[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 40 (Thursday, March 1, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9318-9319]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-3565]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Study of the Potential Benefits of Distributed Generation and 
Rate-Related Issues That May Impede Their Expansion

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE), 
Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a study of the potential benefits of 
distributed generation and rate-related issues that may impede their 
expansion, and request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) hereby gives notice that it has 
issued a ``Study of the Potential Benefits of Distributed Generation 
and Rate-Related Issues That May Impede Their Expansion'' (DG Study). 
The DG Study is an analysis called for by Section 1817 of the Energy 
Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005). Through this Notice, DOE invites 
public review of the DG Study and submittal of comments on it. DOE 
requests that comments be submitted electronically (preferably 
Microsoft[supreg] Word .doc format), although written comments may be 
submitted as well. Submissions should include a cover page containing 
the reviewer's name, affiliation, telephone number, mailing address, 
and e-mail address.
    Copies of Section 1817 of EPAct 2005 and of the DG Study are 
available and may be downloaded from the OE Web site: http://www.oe.energy.gov.

DATES: Comments, and other pertinent information offered in response to 
this Notice must be submitted to and received by DOE no later than 
April 2, 2007 at any of the addresses listed in the ADDRESSES section.

ADDRESSES: Reviews prepared in electronic formats may be uploaded 
directly, via the Internet at: http://www.oe.energy.gov/epa_sec1817.htm. Links to this Web page may also be found on the OE Web 
site.
    Comments may also be sent by regular mail to: Mario Sciulli, U.S. 
Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, P.O. Box 
10940, MS 922-342C, Pittsburgh, PA 15236; or by e-mail to: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mario Sciulli, U.S. Department of 
Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, P.O. Box 10940, MS 922-
342C, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, e-mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Section 1817 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires that DOE, in 
consultation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), 
conduct a study of the potential benefits of cogeneration and small 
power production. DOE also must analyze the impact of regulatory 
mandates, tariffs, rate structures and similar policies on the 
proliferation of distributed energy technologies. Section 1817 further 
requires that DOE recommend a methodology for valuing the benefits of 
distributed generation (DG).
    To initiate the DG Study DOE published a ``notice of inquiry and 
request for public comment'' in the Federal Register on January 30, 
2006 (71 FR 4904). The notice requested public input (such as 
narratives of experiences, data, case studies, reports and results of 
analyses, etc.) pertaining to the planning, installation, commissioning 
and operation of distributed energy systems. The notice also invited 
interested parties to submit case studies and similar information 
depicting the impact of regulations, statutes, codes, tariffs, rate 
structures and other similar policies on the various aspects of DG, 
combined heat and power (CHP) systems, and related distributed energy 
technologies. A copy of the January 30, 2006 notice is available on the 
OE Web page.

II. DG Study, Request for Public Review and Comment, and Report

A. DG Study

    DOE has considered and analyzed comments and supporting information 
received in response to the notice of January 30, 2006, and has 
completed a DG Study. DOE is hereby announcing that the DG Study is 
available for public review and inviting all interested parties to 
submit comments on the DG Study.

B. Submission of Comments

    In accordance with Section 1817, DOE requests written comments from 
interested parties on all aspects of the DG Study. DOE is especially 
interested in receiving comments from persons with particular knowledge 
of the legal, economic and technical elements related to the benefits 
and rate-related issues concerning distributed generation.

C. Report

    At the end of the public review period specified in the DATES 
section of this

[[Page 9319]]

Notice, DOE will issue a report describing the results of the DG Study 
and a summary of public comments received. The study may be revised to 
reflect comments as appropriate. The Secretary of Energy will present 
the report to the President and Congress. The DG Study report will be 
released for public distribution shortly thereafter.
    The DG Study is available for public inspection at the Department 
of Energy, Freedom of Information Reading Room, Room 1E-190, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585 between the hours of 9 
a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for holidays. The report, 
upon its completion and submission to the President and Congress, will 
be available at DOE's Freedom of Information Reading Room and at the OE 
Web site.

    Issued in Washington, DC on February 26, 2007.
Kevin M. Kolevar,
Director, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.
[FR Doc. E7-3565 Filed 2-28-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P