Documents

DOC 00001
Published On: 06/22/2022

Question: Can you please clarify what is being requested in line 106 of the PPA bid form which states 'Provide Landowner(s) Consent and Status'?

Answer: NC or SC state PPA Track proposals should reference their Site Control Verification form required under the NC & SC interconnection procedures to ‘Provide Landowner(s) Consent and Status’ in response to line 106 of the PPA bid form. For NC-sited PPA Track proposals, please see NCIP Sections 1.5 and 1.7 detailing the NC Interconnection Request and Site Control requirements, as well as NCIP Attachment 2, which attachment contains the Interconnection Request Application Form that includes the Site Control Verification document. For SC-sited PPA Track proposals, please see SCGIP Sections 1.3 and 1.5 detailing the SC Interconnection Request and Site Control requirements, as well as SCGIP Attachment 4, which attachment is the Sample Site Control Verification Form.

DOC 00002
Published On: 06/23/2022

Question: We have the following queries about the 22_SP_RFP_Appendix_I_PVsyst_Instructions_Clean_6-9-22.pdf document available at https://www.duke2022solarrfpcarolinas.com/RFP-Documents: (i) The table “Project Model Configuration Assumptions(PVsyst)” provided in the document specifies "Duke Supplied SolCast TMY, 1km or 10 km tile size, GHI and Ambient temperature only” under the Project>Meteo File tab. Is this supplied by Duke or it is the bidder’s responsibility to purchase? If it is supplied by Duke, how do we get this file as per our site location? (ii) For the Albedo, 0.2 is given in the document. Can we use the SolarGIS Albedo values in the model? If yes, how can we get this approved by Duke? (iii) What is the procedure to have the .PAN of Module and .OND file of Inverter approved by Duke? (iv) DC Circuit loss is shown fixed at 1.5%, can we consider it as per design? It may vary from 1.3% to 1.8%, is this acceptable? (v) AC Loss fraction MV/HV is shown 0% in the document. Can we consider it as per our design? (vi) LID loss mentioned for crystalline module is 2.5%. Can it be considered as per Module manufacturer datasheet? (vii) Yearly soiling loss factor shown in the document is 0%. Can we consider it as per Specific site location, surrounding condition and Module cleaning cycle? (viii) For P50-P90 Estimation, “leave default values” shown. Can we model it based on the TMY data uncertainty, Modelling uncertainty and loss assumption uncertainty?

Answer: Please find the following responses to your questions, please note that the PV Instruction guidelines only apply to Utility Ownership Track proposals:

  1. Duke’s preference is to have the bidder supply the weather file supplied by SolCast. Duke will not be providing weather files to bidders. Weather files from other services may be utilized. Duke may choose to re-run the model with SolCast data for comparison and evaluation.
  2. Albedo shall be set to 0.2 in the model for all months for the purposes of this RFP.
  3. Third-party .PAN and .OND files are encouraged to submitted, either to the IE prior to bid submittal, or with the bid submittal, for review and approval along with the full report and any documentation from the independent lab that performed the testing and created the file.
  4. The DC Circuit Loss shall be set to 1.5% and it is assumed to be an average value, for the purposes of this RFP.
  5. Duke expects the AC systems to be represented as accurately as possible with regard to the transformer and wiring configurations.
  6. LID loss shall be set to 2.5% for the purposes of this RFP.
  7. Soiling Loss Factor shall be set to 0% for the purposes of this RFP.
  8. P50 – P90 Estimation parameter shall be set to the default values for the purposes of this RFP.

DOC 00003
Published On: 06/23/2022

Question: Can you please upload the SolCast TMY data as specified in the Meteo File section of the new PVSyst instructions?

Answer: Bidders are expected to provide the source irradiance files associated with their PVSyst modeling. Please see the PVSyst instructional guidance document for more information. Duke also notes that it prefers SolCast, but will accept other PVSyst modelling.

DOC 00004
Published On: 07/05/2022

Question: We were wondering if we should review and provide a Redline of the pro-forma PPA with our bid submission? If not, will the PPA be open to negotiations once the competitive tier has been selected?

Answer: No, the pro-forma PPA has been approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission and is not open to negotiations.

DOC 00005
Published On: 07/08/2022

Question: The response sheet provided asks for specific manufacturers and models of Modules, Inverters and Racking Systems. Are we allowed to change these items out in the future?

Answer: Yes, updates to equipment are permitted under the applicable interconnection procedures.

For NC state jurisdictional interconnection requests, please reference NCIP section 1.6.2.2.2, which allows for “[a] change or replacement of generating equipment such as generator(s), inverter(s), solar panel(s), transformers, relaying controls, etc. that is a like-kind substitution in size, ratings, impedances, efficiencies or capabilities of the equipment specified in the original or preceding Interconnection Request…”

For SC state jurisdictional interconnection requests, please reference the definition of Material Modification included in the SCGIP Glossary of Terms. That definition explains that “[t]he following are not indicia of a Material Modification: ·  A change in ownership of a Generating Facility; the new owner, however, will be required to execute a new Interconnection Agreement and study agreement(s) for any study which has not been completed and the report issued by the Utility. ·  A change or replacement of generating equipment such as generator(s), inverter(s), solar panel(s), transformers, relaying, controls, etc. that is a direct substitution in size, ratings, impedances, efficiencies or capabilities of the equipment specified in the original or preceding Interconnection Request; SC Glossary of Terms 5 ·  An increase in the DC/AC ratio that does not increase the maximum AC output capability of the generating facility; ·  A decrease in the DC/AC ratio that does not reduce the AC output capability of the generating facility by more than 10%....”

For FERC jurisdictional interconnection requests, please reference LGIP section 5.4 regarding Modifications. This section states that an “Interconnection Customer shall submit to Transmission Provider, in writing, modifications to any information provided in the Interconnection Request. Interconnection Customer shall retain its Queue Position if the modifications are in accordance with Sections 5.4.1, 5.4.2, 5.4.3, or 5.4.5, or are determined not to be Material Modifications pursuant to Section 5.4.3…”

DOC 00006
Published On: 07/14/2022

Question: Are pollinators part of the evaluation criteria?

Answer: Yes, including pollinator habitats (per Appendix G of the RFP) will increase a Proposal’s score for environmental considerations.

DOC 00007
Published On: 07/14/2022

Question: In the RFP, you provide a link to DEP and DEC Facility Interconnection Requirements. This provided link can be found on page 22 and 23 of the RFP document. The link for DEP works but there seems to be an error with the DEC link (https://www.oasis.oati.com/woa/docs/DUK/DUKdocs/DEC_Generator_Interconnection_Requirements_and_Locational_Guidance_T3_11_2021.pdf). Could you please provide?

Answer: Link to DEC Facilities Connection Requirements:  Duke Energy Carolinas Facilities Connection Requirements (oati.com) 

To navigate to this page participants can go to OATI OASIS page for Duke Energy Carolinas and open the folder for Generator Interconnection Information and then select the first item in the folder. 

DOC 00008
Published On: 07/15/2022

Question: In the pricing information portion of the Solar Utility Ownership tab of the Standard RFP Response Form, Row 244, the APA purchase price includes a “What years $s/Pricing” label. Can Duke please clarify what this label means and the data being requested? Is it designed for the bidder to clarify whether the price is in 2022 dollars?

Answer: Yes, the purpose of this question is to ask the bidder to clarify whether the price is in 2022 dollars or another year.

DOC 00009
Published On: 07/15/2022

Question: Could you please clarify the requested data for Standard RFP Response Form, Solar Utility Ownership tab, Row 152, related to “Needs and Agreements…to construct and operate project and acreage under”?

Answer: You may need to adjust the row height to reveal the full cell text, which is “Provide Documentation with Detailed Description of All Site Control Needs and Agreements, Including but Not Limited to, Due Diligence or Development Term (Length and Price), Construction Term (Length and Price), Operating Term (Length and Price), Extension Rights; Please Include Maps That Clearly Label All Participating Landowners and Limits of Site Control; Please Include all Key Obligations Required of The Tenant/Buyer/Project:”

DOC 00010
Published On: 07/18/2022

Question: According to footnote #4 within the Form APA (page 3), the Investment Tax Credit language will not apply to APA proposals. Given that, can Duke confirm that the ITC % and Safe harboring Strategy (rows 351 and 352 of the Solar Utility Ownership response form) do not need to be filled out for Asset Transfer proposals.

Answer: Asset Transfer proposals should clarify whether they are proposing to ITC qualify the proposed project or not. If Duke will have ITC qualification responsibility, the evaluation/utility ownership team will determine the appropriate ITC qualification year based on the details of the project/transaction and the target in service date.  As noted, all projects placed in service after 12/31/25 will qualify for the 10% ITC.

DOC 00011
Published On: 07/20/2022

Question: It seems like Appendix K for Asset Purchase Agreements came with a couple exhibits. What is required of these exhibits? Should be a redline, an issues list, a list of exceptions, or some other type of deliverable? Also beyond the attachment checklist, is there anything else required for APA?

Answer: Selected Asset Transfer proposals and Asset Transfer plus EPC proposals will first execute the LOI/Term Sheet, followed by the full APA. MPs are encouraged to provide any redline to the LOI/Term Sheet with the proposal submittal. The attachment checklist is meant to help MPs ensure the major requirements are included, but there may be additional documents beyond the checklist that the MP would provide for completeness. Submitting your Proposal early can give the IE extra time to review it and make sure there are no required elements missing.

DOC 00012
Published On: 07/21/2022

Question: Can you please confirm the below statement from the Bid Input form? Is there a particular document that we should be referencing? Thanks in advance. *Bidder is Expected to Select a Reasonable "Backfeed to GSU" Based on Provided Transmission Provider's Guidance on Schedule Requirements.

Answer: This comment is simply meant to reiterate that bidders should make reasonable assumptions regarding the transmission provider’s guidance on when backfeed is realistically going to be available, for example, it would be unrealistic to assume backfeed would be available in 2024 for projects participating in 2022 DISIS.

DOC 00013
Published On: 07/21/2022

Question: The RFP document and LOI (included below) state that security posted by the MP to the transmission provider will be released/cancelled while the APA states that all deposits (including Interconnection Deposits) and security will be transferred to the Buyer but says nothing about those amounts being subsequently released back to Seller or cancelled. For the Purchase Price (under an APA) that is input into the RFP spreadsheet, should we include or exclude the expected deposits/security under the Interconnection Agreement? If deposits/security will be released to the Seller, can you confirm whether this includes/excludes the study deposits and M1-4 Security? RFP Document 6/20/2022 B. UTILITY OWNERSHIP PROPOSAL PRICING. All Asset Acquisition Proposal pricing shall be inclusive of all interconnection study costs (but should exclude any accounting true ups for study costs which shall remain with the MP) and costs of executing and maintaining the Interconnection Agreement until the agreement is assigned to DEC/DEP at definitive agreement closing. All Utility Ownership Track Proposals are required to ultimately have a federal jurisdictional interconnection agreement. After assignment of the Interconnection Agreement to DEC/DEP, MP shall have no continuing obligations under the Interconnection Agreement and DEC/DEP shall work directly with the Transmission Provider to cause the release or cancellation of security previously provided by MP under the original Interconnection Agreement. Letter of Intent – Exhibit A-2 5. Interconnection. The Parties intend that the Project will interconnect at the [?] and the Purchase Price is inclusive of all interconnection study costs (but excluding any study deposits) and costs of executing and maintaining the Interconnection Agreement (“IA”) until the agreement is assigned to Buyer at Closing. For projects that submitted and were studied as subject to state jurisdictional interconnection requirements and procedures (“State Jurisdictional”), following the completion of the study process the Seller will execute a State Jurisdictional IA, prior to Closing the Seller will terminate the State Jurisdictional IA and execute an IA subject to federal jurisdictional interconnection requirements and procedures (“FERC Jurisdictional LGIA”), the FERC Jurisdictional LGIA will then be assigned to Buyer at Closing. For projects that submitted and were studied as FERC Jurisdictional, following the completion of the study process the Seller will execute a FERC Jurisdictional LGIA, which will be assigned to Buyer at Closing. After the FERC Jurisdictional LGIA has been assigned to Buyer, Seller shall have no continuing obligations under the FERC Jurisdictional LGIA and Buyer shall work directly with the Transmission Provider to cause the release or cancellation of security previously provided by Seller under the original interconnection agreement. Seller shall also be responsible for resolution of any identified third-party affected system impacts, including any additional required studies, scopes of work and/or upgrades, for such affected, or potentially affected, third-party systems. Asset Purchase Agreement 2.1 Purchase and Sale of Project Assets . (a) Other than the Excluded Assets, on the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement, effective as of the Closing, Seller will sell, assign, transfer, convey, and deliver to Buyer, and Buyer will purchase and acquire from Seller, free and clear of any and all Liens, other than Permitted Liens, all of Seller’s right, title and interest in and to all of the assets, properties and rights of every kind and nature, whether real, personal or mixed, tangible or intangible (including goodwill), wherever located and whether now existing or hereafter acquired, which relate to, or are used or held for use in connection with, the Project (collectively, the “Project Assets”), including, without limitation, all of Seller’s right, title and interest in and to the following: (6) all deposits (including the Interconnection Deposits), security, advances, pre-paid expenses, credits, accounts receivable, notes receivable, and other receivables (including any such item relating to the payment of Taxes), relating to the Project, the Project Assets or the Assumed Liabilities, including, without limitation, those listed on Schedule 2.1(a)(vi);

Answer: For the Purchase Price (under an APA) that is input into the RFP spreadsheet, it is the Buyer’s intention that the Purchase Price factors in the Seller’s costs of providing any such deposits/securities under the IA, such as the carrying cost of a cash deposit or a letter of credit, but not the actual security itself that will be released back to Seller. As an example, if the IA required a $1M deposit, the Purchase Price should not include the $1M deposit, because said deposit will be returned to the Seller after closing by the Transmission Provider. Regarding study deposits, the Seller will reconcile their allocated costs with the Transmission Provider directly and any refund or additional payments will be handled directly with the Transmission Provider.

DOC 00014
Published On: 07/21/2022

Question: The RFP asks the bidder to provide an Interconnection Facilities Cost Estimate. To properly respond to this question, I am assuming most bidders will refer to the DEC/DEP Standard Interconnection Cost Estimates document provided in the RFP Documents. In reviewing Figure 1 of that document, the differentiation of cost responsibilities illustrated in red vs green make it unclear who is responsible for the cost of Tap / POI Switching Equipment in DEC. Those costs are listed under "Network Upgrades" which in our understanding, would be the responsibility of the utility provider. However, the depiction in Figure 1 make it look like some of that equipment is colored red (being a project owner responsibility however the vague labels make deciphering the diagram a challenge). For DEC interconnections, assuming a standard tap of 225', who bears the cost of the Tap / POI Switching Equipment? Is the responsbility for that equipment the same for DEP interconnections as well?

Answer: The Standard Interconnection Costs document is meant to provide guidance on estimating cost and was written for a “standard” Inverter Based Resource interconnection, which is a single breaker tap (though of course, some facilities require a different solution). Tap and tap line are two distinct things, and the question may be using the terms interchangeably. The Transmission Provider’s Interconnection Facilities (“TPIF”) consists of the tap line (1.1) and the interconnection station (1.2)—this is shown in red. The tap or POI switching equipment (2) is a Network Upgrade (“NU”)—this is shown in green. The tap line is a TPIF and the bidder’s responsibility. The tap is a NU and the Transmission Provider’s responsibility. Regardless of how long the tap line is, the tap / POI switching equipment is a NU. To respond to this question, the bidder should reference the cost from the table on page 1 in the Standard Interconnection Costs document. For example, the TPIF for a typical DEC 100 kV interconnection has a TPIF cost estimate of $4,100,000.