Photovoltaic Program

2017 Photovoltaic Program RFO

 

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (“PG&E”) is issuing this 2017 Photovoltaic Program Request for Offers (“PV RFO”) to meet its remaining PV capacity obligation as governed by Commission Decision (“D.”) 14-11-042.

The goal of this RFO is to procure 77.5 MW of new or existing photovoltaic generation. PG&E is seeking to execute agreements from PV facilities that are greater than 3 MW in size. Two of the eligibility requirements of the PV RFO are (1) that Participants must have completed a Phase II interconnection study or equivalent, and (2) that Projects must be able to come on-line within 36 months of the Effective Date of an executed PPA. Please note that additional eligibility criteria apply.

More information will be posted to this website as it becomes available. You may register to be on PG&E’s wholesale electric procurement distribution list to receive announcements about procurement opportunities.

PG&E's PV Program PPA, Protocol and Appendices were filed in Advice Letter 5161-E and Advice Letter 5161-E-A and were approved via a Disposition Letter dated December 18, 2017.

Note: On August 28, 2017, the Commission issued D.17-08-025, which denied PG&E’s January 2016 petition to modify D.14-11-042 to remove the requirement that PG&E procure the remaining volumes from PG&E’s closed PV Program.  On September 27, 2017, PG&E filed an Application for Rehearing of D.17-08-025 (“AFR”) and a motion to hold the 2017 PV RFO in abeyance pending the outcome on the AFR (“Motion”).  The AFR and Motion are both still pending before the Commission.  PG&E is launching this PV RFO on December 20, 2017 to comply with the requirement in D.14-11-042 to hold a PV solicitation in 2017.

 

PG&E has developed an interactive, Google-based map of its service territory. The map is a tool to help renewable energy developers identify potential project sites. It not a guarantee that generators can interconnect at any particular time and place.

PV RFO protocol and appendices

• PG&E Protocol for the 2017 PV RFO (PDF, 268 KB)
• Appendix A - PV Offer Form (ZIP, 458 KB)
• Appendix B - PGE PV PPA (DOCX, 337 KB)
• Appendix C - Site Control Questionnaire and Attestation (DOCX, 36 KB)
• Appendix D - Acknowledgement Commitment Site Owner (DOCX, 33 KB)

Participants' webinar

PG&E hosted a Participants' Webinar for the PV RFO on January 5, 2018 from 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. (PPT). The presentation of this event, along with the audio file is available below. If the audio portion of the Participants' Webinar does not open in your browser, you will need to open the Windows Media Player and copy the URL into your media file application.

• 2017 PV RFO Webinar Presentation (PDF, 446 KB)
• Audio File from the 2017 PV RFO Webinar (MP3, 11,801 KB)
  • Transcript from the 2017 PV RFO Webinar (PDF, 76 KB)
• 2017 PV Webinar Attendee List (PDF, 70 KB)

Power Advocate instructions and registration information

Important information

All Participants who are interested in submitting a bid package into PG&E's PV RFO will need to register with Power Advocate before submitting an offer into the RFO. To register at Power Advocate, click on the following link: https://www.poweradvocate.com/pR.do?okey=75528&pubEvent=true

Only those participants that have been accepted through the Power Advocate platform will be permitted to bid into this RFO.

We encourage you to register now.

Power Advocate instructions

All bid package materials must be submitted on the Power Advocate site by the schedule and time indicated above.

Download: Power Advocate Instructions (PDF, 226 KB)

Distribution and transmission information

The Generator Interconnection Procedure pursuant to the WDT and CAISO Tariff consists of three application processes: (1) The Fast Track Procedure for generators 5 MW (2 MW on 12kV, 3MW on 21kV, and 5MW on higher voltages) in size that pass the "Fast Track Screens" (2) the Independent Study Process for all generators that are electrically independent from another generator or cluster of generators, and (3) the Cluster Study Process for interconnection requests that do not qualify for the Fast Track Process or the Independent Study Process.

Under the CAISO Tariff and PG&E WDT Generator Interconnection Procedures, all interconnection requests under the Independent Study Process or Cluster Process may request interconnection as a "full capacity" resource. Please refer to PG&E's or CAISO's website for more details.

For more information about the interconnection process, please visit PG&E's Wholesale Generator Interconnections website. Sellers may also send an email to PG&E's Generation Interconnection Services at wholesalegen@pge.com.

Any application for interconnection to PG&E can now be submitted through an online form. More information, including a link to the application is available available here.

Frequently asked questions

• PV RFO General Program Questions (PDF, 66 KB)
• Offer Sequencing Guide (PDF, 96 KB)
• How to create a GIS file using Google Earth (PDF, 271 KB)
• Sample PPA documents
  • Sample PPA Cover Sheet (PDF, 66 KB)
  • Sample Appendix XIII (PDF, 104 KB)
  • Sample Single Line Diagram (PDF, 20 KB)

Contact information

For information or questions about PG&E's PV RFO please email: PVProgram@pge.com.