The 100 MW, 400 MWh battery energy storage system in unincorporated Ventura County, the Ventura Energy Storage project, has completed pre-construction and is ready for construction to commence. The Project, developed by Strata Solar, has awarded an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract to Tesla, and construction is scheduled to commence in July 2020. The project is under a 20-year power purchase agreement with Southern California Edison, as it was the largest project solicited in the company’s most recent request for proposals. Source: Strata Solar
Vectren is looking to cut how much Indiana homeowners can be compensated for net metering. The utility filed a request with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission on Friday, in accordance with a law signed by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2017. The law set the date for the abolishment of net metering in Indiana for 2022, but also calls on all the state’s utilities to seek an earlier end to net metering through an “excess distributed generation tariff.” Vectren just happens to be the first utility in the state to answer the call. Source: Evansville Courier & Press
Go Smart Solar is looking to expand its San Antonio-based community solar pilot program. Under the program, solar panels are installed at open areas like commercial parking lots and truck dealerships, but the generation and rebates are purchased by participating local homeowners. Expansion of the current pilot program, as well as establishing community solar other, similar, fashions are being discussed by GO Smart Solar and three utilities in Texas and other Southwestern states. If all three agreements come through, they’d entail debt and equity investments totaling $150 million. Source: San Antonio Express-News
With the closing of coal plants across the Southwest, many members of Navajo Nation are losing their jobs, jobs which support entire communities. This collaborative piece by the Marguerite Casey Foundation and Grist outlines what’s being done to ensure that the members of these communities are able to participate in the energy revolution and continue to work in the energy sector. The piece focuses on the work of Diné CARE, an organization which is working to realize a just energy transition comes to pass for Navajo Nation. Source: Grist
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From the Courier Press article: “If the IURC approves it, then Vectren customers who install solar power after Dec. 31 would be credited at the lower wholesale price plus an additional 25 percent.”
So, 5 cents per kWh, plus 0.25 or 6.25 cents/kWh. Vectren is ignoring the worth of a distributed generation system constructed along the grid. When a home or business installs their own solar PV system, the utility doesn’t have to purchase property to build the project, doesn’t have to get a right of way or install any infrastructure, it’s already in place. The utility doesn’t have to file an EIR, float a lone or service bonds to pay for the project. The utility also doesn’t have to purchase the system, install, maintain, repair, or insure the system. All of this is Vectren’s avoided costs and there should be a (percent) match added on to the “wholesale rate” Vectren wants to credit distributed ratepayers using solar PV. That 25 percent “adder” is insulting. The URC needs to get Vectren into proper pricing of excess electricity pushed back onto the grid. Closer to wholesale plus 55% to 60%.
You are correct. PG&E tacks on 20 cents per kilo watt hour to pay for all you mentioned plus cover the net metering people who do not pay their fair share of the infrastructure costs. 28 cents per kilo Watt hour is the base price with 8 cents going to energy generation and 20 cents going to distribution in Northern California. How about the 30 Billion they need to cover “fire claims”. That is why I installed an off grid solar system and power 70% of my home from that. I know my costs for PV panels, batteries and inverters is 16 cents per Kilo Watt Hour flat. That includes 25 year depreciation on the PV panels and a total replacement of my batteries every 7 years. El Paseo Power charges only 8.5 cents per Kilo Watt Hour in Las Cruses, New Mexico so my system would not be worth it in New Mexico except for being cleaner and climate friendly.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) is over One Million members Strong and growing. but, the Baby Boomers are retiring just when the Wind and Solar instalations are taking off. Most IBEW Locals are looking for Apprentices to make the transition to the new Electical Inside Wireman and Lineman future. Power Plant closures are putting employees into transition and if they are IBEW Members, as many power plant employees are, they are given special allowances by locals to enrole in apprenticship training or Journeyman upgrade training. Applicants will need to go where the work is but the pay and benefits are outstanding.
I am a 50 year member of the IBEW local 595 in Alameda County, California and our members are doing work in Tesla’s Auto plant, working on solar and wind projects. Our training facility is the Zero Net Energy building in San Leandro, California that runs on both wind and solar Sposored by the IBEW and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).
@Edward Dijeau:
Your point of net metering and PG&E and a lot of other electric utilities across the land is the half truth they cling to that creates the bickering between neighbors who would all have solar PV on their roofs if not for the wedge argument foisted on the public by the utility’s business practices. “Lost revenues” rate cases are allowed by the CPUC when entities like PG&E lose revenues, because they’re not selling as much electricity as they used to. Wait until Diablo Canyon decommissions in a few years and you’ll see what I mean.
In Arizona utility APS has a “program” for solar PV that gives the solar PV adopter around 7 to 8 cents/kWh credit of excess solar PV generation during the day. Their typical rates are from 12 to 16 cents/kWh, so APS takes care of their TD&D costs by subtracting 4 to 8 cents/kWh of electricity accepted as a credit during the day. Now why can’t PG&E, SCE, SDG&E do the same thing? They don’t want to. So, when the utility “says” when you or anyone else installs solar PV on their roofs, non-solar ratepayers get an increase in their electric bill because “they” don’t pay their fair share of TD&D and probably generation “fuel” charges. Conversely when a solar PV residence sends over generation back onto the grid and it goes next door to the neighbor without solar PV, does the utility bother to remove, “fuel” charges, TD&D charges from each kWh of solar PV generation used? OF course not, letting the solar PV powered neighbor to feed a non solar PV powered neighbor and NOT removing fees that are not relevant to the power being used by the neighbor is also “double billing”. All these entities would have to do is break out all of these TD&D, “Fuel charges” and other sundry fees in each monthly electric bill. Everybody sees them, everybody pays them. The “fair and impartial” thing to do is use the digital meter data to count the kWh each month with the solar PV over generation, with the amount of kWh used by non solar PV neighbors and subtract fuel and TD&D charges from those kWh used that are solar PV derived.