Projects may pursue this Imperative through Scale Jumping on a limited, case-by-case basis, subject to preapproval through a Request for Ruling. Scale Jumping is intended to facilitate cooperation and better solutions by placing systems off site in locations that are more optimally situated than the project or to promote district scale solutions that result in lower net cost or higher net efficiency for a community of stakeholders. This is distinct from off-site renewables, which are provided through a fee-for-service transaction. Please see the Early Project Guidebook for further information and context on Scale Jumping.
Categories of Renewable Generation Scale Jumping:
- Projects with a constraint: A local impediment, such as an adjacent building, existing trees, topography, or habitat, that either shades the project or otherwise limits its solar or other renewable potential.
- Projects with an opportunity: A local off-site natural asset, such as a windy ridge allowing effective use of wind turbines or a river situated for low-impact run-of-river hydroelectric power, available to provide more effective renewable generation than could be achieved on site.
- A campus or multi-building complex: A group of buildings that is not a Living Community but has a multi-building strategy for renewables that is beneficial to that campus beyond the scope of the project itself.
Buildings that are part of a dispersed corporate building portfolio or a community-based network (such as a public school system) are not considered to be campus projects but rather individual projects that require a constraint or opportunity to Scale Jump.
Projects Using Renewable Generation Scale Jumping Must:
- Meet the requirements of all Imperatives pursued by the project for all new components (e.g., PV panels, conduit, etc.) installed for the project as part of Scale Jumping.
- Provide renewables that comply with the specifications under Renewable Energy Clarifications.
- Live within their site solar income (not required for campus remote renewables).
- Protect the solar potential of any other project involved in the Scale Jumping, or demonstrate an effort to minimize the project’s impact by achieving a best-in-class EUI for the project.
- Show additionality sufficient for the project’s energy demands (i.e., a new project cannot tap into an existing renewable grid, supplanting other projects).
- Demonstrate energy attribution is solely to the project and that the renewables credited to the project are not double-counted through attribution of the RECs or the energy production to another project.
- Sub-meter and track all energy production for and demand by the project to demonstrate compliance with the requirements.
- Include education information about the Scale Jumped infrastructure, explaining its location and energy production, in the project’s education materials. Projects are encouraged to provide a real-time energy dashboard, but it is not required.
- Maximize renewables on site, and locate off-site renewables as close to the project as possible.
Where the rules or options for project types differ, that has been called out in the Exceptions below.
Energy Attribution When Scale Jumping
Renewables for the project, whether on or off site, must be shown to be solely attributed to the project (not double-counted), through ownership or a lend-lease, power purchase agreement (PPA), or other contract (see Renewable Energy Ownership for additional details regarding off-site procurement) for a period of at least 15 years from the date of construction completion. Payment for the renewable energy claimed, if not provided from the owner, must be made on behalf of the project.
Renewable energy certificates (RECs) generated from the claimed systems:
- Must be maintained or retired by the project or on its behalf.
- Cannot be sold, transferred, or claimed by another project except in the unique situations outlined in Exceptions EC-007 and EC-008.
- Cannot be purchased to qualify for Net Positive.
- Cannot be purchased to satisfy energy reduction targets.
It is not required that procured renewable energy have a direct electrical connection to the project; however, contractual attribution must be demonstrated.
Other Involved Projects
Other involved projects include those sharing or hosting the renewables installed for, or attributed to, the project.
Project Area
The area used for Scale Jumping is not included in, and does not affect, the Project Area or floor area ratio (FAR). If a project jumps to an area within its own property that is not shared with other projects, it is not Scale Jumping, and the additional land needs to be included in the Project Area.
Site Solar Income
Living within the solar income of the project site means not taking more resources than the project would produce if it were not constrained or there was not a better opportunity nearby. In other words, Scale Jumped renewables must not be used to enlarge the energy footprint of a project. Site solar income is based on the potential production of a reasonable installation of solar, or other readily available renewables, in and around the project buildable area. Compliance is demonstrated through:
- A calculation of the renewable potential of the site, and then not using more than that amount of energy for the project.
Solar Potential
Protecting solar potential means not preventing the other projects involved in the Scale Jumping from meeting the requirements of Zero Energy Certification. It is acceptable to place PV panels on the rooftops or other areas of neighborhood properties and use the energy generated from these adjacent off-site sources to power the project if those other properties could also meet the requirements of Zero Energy Certification or the project is sufficiently efficient.
The project team must be able to show that they are protecting the solar potential of the other project(s) by:
- Installing shared renewables in a way that doesn’t shade or impact other buildings; or
- Developing an averaging and implementation plan showing how EUI targets and renewables implementation could address the solar income and anticipated needs of all the involved projects, allowing all to meet the requirements of Zero Energy Certification (regardless of whether renewables are actually planned for all the projects).
It is possible to live within your site solar income, but still prevent another project from being able to meet the requirements of Zero Energy Certification (e.g., by putting your PV on their entire roof because yours is shaded). In any case where a project is impeding the solar potential of another project, the project must have a best-in-class EUI in order to reduce as much as possible the impact on the building to which they Scale Jumped.
SCALE JUMPING EXCEPTIONS
EC-009 Projects with a Constraint or Opportunity
Projects with a local constraint or opportunity may Scale Jump to a nearby area or building that is not constrained, to meet the project’s energy needs. The project must meet the following parameters:
- Live within the project’s solar income (if it were not constrained), or use EC-012, Off-site Renewables if applicable.
- Protect other projects’ solar potential, or have a best in class EUI.
- Install renewables with additionality.
- Maximize renewables on site, and locate off-site renewables as close to the project as possible (constrained projects only).
- Sub-meter and track energy to demonstrate that the energy required for the project is covered by the system, and attributed to only the LBC project.
- Provide information about the Scale Jumped infrastructure and production in their on-site education materials.
Constrained projects may Scale Jump by financially investing in the development of new locally based renewable energy systems, such as a new community wind or photovoltaic array, if these projects will solely feed the needs of the local community, and the portion of installed technology purchased is shown to meet or exceed the project’s demand.
The project team must document that the project’s financial contribution increased the local photovoltaic array sufficiently to address the annual energy requirements of the project. Such an investment does not qualify as an “opportunity” to justify Scale Jumping.
EC-010 Campus Remote Renewables
Campus projects may Scale Jump to a nearby area or building on the campus to meet the project’s energy needs. They may also connect to a campus grid if the renewable energy allocated to the project is not already in use by, or dedicated to, any other part of the campus. Energy resources may not be traded or doubled-counted. All other requirements in these Scale Jumping Clarifications apply.
The project must meet the following parameters, or demonstrate that it has achieved a best in class EUI, contributing to the campus energy efficiency:
- Live within the project’s solar income,
- Protect other projects’ solar potential.
In addition, under either scenario, the project must:
- Install renewables with additionality, or connect to a campus grid if the renewable energy allocated to the project is not already in use by, or dedicated to, any other part of the campus. Energy resources may not be traded or doubled-counted.
- Sub-meter and track energy to demonstrate that the energy required for the project is covered by the system, and attributed to only the LBC project.
- Provide information about the off-site infrastructure and production in their on-site education materials.
EC-011 District Energy System
When a combustion-based DES is permitted and used, the project team must meter the energy derived from the system and include that energy in the Energy Production and Demand Table and show that the proportionate share of energy produced by the system is compensated for by the project’s installed or procured renewable energy. For projects that contribute thermal resources to a district system, the project must meter the amount of off-site thermal benefit and calculate the proportionate reduction in electrical usage from the contributing project system. Waste heat capture for the project from a DES is only allowed if the heat is not generated from combustion.
