Administrator
Administrator - The entity selected by the DPU to facilitate MassACA, also known as the System of Assurance.
Cap exempt facility
Cap exempt facility - Facilities with a nameplate rating of 10 kilowatts (kW) or less on a single-phase circuit or 25 kW or less on a three-phase circuit.
Class I, II, and III net metering facilities
| Class Number | Size of Private Facility | Size of Public Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Class I net metering facility | 60 kW or less | 60 kW or less |
| Class II net metering facility | more than 60 kW but less than or equal to 1 MW | more than 60 kW but less than or equal to 1 MW |
| Class III net metering facility | more than 60 kW but less than or equal to 2 MW | more than 60 kW but less than or equal to 10 MW |
Community shared solar
Community shared solar - Community shared solar is a specific type of solar facility eligible for solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs) through the Department of Energy Resources (DOER). Net metering eligibility is not affected by a facility’s status as community shared solar. For more information about community shared solar, contact DOER directly.
Facility
Facility – A facility is defined as the capacity located on a single parcel of land, at a single interconnection point, with a single meter. D.P.U. 11‑11‑C at 18‑23.
Host customer
Host customer - The host customer is a customer with a Class I, II, or III net metering facility that generates electricity on the customer’s side of the meter. 220 CMR 18.02. The host customer is the customer of record with the electric company and the person or entity whose name appears on the account of a net metering facility. The host customer is generally the recipient of electric bills from the electric company. The host customer is important because the host customer decides what happens to any allocated compensation for excess generation (such as net metering credits). Note that each net metering facility can only have one host customer.
MassACA (also System of Assurance)
MassACA (also System of Assurance) - A website that allows stakeholders to track the aggregate capacity of all net metering facilities and to provide host customers with an assurance, before beginning construction, that a facility will be eligible to net meter once it is able to generate electricity.
Neighborhood net metering facility
Neighborhood net metering facility - A neighborhood net metering facility must:
- Only distribute net metering credits to customers that reside within the same neighborhood;
- Distribute net metering credits to at least ten residential customers;
- Not include the distribution charge in its net metering credits.
For more information about neighborhood net metering facilities, please refer to G.L. c. 164, § 138, G.L. c. 164, § 140, and 220 CMR 18.02.
Unit
Unit - A unit is a component of a public net metering facility. Units are defined differently, based on the type of technology used in the public net metering facility:
- For public wind facilities, the number of turbine(s) will determine the number of units.
- For public anaerobic digestion facilities, the number of engine(s) or turbine(s) will determine the number of units.
Public solar net metering facilities present a special case, and these facilities may self-designate their number of units, as long as there are at least as many inverters as the number of units. D.P.U. 11‑11‑C at 15‑18.