means 2 or more primary distribution feeders electrically connected on the low voltage side of 2 or more transformers, to form a single power source for any customer.(30) "Parallel operation" means the operation, for longer than 100 milliseconds, of an on-site DG facility while the facility is connected to the energized distribution system.(31) "Paralleling equipment" means the generating and protective equipment system that interfaces and synchronizes a DG facility with the distribution system.(32) "Point of common coupling" means the point where the electrical power system of the applicant seeking to interconnect a DG facility is electrically connected to the distribution system. The point of common coupling is equivalent, in most cases, to the service point as specified by the public utility and described in the National Electric Code and National Electrical Safety Code. Note: National electric codes are adopted in Wisconsin Electrical Safety Code Volumes 1 and 2, as found in ch. PSC 114 and ch. SPS 316.
(32m) "Power factor" means the ratio of active power to apparent power.(33) "Public utility" has the meaning given in s. 196.01 (5), Stats.(34) "Standard application form" means PSC Form 6031. The standard application form has supplements designed to collect information specific to different installations and technologies.(35) "Standard interconnection agreement" means PSC Form 6029 for Category 1 facilities or PSC Form 6030 for Category 2 to 4 DG facilities. Note: A copy of PSC Forms 6029 to 6033 can be obtained can be obtained at no charge from the local electric utility or from the Public Service Commission, PO Box 7854, Madison, WI 53707-7854.
(35g) "Standard pre-application request form" means PSC Form 6032.(35r) "Standard pre-application report" means the information provided on PSC form 6033 in response to completed requests submitted through PSC Form 6032.(36) "Telemetry" means transmission of DG operating data and settings using telecommunications techniques. It may also include controls and two-way communication.(37) "UL" means Underwriters Laboratory.(38) "Working day" has the meaning given in s. 227.01 (14), Stats.Wis. Admin. Code Public Service Commission PSC 119.02
CR 03-003: CR Register January 2004 No. 577, eff. 2-1-04.Amended by, CR 22-077: am. (4) to (7), cr. (16d) to (16t), (17m), am. (25), (27), cr. (27m), am. (32), cr. (32m), am. (34), cr. (35g), (35r), am. (36) Register April 2024 No. 820, eff. 5-1-24; correction in numbering of (17m) (a), (b) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1, Stats., Register April 29 No. 820, eff. 5/1/2024