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Registering a New Generator

The following guide will walk through the steps necessary to register a new generatr in your M-RETS® organization. The M-RETS Admin are available to assist you throughout the registration process. Please call 651-900-7891 or email our Client Services Team at systemadmin@mrets.org. The M-RETS Operating Procedures-Appendix A provides defintions of the generator registration fields.

Review Registry Operating Documents

The Registry Operating Procedures detail the requirements and definitions of different types of projects. The Operating Procedures are available here.

Registering a Generator

After logging in, select the ‘Generators’ Dashboard on the left.

This dashboard will display any Active, Pending, or Draft generators under your organization. Please note you can register a generator and save it as a draft if you intend to complete the registration later.

Select ‘Add New Generator’ on the right side.

Give your generator a name and select ‘Save Draft’. You can change the name later in the process.

Your generator is now in “Draft” status. You can continue to update your generator; however, make sure you save changes by selecting save draft.

Complete the required registration fields

Once you have completed all of the required information (indicated by an asterisk), you can submit the generator registration for approval. If you are unsure of a field, please consult the table at the bottom of this article. If additional clarification is required, please contact the M-RETS Administrator. M-RETS will try and approve generators submitted with all the required information within seven business days. If you need your generator approved sooner, please email systemadmin@mrets.org.

Note About Certificate Types

M-RETS supports various Certificate Types. The most common Certificate Type is the Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) which tracks the environmental attributes associated with reported generation (MWh) from renewable sources of electric generation. M-RETS also supports Alternative Energy Certificates (AEC) that track reported generation (MWh) from approved sources of non-renewable electric generation (e.g., Nuclear and Pumped HydroStorage). AECs have been approved by the M-RETS Administrator as having an environmental benefit that should be tracked in M-RETS despite not being considered a renewable source.

Uploading Supporting Documents

M-RETS requires documentation submitted by the registering organization in order to review generator registrations. Please do not submit a generator to pending status without the necessary documentation. Documents are uploaded under the documents tab of the generation registration. Select ‘upload document’ to perform a local search to upload your relevant documents.

1. A completed on-line Generator registration form containing information related to the characteristics of the Generator Asset and associated meter.
2. If applicable, a completed Schedule A from the M-RETS Terms of Use outlining the Generator Owner’s Designation of Responsible Party.
3. Any documentation requested by M-RETS to verify the registration information which could include:
   • Utility Signed Interconnection Agreement
   • Utility Certificate of Completion
   • State Air Permit
   • State or provincial regulatory order
   • As built diagram
   • Providing a Generator’s EIA Entity ID which is an official, unique identification number assigned by EIA can expedite the approval process. The EIA Entity ID is required for all Generators over 1 MW in the United States.
   • FERC Qualifying Facility certification (FERC Form 556)
   • PURPA Qualifying Facility approval documentation
4. If the Generator will use MISO or SPP as the reporting entity,complete the appropriate data release. The form must reflect the correct CP node.
5. Documentation supporting the capacity factor calculation and annual output of a generator, (E.g., solar design tools such as Aurora, HelioScope, PVsyst, PV Watts, etc.)
6. Multi-fuel Generators must submit to M-RETS a report prepared by a licensed professional engineer containing documentation for measuring and verifying the quantities of each fuel type, the method of determining the net heat content and moisture content of each fuel source, and the heat rate of the Generator. M-RETS will share this documentation with state or provincial regulators upon request of the regulator.
7. Generator Assets with installed battery backups must provide documentation to illustrate that grid power used to charge the battery is not metered as generation from the renewable Generating Asset.

You can find the required documentation to register a generator HERE under registration documents. The below documents should be uploaded under the documents tab of the generator registration.

• Schedule A – for projects registered by a Designated Responsible Party
• Documents that verify ownership and Nameplate Capacity.  (Interconnection Agreement, Power Purchase Agreements, Contracts, Engineering Reports)
• Multi-fuel Report (OP Appendix B-3) Multi-fuel Generators must submit to M-RETS a report prepared by a licensed professional engineer containing documentation for measuring and verifying the quantities of each fuel type, the method of determining the net heat content and moisture content of each fuel source, and the heat rate of the Generator. M-RETS will share this documentation with state or provincial regulators upon the regulator’s request.
• State Certification documents (OH, WI)
• Line Drawings for installation identifying interconnection and installed devices
• PURPA Qualifying Facility approval documentation
• FERC Qualifying Facility certification (FERC Form 556)
• Providing a Generator’s EIA Entity ID
• If this Generator will use MISO or SPP as the reporting entity, complete and upload the MISO or SPP Release Form.
• Documentation supporting the capacity factor calculation and the annual output of a generator (E.g., Engineering report prepared by a licensed professional engineer; solar design tool reports such as Aurora, HelioScope, PVsyst, PV Watts, etc.)

Submission and Review

PLEASE NOTE: Your generator must be submitted for review and approved before generation can be uploaded. Once all required fields have been input and the necessary documentation has been uploaded the “Submit Generator’ button will be available.

The M-RETS Administrator will be notified of the New Asset Registration via email. Your project will then be put into Pending mode until the System Administrator Approves the project or asks for further information.

Please Note: By submitting a generator for approval, the user represents and warrants to M-RETS that all information for this generator shall be true, complete, and correct to the best of its knowledge, information, and belief. Any changes after submission may result in a delay in the approval process.

Static Data Field Information

Required fields are in BOLD

General

Location

Owner

Operator

Engineering

| Interconnection Information || |—|—| | Generator Classification | a. Wholesale Generation - Generators that are directly connected to the electric distribution network and sell the generated electricity directly to the wholesale market
b. Wholesale Generation also serving On-Site Loads- Generators that are directly connected to the electric distribution network and sell the generated electricity directly to the wholesale market as well as consume it on-site
c. Customer-Sited Distributed Generation - On-site customer generation also known as Distributed Energy Resources | | Balancing Authority | The responsible entity that integrates resource plans ahead of time, maintains load-interchange-generation balance within a balancing authority area, and supports interconnection frequency in real time. | | Balancing Authority ID | Identification code for the Balancing Authority (if applicable) | | Interconnected Utility | The owner or operator of an electrical utility distribution system that a Generator asset will be connected to for purposes of charging or discharging energy. The Interconnecting Utility issues the Interconnection Agreement and Certificate of Completion. | | Interconnected Utility ID | Identification code for the Interconnected Utility (if applicable) | | Metering Information || | Aggregate Metering |Yes/No - Multiple units that share a common meter that do not share essential generating charictaristics. If there are seperate meters, aggreagation up to 1MW can be submitted using the Distributed Generation Group functionality (contact the M-RETS Adminsitrator)| | Is this a Revenue Quality Meter?|Y/N|

| Engineering || |—|—| | Commenced Operation Date |In-service date of Generator| | Nameplate Capacity (MW) in A/C | The maximum rated output of a generator | | Capacity Factor | The ratio of the electrical energy produced by a Generating Unit for the period of time considered to the electrical energy that could have been produced at the continuous full-power operation during the same period | | Maximum Annual Energy   | Maximum annual output in MWH of the facility in 365 days (either Capacity Factor or Maximum Annual Energy is required) | | Biomass Net Generation BTU/kWh | Heat rate is one measure of the efficiency of a Generator or power plant that converts a fuel into heat and into electricity. The heat rate is the amount of energy used by an electrical Generator or power plant to generate one kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expresses heat rates in British thermal units (Btu) per net kWh generated | | Repower Date(s) | If repowered, the in-service date of the repowered Generator | ======= Appendix A: Generator Static Data Fields contains definitions of the static data that is required to be submitted for a generator registration.

Fuels

Program Eligibility

Fuel Type and Fuel Source

Please refer to Appendix B-4 of the M-RETS Operating Procedures for Fuel Types.

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