Washington § 80.60.040 - Safety, power quality, and interconnection requirements — Customer-generator's expense — Commission may adopt additional requirements.

(1) A net metering system used by a customer-generator shall include, at the customer-generator's own expense, all equipment necessary to meet applicable safety, power quality, and interconnection requirements established by the national electrical code, national electrical safety code, the institute of electrical and electronics engineers, and underwriters laboratories.

(2) The commission, in the case of an electrical company, or the appropriate governing body, in the case of other electric utilities, after appropriate notice and opportunity for comment, may adopt by regulation additional safety, power quality, and interconnection requirements for customer-generators, including limitations on the number of customer-generators and total capacity of net metering systems that may be interconnected to any distribution feeder line, circuit, or network that the commission or governing body determines are necessary to protect public safety and system reliability.

(3) An electric utility may not require a customer-generator whose net metering system meets the standards in subsections (1) and (2) of this section to comply with additional safety or performance standards, perform or pay for additional tests, or purchase additional liability insurance. However, an electric utility shall not be liable directly or indirectly for permitting or continuing to allow an attachment of a net metering system, or for the acts or omissions of the customer-generator that cause loss or injury, including death, to any third party.

(4) Except when required under the federal public utility regulatory policies act, an electric utility may not establish compensation arrangements or interconnection requirements, other than those permitted in this chapter, for a customer-generator that would have the effect of prohibiting or restricting the ability of a customer-generator to generate or store electricity for consumption on its premises.