The following guidance is subject to change as the PUC finalizes any rulemaking orders.
If you have questions that are not specific to solar facilities, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions.
If you are unable to find the response to your question, please contact the Program Administrator.
To be eligible to participate in the PA AEPS program, a Solar PV system may be any size and must be interconnected to a utility in the PJM regional transmission organization (RTO).
Only PA-sited solar facilities are eligible to earn SAECs.
Systems outside of Pennsylvania that are within the PJM interconnection territory may qualify for Tier I AECs if they derive energy from the following: solar photovoltaic and solar thermal energy, wind power, low-impact hydropower, geothermal energy, biologically derived methane gas, fuel cells, biomass energy, or coal mine methane.
A system may qualify for Tier II AECs if it is located in Pennsylvania and derives energy from the following: waste coal, distributed generation systems, demand-side management, large-scale hydropower, or municipal solid waste
Eligible facilities located in the PJM footprint can qualify for PA AEPS Tier I certification. Facilities may be certified in multiple state RPS programs, but credits can only be retired to one RPS program and registered in one tracking registry. For example, a facility cannot be registered in both MRETS and PJM-GATS.
An application may be submitted once the interconnection utility grants final approval to operate as indicated by an official approval notice, the system is placed online, and solar-dedicated production is recorded.
If an application is submitted more than 30 days after utility interconnection approval is issued, the application must include a meter photo (if a revenue grade kWh meter is installed) or inverter photo(s) capturing the total kWh as of the time when the application is submitted.
Generation begins the date a fully completed application is submitted to the PA AEPS Program or the date of interconnection approval, whichever is later. Any generation prior to the later of the two dates is not eligible to earn credits.
For all new systems, photos showing all modules within each array listed are required. The photo(s) must be clear enough to allow counting of each individual module. An Interconnection Approval Agreement, Certificate of Completion (CoC), or Permission to Operate (PTO) document is required for all systems. This will contain the date that the utility granted final approval to operate the system.
If an application is submitted more than 30 days after utility interconnection approval is issued, a meter photo is required. This may be taken from a solar-dedicated meter itself showing the reading or from an online monitoring portal, if applicable. Photos from bi-directional meters are not allowed for verification purposes as they reflect the combined production and consumption of a system.
If you have selected an aggregator to manage your system, either a Recognition of Assignment (ROA) or a Schedule A is required. An ROA is required for leased/PPA systems while a Schedule A is required for non-leased/PPA aggregated systems. Please thoroughly review the document and ensure that all required signatures are present.
If your system contains a battery, a site-specific electrical diagram showing the location of the battery is required.
For facilities > 250 kW DC, a site plan showing the layout of all installed modules is required.
If your system received utility interconnection approval on or later than May 18, 2017 and has a solar-dedicated revenue-grade meter (RGM), please use the total kWh produced, entered as a whole number, to report your production.
If you do not have a solar-dedicated RGM, it is likely that your meter is incorporated into your inverter and is accessed by the display on the device or through an online monitoring portal.
A bi-directional utility meter may not be used to report production as this records the combined production and consumption. If your system received utility interconnection approval on or before May 17, 2017, is less than 15 kW DC, and does not have a solar-dedicated revenue grade meter for recording kWh production, the facility may earn Solar AECs based on PV Watts estimates.
If this is an expansion or second system at the same address, please check that you have selected “Yes” for “Aspect of an Existing Facility.”
If you are the homeowner and this is the first system being submitted for registration at this installation address, confirm if you have selected an aggregator to manage your AECs as they may submit the application on your behalf.
If you are an aggregator, please contact the PA AEPS Program Administrators at [email protected].
A new application must be submitted for the addition as an “aspect of an existing facility.” This is available in Step 1 of the application.
If the new system is metered with the original system, please provide information for only the additional equipment installed. This includes the additional array(s) details such as the number of modules, orientation, and module power rating as well as additional (not preexisting) inverter(s) installed. You will also need to provide the existing PA Certification Number and a new Certificate of Completion/Permission to Operate issued by the utility if there are changes to the AC size.
If the new system is separately metered, please provide proof that production is recorded and monitored separately (a screenshot of the monitoring portal or photo(s) of the solar dedicated meters will suffice). Separately metered applications will require all new supporting documentation. Please include “(second system)” or “(addition)” in the installation Apartment or Suite address line to avoid a duplicate address error.
No. When adding a new system, alternative energy generators must apply for the second facility within the same account. Please note that this is not considered an “aspect” of an existing system, but rather a new facility with a new certification number.
AECs are expected to remain with the home. Any arrangement made between the buyer and the seller will be at the risk of both parties. In order to update AEC ownership, both parties must complete and sign the PJM-GATS system change form and submit it to the Administrator via email to [email protected]. All information on the closing documents may be redacted except for the buyers’ and sellers’ names and signatures and the closing date. The deed/settlement statement is no longer required.
Please email [email protected] the facility address, owner’s name, date of decommission, and the reason for decertification.