Coming soon: An electronic web-based tool to submit interconnection applications which will replace the current manual/paper process. This platform will provide an intuitive user experience to guide customers, developers, and Entergy staff through the interconnection process. The tool will allow users to submit their applications, make edits or corrections, monitor the approval statuses, receive utility responses and feedback, and provide reference information for all interconnection regulations and standards.
The Arkansas General Assembly recently passed Act 278, the Arkansas Cost-Shifting Prevention Act of 2023, and the Governor signed the Act into law.
Entergy Arkansas, LLC offers a Net-Metering Service Schedule to qualified customers that generate electric power using solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, or qualified biomass resources. Net Metering is a means of crediting these customers for energy they supply to the grid while billing them for energy they consume from the grid. Net Metering is available to residential customers whose Net Metering facilities have generator capacity up to 25 kilowatts (or generator capacity representing the customer's highest residential usage in the previous twelve months) and to non-residential customers whose Net Metering facilities have generator capacity up to 20 megawatts (capacity over 1 MW requires Commission pre-approval). Customers may not take service under the Net-Metering Service Schedule if they are already taking service under any other tariff with provisions for alternative source generation or cogeneration.
With Net Metering, the kilowatt-hours (kWh) produced by the customer and supplied to the grid offset the kWh supplied to the customer in that month (meaning the customer is billed for net kWh). If the customer sends more kWh to the grid than used, the net kWh used for billing are set to zero that month. Any kWh generated by the customer in excess of the kWh used are accumulated and credited to the customer's account associated with the meter physically attached to the customer's Net Metering Facility (“Designated Meter”) in the next applicable billing period.
A customer taking service under the Net Metering Service Schedule also has the option to request that any remaining net excess generation (expressed in kWh) be credited to one or more of the net metering customer's meters (“Additional Meters”) in the rank order provided by the customer. The net metering customer must provide at least 30 days notice to Entergy Arkansas, LLC by submitting a completed Net-Metering Meter Aggregation and Common Ownership form (see link below), the requested customer information, and the list of the Additional Meters and the designated rank order in which any excess kWh credit should be applied.
A net metering customer may choose to have Entergy Arkansas, LLC purchase net excess generation when there are net excess generation kWh associated with a net metering customer's account which are older than 24 months. If a net metering customer ceases to be a customer of Entergy Arkansas, LLC, ceases to operate the net metered facility, or transfers the net metering facility to another person or entity, Entergy Arkansas, LLC will purchase any net excess generation kWh remaining associated with the net metering customer's account. Any net excess generation kWh that are purchased by Entergy Arkansas, LLC under these circumstances will be purchased at Entergy Arkansas, LLC's estimated annual average avoided cost rate for wholesale energy.
Entergy Arkansas, LLC is required to supply a meter at no charge capable of recording two-way electrical flows. If a non-standard meter is required, the additional cost of the non-standard meter will be paid by the customer.
In order to net meter, the customer will:
- Submit a completed Preliminary Interconnection Site Review Request including a one-line diagram describing the generator system.
- Pay for any technical or engineering studies as may be required to evaluate the interconnection request and its potential impact on the grid.
- Submit a signed Standard Interconnection Agreement for Net-Metering Facilities thirty days prior to interconnection.
- Included with the Standard Interconnection Agreement, a customer must submit:
- A signed Standard Interconnection Agreement for Net-Metering Facilities Disclaimer.
- If utilizing meter aggregation, submit completed affidavit form for Meter Aggregation and Common Ownership.
- If leasing a net metering facility or utilizing a service agreement executed with a 3rd-party, submit a completed affidavit form for lease or service agreements.
- All accounts included as Additional Meters for meter aggregation must be open accounts on eligible rate schedules, and removed from collective billing prior to submission of a signed Standard Interconnection Agreement. Please note that certain seasonal rate schedules may only be changed during certain periods of time and removal from collective billing can take up to sixty days.
- Have a clearly labeled manual disconnect switch approved by the utility; location of the disconnect switch must be indicated on the one-line diagram.
- Be able to synchronize with the utility and stay synchronized.
- Have safety measures that prevent the generator from feeding electricity to the utility when the line is non-energized, or in an abnormal voltage or frequency situation or cause a degradation of the safety or quality of power on the electrical grid (control packages are available to do this.)
- Meet performance and safety standards including:
- Entergy Arkansas' "Distributed Energy Resource Standards for Distribution Interconnection," latest edition.
- Local and state laws, ordinances and codes.
- National codes such as the National Electric Code; National Electric Safety Code; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.; and Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
Questions? Submit them here. If you are ready to submit your Preliminary Interconnection Site Review Request, please email NetMetering-Arkansas@entergy.com.