In January, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) approved pre-certification standards allowing Texas electric customers to generate their own electricity through on-site distributed generation, which serves relatively small power loads such as small businesses, office buildings, hospitals and even individual homes. Customers can use a variety of generators, including microturbines, fuel cells, and renewable energy systems that can be connected to the utility for the purpose of selling electricity, interconnected without exporting power, or used without an interconnection.
According to the PUCT, distributed generation can reduce electricity costs and increase system reliability, especially during high-cost, peak use periods. The rules allow for each customer to interconnect up to 10 megawatts of distributed generation capacity.
A manual outlining utility and interconnection procedures is available on the PUCT Web site.
