NEW ULM –New Ulm Public Utilities Commission (NUPUC) approved a new rate schedule for customers with renewable energy connection.

Minnesota statute requires municipal utilities and cooperatives to provide a rate schedule to promote renewable energy installations. In New Ulm, the rate compensates customers who have installed a power generation system, such as solar or wind.

Public Utilities Financial Manager Beth Kral said in New Ulm it is mostly solar connections.

The schedule includes a rate payable to the qualifying facility (QF) for energy received, as well as charges from the utility to a QF for interconnection to the utility distribution system.

New Ulm Utilities has schedules for net energy billing, simultaneous purchase and sale billing and time-of-day-purchase rate.

Kral said under net energy billing, residential and commercial properties would see a slight increase in compensation under the new schedule. However, under the simultaneous and time-of day purchasing rates, customers would see a decrease in compensation.

The change in net energy billing schedule is:

•Residential would see an increase from $0.1435 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to $0.1460 per kWh.

•Small commercial will increase from $0.1369 per kWh to $0.1381 per kWh.

•Large commercial will increase from $0.1097 per kWh to $0.1117 per kWh

The change in simultaneous purchase and sale billing is:

•Residential decreases from $0.02304 per kWh to $0.02192 per kWh

•Small commercial decreases from $0.02304 per kWh to $0.02192 per kW

The change in time-of-day purchase rate is:

•On peak energy, payments decreases from $0.02304 per kWh to $0.02192 per kWh.

•Off peak energy payment decreases from $0.02304 per kWh to $0.02192 per kWh

The new rate schedule will go into effect with the April 1 billing.