On June 6, 2009, the Public Service Board opened Docket 7523 to investigate the development of standard offer prices for qualifying renewable generation under the Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development ("SPEED") program. This investigation was initiated to address the requirement in the Vermont Energy Act of 2009 ("Act 45" or "Act"), codified in 30 V.S.A. § 8005(b)(2), that the Board open and complete, by September 15, 2009, a "noncontested case docket" to determine whether the prices established by the Act "constitute a reasonable approximation of the price that would be paid applying the criteria" established by the Act. Our Order stated that Docket No. 7523 would address the review of the Act's standard offer prices and, if the prices are not a reasonable approximation, set interim prices by September 15, 2009. In addition, the Board will consider non-price terms and conditions for standard offer contracts in this Docket.

On June 29, 2009, the Public Service Board opened Docket 7533. In addition to the mandate cited above, the Act requires that by January 15, 2010, the Board "set the price to be paid to a plant owner under a standard offer" from the SPEED Facilitator, applying the criteria established by the legislation.

The Board opened the second investigation to comply with the January 15, 2010, statutory deadline. The investigation is intended to build upon the record developed in Docket 7523, resolve all necessary implementation issues not addressed in that docket, and reevaluate the prices for SPEED projects set out in the statute. Docket 7533 was opened as a distinct proceeding primarily because the Act requires that the Board not only open the noncontested case docket that is Docket No. 7523, but also complete it by September 15, 2009.

These web pages will provide information about Dockets 7523 and 7533 to allow participants and members of the public to stay informed about the progress of the cases.

Orders relating to the establisment of a standard-offer program (Dockets 7523 and 7533):

• Order Re Initial Standard Offer Price Determinations for SPEED Resources, issued September 15, 2009
• Order Establishing a Standard-Offer Program for Qualifying SPEED Resources, issued September 30, 2009
  • Standard Contract
  • Attachments to the Order
• Order Re Implementation Issues, issued October 16, 2009
• Second Order Re Implementation Issues issued October 28, 2009
• Order Re Standard Offer Price Determination for SPEED Resources, issued January 15, 2010 Attachment I, Attachment II

Lottery results for solar and biomass technologies

On the first day that applications were accepted for the standard-offer program, the solar and biomass technology categories were oversubscribed.  Pursuant to the Board's October 16 Order, the SPEED Facilitator conducted lotteries to determine the order of solar and biomass projects in the queue as well as the waiting lists for these technologies.  Please note that two projects that applied under farm methane category were placed in the biomass lottery as the Board will soon be issuing an order that defines what constitutes a farm methane project; it is possible that these projects may be moved to the farm methane category.

Solar project list (excel)

Biomass project list (excel)

Total Applications Currently Eligible for Standard Offer Contracts by Resource Technology Category

Applications by Resource Technology (excel)

Additional information on the SPEED Standard-Offer Program can be found on the following pages:

• Docket 7533 Establishing Prices by January 15, 2010

• Docket 7533 Establishing a Standard-Offer Program

• Docket 7523 Initial Standard-Offer Price Determinations

• Dockets 7523 and 7533 Opening Investigations and Workshops