Predictika · Distributed generation interconnection applications

An AI sales agent's solar interconnection application, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an interconnection application for a customer-owned solar array on the ComEd system: the review level, the number of panels and the kilowatts per panel, the line voltage, the circuit type, whether the system exports power, any battery storage and any net metering request. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the review-level rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the nameplate total it computed.

Scope: ComEd distributed generation interconnection applications at review Levels 1 to 4: nameplate size by line voltage, certified equipment, circuit type, export, battery storage, net metering and the stated total. See everything this validator covers

This validator models ComEd interconnection applications, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Review levels — the nameplate limit for each of Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4, including the Level 2 limit that depends on line voltage and generator type.
  • Equipment and circuit — lab-certified equipment, radial, spot network and area network circuits, export, shared transformers and the generation already on the circuit.
  • Net metering and storage — a net metering request needs an exporting system within a size cap, and exporting battery storage on a Level 1 application goes to a person.
  • Supplemental review and stated total — a large Level 2 application goes to a person to confirm whether a supplemental review is needed, and the total the application states is compared with the total computed.

Any ComEd interconnection application that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: ComEd rate and tariff selection, fees and the other Exelon utilities (PECO, BGE and Pepco). The review levels and limits follow the Illinois Administrative Code Part 466, Section 466.80, as summarized in public sources; the net metering size cap, the supplemental-review threshold and the storage approval are modeled assumptions, not published by ComEd. No prices are modeled.

The AI sales agentBuilds the interconnection application from the conversation with the customer and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

8 scenarios in 4 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Limits that depend on the review level, the line voltage and the equipment typeOnly with care
Each level has its own limit, and Level 2 changes it again by voltage and generator type, so every combination needs its own comparison rule.		The review level, voltage and equipment type are fields of the application and the limit is looked up and compared on every call.
Conditions that only apply to one circuit typeOnly with care
Radial, spot network and area network circuits each carry different conditions, so each rule must first test the circuit type.		The circuit type is a field and each condition is checked together with it.
A request that depends on another field, such as net metering needing exportOnly with workarounds
A rule has to compare the request with the export field and with the size cap, and keep both in step as the application changes.		Net metering, export and size are checked in the same pass.
A large application that needs a person to confirm a reviewOnly with workarounds
An approval threshold sits below a block threshold on the same field, so the approval rule must exclude what the block rule catches.		The nameplate total is compared with the block limit and the approval threshold in one pass.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the application is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the submission; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The application is for review Level 1 and the total nameplate is 26 kW; Level 1 is limited to 25 kW.
2Level 1 covers lab-certified inverter-based equipment only; this application lists equipment that is not.
3The application is for review Level 2 and the total nameplate is 502 kW; the Level 2 limit for this line voltage and generator type is 500 kW (0 means not eligible at this voltage).
4Level 2 request of 3,000 kW is above 2,000 kW, so a person should confirm whether a supplemental review is needed.
5The application is for review Level 2 and the total nameplate is 3,002 kW; the Level 2 limit for this line voltage and generator type is 3,000 kW (0 means not eligible at this voltage).
6Level 2 request of 4,000 kW is above 2,000 kW, so a person should confirm whether a supplemental review is needed.
7The application is for review Level 2 and the total nameplate is 4,002 kW; the Level 2 limit for this line voltage and generator type is 4,000 kW (0 means not eligible at this voltage).
8Level 2 request of 5,000 kW is above 2,000 kW, so a person should confirm whether a supplemental review is needed.
9The application is for review Level 2 and the total nameplate is 5,002 kW; the Level 2 limit for this line voltage and generator type is 5,000 kW (0 means not eligible at this voltage).
10The application is for review Level 2 and the total nameplate is 200 kW; the Level 2 limit for this line voltage and generator type is 0 kW (0 means not eligible at this voltage).
11The application is for review Level 2 and the total nameplate is 2,002 kW; the Level 2 limit for this line voltage and generator type is 2,000 kW (0 means not eligible at this voltage).
12Level 2 requires lab-certified interconnection equipment; this application lists equipment that is not certified.
13Level 2 applies to a radial distribution circuit or a spot network serving only one customer, not an area network.
14Level 3 applies to facilities that do not export power onto the distribution system; this application exports.
15A Level 3 facility on a radial circuit cannot be served by a shared transformer.
16The total generation on the radial circuit including this facility is 11 MVA; Level 3 allows 10 MVA or less.
17On the load side of an area network Level 3 is limited to 50 kW; the total nameplate is 52 kW.
18On an area network Level 3 requires a lab-certified inverter-based equipment package.
19Level 4 is limited to 10 MVA of nameplate; the total nameplate is 10,010 kW.
20Net metering was requested but the system does not export power to the grid.
21Net metering was requested for 2,002 kW; the modeled size cap is 2,000 kW.
22Level 2 request of 2,002 kW is above 2,000 kW, so a person should confirm whether a supplemental review is needed.
23The application states a total of 24 kW but units x kW per unit comes to 20 kW, so a person should confirm the nameplate.
24A Level 1 application with 10 kWh of battery storage that can export needs a person to confirm the storage is covered by the certified package.
25The application is for review Level 1 and the total nameplate is 40 kW; Level 1 is limited to 25 kW.
26The application states a total of 15 kW but units x kW per unit comes to 20 kW, so a person should confirm the nameplate.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Level 1 size and equipment: A 400 kilowatt commercial warehouse array submitted as a Level 1 application

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a Level 1 interconnection application for a commercial solar array of 200 panels of 2 kilowatts each on a radial circuit at a line voltage of under 5 kV, total 400 kilowatts, with equipment that is not lab-certified, exporting power to the grid. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Level 1 nameplate above 25 kW. The application is for review Level 1 and the total nameplate is 400 kW; Level 1 is limited to 25 kW.
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  • Level 1 needs lab-certified inverter-based equipment. Level 1 covers lab-certified inverter-based equipment only; this application lists equipment that is not.
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2. Level 1 size and equipment: The agent moves the application to Level 2 with certified inverters

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a Level 2 interconnection application for a commercial solar array of 200 panels of 2 kilowatts each on a radial circuit at a line voltage of under 5 kV, total 400 kilowatts, with certified equipment, exporting power to the grid. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Application summary. Total nameplate 400 kW; Level 2 limit for this voltage and generator type 500 kW.
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3. Net metering and supplemental review: A 3 megawatt campus array at 5 to 15 kV with net metering requested

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a Level 2 interconnection application for a commercial solar array of 1,500 panels of 2 kilowatts each on a radial circuit at a line voltage of 5 to 15 kV, total 3,000 kilowatts, with certified equipment, exporting power to the grid, and net metering requested. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Net metering above the size cap. Net metering was requested for 3,000 kW; the modeled size cap is 2,000 kW.
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  • Level 2 above 2 MW needs a supplemental review. Level 2 request of 3,000 kW is above 2,000 kW, so a person should confirm whether a supplemental review is needed.
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4. Net metering and supplemental review: The agent drops the net metering request

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a Level 2 interconnection application for a commercial solar array of 1,500 panels of 2 kilowatts each on a radial circuit at a line voltage of 5 to 15 kV, total 3,000 kilowatts, with certified equipment, exporting power to the grid. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Level 2 above 2 MW needs a supplemental review. Level 2 request of 3,000 kW is above 2,000 kW, so a person should confirm whether a supplemental review is needed.
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  • Application summary. Total nameplate 3,000 kW; Level 2 limit for this voltage and generator type 3,000 kW.
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5. Level 1 size and battery storage: A home rooftop array with a battery, submitted as a Level 1 application

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a Level 1 interconnection application for a residential solar array of 15 panels of 2 kilowatts each on a radial circuit at a line voltage of under 5 kV, total 30 kilowatts, with certified equipment, exporting power to the grid, with 13 kilowatt-hours of battery storage, and net metering requested. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Level 1 nameplate above 25 kW. The application is for review Level 1 and the total nameplate is 30 kW; Level 1 is limited to 25 kW.
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  • Exporting battery storage on a Level 1 application. A Level 1 application with 13 kWh of battery storage that can export needs a person to confirm the storage is covered by the certified package.
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6. Level 1 size and battery storage: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a Level 1 interconnection application for a residential solar array of 10 panels of 2 kilowatts each on a radial circuit at a line voltage of under 5 kV, total 20 kilowatts, with certified equipment, exporting power to the grid, and net metering requested. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Application summary. Total nameplate 20 kW; Level 2 limit for this voltage and generator type 500 kW.
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7. Area network limit: A non-exporting commercial system on a downtown area network at Level 3

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a Level 3 interconnection application for a commercial solar array of 30 panels of 2 kilowatts each on an area network at a line voltage of under 5 kV, total 60 kilowatts, with certified equipment, not exporting power. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Level 3 area network nameplate above 50 kW. On the load side of an area network Level 3 is limited to 50 kW; the total nameplate is 60 kW.
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8. Area network limit: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a Level 3 interconnection application for a commercial solar array of 25 panels of 2 kilowatts each on an area network at a line voltage of under 5 kV, total 50 kilowatts, with certified equipment, not exporting power. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Application summary. Total nameplate 50 kW; Level 2 limit for this voltage and generator type 500 kW.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares an interconnection application for a customer-owned solar array on the ComEd system: the review level, the number of panels and the kilowatts per panel, the line voltage, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the review-level rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the nameplate total it computed.
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  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please prepare a Level 1 interconnection application for a commercial solar array of 200 panels of 2 kilowatts each on a radial circuit at a line voltage of under 5 kV. It is ready to send. The rest of the request is on screen.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with two findings, all in one answer. The application is for review Level 1 and the total nameplate is 400 kW; Level 1 is limited to 25 kW. Level 1 covers lab-certified inverter-based equipment only; this application lists equipment that is not.
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  6. The validator returned two blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the submission are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for limits that depend on the review level, the line voltage and the equipment type, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the review level to Level 2 and the lab-certified equipment to yes.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. Both earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Two problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean submission. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before the submission goes out. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.