SRP interconnection requirements
Sample preview — compiled from public sources 2026-08-19
Who this applies to
This page covers distributed energy resources — behind-the-meter solar, energy storage, and solar-plus-storage, residential through commercial — interconnecting in parallel with Salt River Project's distribution system in the Phoenix metro area.
SRP is not an ACC-jurisdictional utility. It is a political subdivision of the State of Arizona whose publicly elected Board sets its prices and fees; the Arizona Corporation Commission's Distributed Generation Interconnection Rules that govern APS and TEP do not apply here. SRP's requirements come from its own documents:
- The Distributed Generation Interconnection Handbook — SRP's own interconnection manual (published 2022, with section revision dates through late 2025 confirm current revision), carrying the application process, technical screens, DER size classes, diagram requirements, and inspection/commissioning steps.
- SRP's Electric Service Specifications and Rules & Regulations, which the Handbook incorporates for service-entrance, clearance, and metering requirements.
Systems that never operate in parallel with SRP's grid (isolated backup with open-transition transfer) follow SRP's standby-generation requirements instead, and transmission-level or wholesale interconnections are out of scope for this page.
Application pathway overview
All applications are filed through SRP's PowerClerk portal, typically by the contractor on the customer's behalf. Every application passes SRP's Interconnection Application Screens (hosting capacity, fault current, short circuit, transformer rating, inverter voltage imbalance, transient stability, and a non-inverter screen) plus a Design Review; larger classes add an Engineering Review or a Detailed Review with formal studies.
| DER class | Size (AC) | Review path |
|---|---|---|
| Class I | 20 kW or less | Screens A, E, F + Design Review; Engineering Review only on screen failure |
| Class II | 21–300 kW | All screens + Design Review; Engineering Review only on screen failure |
| Class II (upper) | 301 kW – under 1 MW | All screens + Design Review + standard Engineering Review, pass or fail |
| Class III & IV | 1 MW and above | All screens + Design Review + Detailed Review (Feasibility, System Impact, and Facility studies as needed), plus witness/commissioning testing |
Changes after an application is accepted require a Customer Change Request form in PowerClerk with all affected documents revised — and can move the application back in the queue.
Required forms & documents
The structural contents of an SRP packet, from the Handbook and SRP's contractor pages. SRP publishes an Application Checklist, Site Plan Checklist, and Line Diagram Checklist for residential work confirm current revision.
- Interconnection Application in PowerClerk, tied to the correct SRP account and customer of record
- Site plan diagram — DER equipment, meter, disconnects, point of interconnection, access, and (residential) items on SRP's Site Plan Checklist
- One-line and three-line electrical diagrams (residential single-phase may submit either; SRP can request the three-line for safety or access concerns)
- Equipment documentation — inverter, module, and battery spec sheets and certifications; equipment certified to UL 1741 / IEEE 1547
- PE stamp on the three-line drawing (Arizona-registered professional engineer) when the jurisdiction does not issue permits for the solar electrical work
- Interconnection Agreement, sent to the property owner via DocuSign after application approval
- Commercial and microgrid projects, as requested: sequence of operations, power system analysis (short-circuit ratings), and relay settings
- After installation: AHJ electrical clearance (submitted to SRP by the AHJ itself) or a Certificate In-Lieu of Electrical Clearance signed by both customer and contractor
- 1 MW and above: protective-device calibration test results delivered at least seven calendar days before SRP witness testing
Fees
SRP's published cost-and-timeline tables show no SRP review fee for inverter-based projects under 1 MW; the customer bears all interconnection costs on their side of the meter, and any SRP-system additions required by the technical reviews are billed to the customer. Larger and non-inverter projects pay study deposits settled against actual study costs.
| Item | Published amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application, design, and technical review — inverter-based, under 1 MW | No fee verify current schedule | Per SRP's interconnection costs and timeline table |
| Technical review deposit — inverter-based, 1 MW+ | $15,000 deposit verify current schedule | Actual study costs apply; remaining balance refunded or collected |
| Technical review deposit — non-inverter projects | $15,000 minimum deposit verify current schedule | 80-business-day technical review; additional riders may apply |
| Interconnection facilities and grid additions | verify current schedule | Customer pays connection, transformers, protection, metering, disconnect, and any SRP-system additions per the Handbook |
Filing here every month?
Design partners get 5 free filings and their territory encoded first — packets produced with dual human review while the software is built.
Typical timeline stages
- Submission — application package in PowerClerk, filed by the contractor before installation.
- Application review — completeness check; SRP publishes 5 business days for this stage on inverter-based projects.
- Interconnection Agreement — sent to the property owner via DocuSign after approval.
- Design review — an SRP design consultant checks the electrical design (published 5 business days); technical review is included for 1–300 kW, runs 15 business days at 301–999 kW, and 60 business days at 1 MW+.
- Installation and clearance — build to the approved design; the AHJ submits the electrical clearance to SRP (or file a signed CILC where no permits are issued). Design must be approved before SRP accepts clearance documents.
- Final review, inspection, and commissioning — SRP's final review after city clearance (published 5 business days) and commissioning (published 5 business days), including an on-site inspection of equipment location, disconnect and meter socket, wiring and bonding, and labeling. Class III/IV projects add witness testing.
- Permission to operate — SRP installs the billing meter and sends a Permission to Operate with the executed Interconnection Agreement; the system stays off until then.
Common deficiency causes
Commonly cited ways applications fall short of the published requirements above — each item is a requirement in SRP's cited documents whose absence stalls review. Not drawn from SunDocket filing data.
- Line diagrams missing items on SRP's Line Diagram Checklist — line-to-load direction from the DER source, neutral and ground conductors, or disconnect detail
- Site plan missing the point of interconnection, meter and disconnect grouping, or access detail from the Site Plan Checklist
- Equipment not certified to UL 1741 / IEEE 1547, or spec sheets missing from the package
- Missing PE stamp on the three-line drawing in jurisdictions that don't permit solar electrical work
- Utility AC disconnect, dedicated DER meter, and DER system disconnect not grouped per SRP's Handbook and Electric Service Specifications
- Post-approval design changes made without a Customer Change Request, which sends the application backward in the process
- Clearance submitted by the contractor rather than the AHJ (SRP only accepts clearance from the AHJ), or a CILC missing one of the two required signatures
- Field installation not matching the approved drawings at final inspection, which blocks commissioning
FAQ
Does the Arizona Corporation Commission regulate SRP interconnection?
No. SRP is a political subdivision of Arizona, not an ACC-regulated utility — its publicly elected Board sets its prices and fees, and its interconnection requirements come from SRP's own Distributed Generation Interconnection Handbook rather than the ACC's Distributed Generation Interconnection Rules that govern APS and TEP.
How long does SRP interconnection take?
SRP publishes stage-by-stage business-day estimates for inverter-based projects: application review 5 business days, design review 5 business days, technical review included in design review for 1–300 kW (15 business days for 301–999 kW; 60 business days at 1 MW and above), then 5 business days for final review after city clearance and 5 business days for commissioning. Customer construction and city clearance time sits between those stages and varies by project — verify current schedule.
What is the SRP interconnection application fee?
SRP's published cost-and-timeline table shows no SRP fee for application review, design review, or technical review of inverter-based projects under 1 MW. Inverter-based projects of 1 MW and above pay a $15,000 study deposit, with actual study costs settled against it (verify current schedule). Non-inverter projects carry a $15,000 minimum deposit for an 80-business-day technical review.
What portal does SRP use for interconnection applications?
PowerClerk. The contractor typically submits the application package on the customer's behalf, and all correspondence, revision requests, and change requests run through the PowerClerk application.
What price plans can SRP solar customers choose?
SRP offers residential customers with on-site generation two demand-based plans — the Customer Generation Plan and the Average Demand Plan — and two export plans, the Time-of-Use Export Plan and the Electric Vehicle Export Plan. On the export plans, excess energy is credited at a fixed published export rate (3.45 cents per kWh as published — verify current schedule).
What is a Certificate In-Lieu of Electrical Clearance (CILC)?
When the authority having jurisdiction does not require building permits or inspections for the solar electrical work, SRP accepts a Certificate In-Lieu of Electrical Clearance instead of a city clearance. Both the customer and the contractor must sign it, and in no-permit jurisdictions the three-line electrical drawing must be stamped by a professional engineer registered in Arizona.
Does SRP require both a one-line and a three-line diagram?
SRP's Handbook requires one-line and three-line diagrams for interconnection applications, with an exception for residential single-phase interconnections, which may submit either a one-line or a three-line diagram (or both). SRP reserves the right to ask for a three-line diagram if there are safety or access concerns.
Change log
- Page created from public sources.
Requirements drift. Get the changes.
When this page's change log gets a new entry, we'll email you that entry. Nothing else — see the privacy note.
Sources
- SRP — Distributed Generation Interconnection Handbook (PDF) (accessed 2026-08-19)
- SRP — Information for residential solar contractors (accessed 2026-08-19)
- SRP — Installing solar panels at your business (interconnection costs and timeline tables) (accessed 2026-08-19)
- SRP — Compare solar price plans (accessed 2026-08-19)
- SRP — Governance and elections (accessed 2026-08-19)
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