Section 362-A:1-a - Definitions In this chapter:
I. "Bio-oil" means a liquid renewable fuel derived from vegetable oils, animal fats, wood, straw, forestry byproducts, or agricultural byproducts using noncombustion thermal, chemical, or biological processes, including, but not limited to, distillation, gasification, hydrolysis, or pyrolysis, but not including anaerobic digestion, composting, or incineration.I-a. "Bio synthetic gas" means a gaseous renewable fuel derived from vegetable oils, animal fats, wood, straw, forestry byproducts, or agricultural byproducts using noncombustion thermal, chemical, or biological processes, including, but not limited to, distillation, gasification, hydrolysis, or pyrolysis, but not including anaerobic digestion, composting, or incineration.I-b. "Biodiesel" means a renewable diesel fuel substitute that is composed of mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids, is derived from vegetable oils or animal fats, and meets the requirements of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specification D6751.I-c. "Cogeneration facility" means a facility which produces electric energy and other forms of useful energy, such as steam or heat, which are used for industrial, commercial, heating, or cooling purposes.I-d. "Combined heat and power system" means a new system installed after July 1, 2011, that produces heat and electricity from one fuel input using an eligible fuel, without restriction to generating technology, has an electric generating capacity rating of at least one kilowatt and not more than 30 kilowatts and a fuel system efficiency of not less than 80 percent in the production of heat and electricity, or has an electric generating capacity greater than 30 kilowatts and not more than one megawatt and a fuel system efficiency of not less than 65 percent in the production of heat and electricity. Fuel system efficiency shall be measured as usable thermal and electrical output in BTUs divided by fuel input in BTUs.II. "Commission" means the New Hampshire public utilities commission.II-a. "Electricity suppliers" has the same meaning as in RSA 374-F:2, II.II-b. "Eligible customer-generator" or "customer-generator" means an electric utility customer who owns, operates, or purchases power from an electrical generating facility either powered by renewable energy or which employs a heat led combined heat and power system, with a total peak generating capacity of up to and including one megawatt, except as provided for a municipal host as defined in paragraph II-c, that is located behind a retail meter on the customer's premises, is interconnected and operates in parallel with the electric grid, and is used to offset the customer's own electricity requirements. Incremental generation added to an existing generation facility, that does not itself qualify for net metering, shall qualify if such incremental generation meets the qualifications of this paragraph and is metered separately from the nonqualifying facility.II-c. "Municipal host" means a customer generator with a total peak generating capacity of greater than one megawatt and less than 5 megawatts used to offset the electricity requirements of a group consisting exclusively of one or more customers who are political subdivisions, provided that all customers are located within the same utility franchise service territory. A municipal host may be owned by either a public or private entity. For this definition, "political subdivision" means the state of New Hampshire or any city, town, county, school district, chartered public school, village district, school administrative unit, or any district or entity created for a special purpose administered or funded by any of the above-named governmental units.II-d. "Eligible fuel" means natural gas, propane, wood pellets, hydrogen, or heating oil when combusted with a burner, including air emission standards for the device using the approved fuel.II-e. "Heat led" means that the combined heat and power system is operated in a manner to satisfy the heat usage needs of the customer-generator.II-f. "Department" means the New Hampshire department of energy.III. "Limited producer" or "limited electrical energy producer" means a qualifying small power producer, a qualifying storage system, or a qualifying cogenerator, with a maximum rated generating or discharge capacity of less than 5 megawatts that: (a) Does not participate in net energy metering. Non-participation in net energy metering may be achieved by canceling participation in such upon assuming limited production.(b) Is not registered as a generator, asset, or network resource with ISO New England.(c) Does not otherwise participate in any FERC jurisdictional wholesale electricity markets, except as an alternative technology regulation resource (ATRR) to the extent ATRRs are deemed by ISO New England to function as retail or network load reducers for all other ISO New England purposes. Such non-participation in FERC jurisdictional interstate wholesale markets may be achieved by retirement from such markets.III-a. "Net energy metering" means measuring the difference between the electricity supplied over the electric distribution system and the electricity generated by an eligible customer-generator which is fed back into the electric distribution system over a billing period.IV. "Person" means any individual, partnership, association, corporation, governmental unit or agency or any combination thereof.V. "Primary energy source" means the fuel or fuels used for the generation of electric energy, except that such term does not include the minimum amounts of fuel required for ignition, startup, testing, flame stabilization, or control uses or the minimum amounts of fuel required to alleviate or prevent unanticipated equipment outages or emergencies directly affecting the public health, safety or welfare which would result from electric power outages.VI. "Qualifying cogeneration facility" means a cogeneration facility which the commission determines meets such requirements, including requirements respecting minimum size, fuel use and fuel efficiency, as the commission may prescribe and which is owned by a person not primarily engaged in the generation or sale of electric power, other than electric power solely from cogeneration facilities or small power production facilities.VII. "Qualifying cogenerator" means the owner or operator of a qualifying cogeneration facility.VII-a. "Qualifying facility" means either or both of a qualifying small power production facility or qualifying cogeneration facility.VIII. "Qualifying small power producer" means the owner or operator of a qualifying small power production facility.IX. "Qualifying small power production facility" means a small power production facility which the commission determines meets such requirements, including requirements respecting fuel use, fuel efficiency and reliability, as the commission may prescribe and which is owned by a person not primarily engaged in the generation or sale of electric power, other than electric power solely from cogeneration facilities or small power production facilities.IX-a. "Qualifying storage system" means an electric energy storage system as defined in RSA 72:84 or a grid-integrated electric vehicle as defined in RSA 374-F:2.X. "Small power production facility" means a facility which produces electric energy solely by the use, as a primary energy source, of biomass, waste, renewable resources, bio-oil, bio synthetic gas, biodiesel, or any combination thereof and which has a power production capacity which, together with any other facility located at the same site, as determined by the commission, is not greater than 30 megawatts.Amended by 2023, 243:4, eff. 10/7/2023.Amended by 2023, 233:2, eff. 10/7/2023.Amended by 2022 , 245: 33, eff. 8/20/2022.Amended by 2022 , 218: 2, eff. 6/17/2022.Amended by 2022 , 218: 1, eff. 6/17/2022.Amended by 2021 , 229: 11, eff. 8/26/2021.Amended by 2021 , 91: 232, eff. 7/1/2021.Amended by 2014 , 130: 2, eff. 8/15/2014.Amended by 2013 , 266: 1, eff. 7/24/2013.Amended by 2011 , 168: §§1, 2eff. 7/1/2011. 1983, 395:1. 1989, 211:1. 1998, 261:2-4. 2006, 294:1, 2. 2007, 174:1, eff. Aug. 17, 2007. 2010, 143:2, eff. Aug. 13, 2010.