Indianapolis Star
August 5, 2010
By Brad Morton, Evansville.
At a time when other states and countries are taking bold steps toward the use and manufacturing of renewable energy, Indiana seems to be back peddling into the Dark Ages. Instead of promoting renewable energy like other states, Indiana restricts renewable energy by not allowing most customer classes to "net-meter" their energy.
Being able to net-meter means you are credited the full retail rate for the energy that your solar system or wind turbine produces. However, in Indiana most customer classes will receive only the wholesale rate for the energy they produce, meaning that the utility company will make a profit off the energy you produce even if all of that energy is used in your own building.
Only residential customers and schools of investor-owned utilities can net-meter. This leaves out all retail businesses, health-care facilities, churches, manufacturing facilities, or any customer of a Rural Electric Membership Co-Operative. Basically, you are subsidizing the utility company in this scenario.
Why in the world does Indiana want to limit the use of renewable energy? The benefits are numerous both economically and environmentally. Southern Indiana is not known for strong wind resources like those found in Northern Indiana. However, there are pockets in certain areas that have acceptable wind resources.
Southern Indiana does have excellent solar energy resources. In fact, Evansville has more solar energy then Jacksonville, Fla., from June to September, when our air conditioners are running the most. And, the power output curve from solar energy generation can be tuned to meet these air conditioner demands on a daily basis by mounting the panels to face in the southwestern direction.
As an example of successful implementation of solar energy in Southern Indiana, you can visit the Chrisney Public Library in Spencer County. The library is the first net-zero library and one of the first 10 documented zero-energy buildings in the United States. Net-zero means that the building produces as much energy or more than it consumes.
The library has received numerous awards, both nationally and regionally, including the "Partner in Progress" awarded by Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman.
The grid-tied solar system that provides power for the building will provide power at twelve cents ($0.12) per kilowatt hour for the next 30 years. This is already cheaper then the current utility rate and I can't imagine what the utility rate will be in 30 years.
The problem with financing solar energy is that the consumer is paying for 30 years of energy up front. It is a long-term investment. To help offset this up-front cost, the state of Indiana awarded a grant through the Indiana Department of Energy that paid about 30 percent of the cost of the system, or about $24,000.
So, with such a successful project, what does the Indiana Department of Energy do with the grant program? They pull the plug on funding solar photovoltaic projects. That's right, they decided not to fund any future grid-tied photovoltaic projects.
Right now, Indiana has all of its eggs in one basket getting 96 percent of its energy from coal. Yet, the Department of Energy gave $450 million of taxpayer subsidies to the Edwardsport coal plant project.
How will this help us diversify our energy mix? How will this help the consumer struggling to pay the electricity bills? How will this create competition in a capitalistic energy market that could help keep prices down? How will this help Indiana reduce emissions? How will this help get us off foreign oil?
All electricity consumers in Indiana should have the choice to use solar or wind energy if desired, not only for their right but for the health of the economy.
It was conservative Ann Rynd who said, "Free competition is the freedom to produce, and the freedom to trade what one has produced, for one's own self-interest, i.e., in the pursuit of one's own happiness."
Electricity consumers in Indiana are currently playing against a stacked deck, and the dealer is our government. Only the government can level this playing field. You can speculate for yourself why Indiana's utility and coal companies are allowed to maintain their monopoly status.
Brad Morton lives in Evansville and is the President of Morton Solar and Wind, LLC. Morton is also a Founding Member of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Showing posts with label Brad Morton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brad Morton. Show all posts
Friday, August 6, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Morton Solar & Wind awarded contract for first net-zero school in the U.S.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2010
EVANSVILLE - Morton Solar & Wind, LLC has been awarded a $2.16 million contract to install a 340KW photovoltaic system on the new Richardsville Elementary School currently under construction near Bowling Green, Kentucky. The system will be the largest photovoltaic system in Kentucky to date and the school is projected to be the first net-zero energy elementary school in the United States. A net-zero building produces as much energy as it uses. Morton Solar & Wind also installed the photovoltaic system for the first net-zero library in the U.S., located in Chrisney, Indiana.
The school will employ various energy efficiency technologies in addition to the photovoltaic system including geothermal HVAC, active solar lighting, efficient kitchen strategies, ICF walls, and energy efficient windows. The photovoltaic system will be a "grid-tied" system that will feed energy back into the power grid. The school will receive $0.22 per kilowatt/hour for the solar energy from the local utility company funded by the Green Power Partners program of Tennessee Valley Authority.
Morton Solar & Wind will install two separate photovoltaic systems on the school. The first system will consist of UniSolar laminate panels which will be adhered to the school's roof. The second system will be comprised of monocrystalline panels mounted on a parking canopy in the parking lot. Morton Solar & Wind will be partnering with Advanced Electrical Systems of Louisville, Kentucky, on the $2.4 million project.
Morton Solar & Wind, LLC is a NABCEP certified renewable energy systems designer & installer based in Evansville, Indiana.
For more information contact Brad Morton, President, at (812) 402-0900.
Morton Solar and Wind is a member of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
July 8, 2010
EVANSVILLE - Morton Solar & Wind, LLC has been awarded a $2.16 million contract to install a 340KW photovoltaic system on the new Richardsville Elementary School currently under construction near Bowling Green, Kentucky. The system will be the largest photovoltaic system in Kentucky to date and the school is projected to be the first net-zero energy elementary school in the United States. A net-zero building produces as much energy as it uses. Morton Solar & Wind also installed the photovoltaic system for the first net-zero library in the U.S., located in Chrisney, Indiana.
The school will employ various energy efficiency technologies in addition to the photovoltaic system including geothermal HVAC, active solar lighting, efficient kitchen strategies, ICF walls, and energy efficient windows. The photovoltaic system will be a "grid-tied" system that will feed energy back into the power grid. The school will receive $0.22 per kilowatt/hour for the solar energy from the local utility company funded by the Green Power Partners program of Tennessee Valley Authority.
Morton Solar & Wind will install two separate photovoltaic systems on the school. The first system will consist of UniSolar laminate panels which will be adhered to the school's roof. The second system will be comprised of monocrystalline panels mounted on a parking canopy in the parking lot. Morton Solar & Wind will be partnering with Advanced Electrical Systems of Louisville, Kentucky, on the $2.4 million project.
Morton Solar & Wind, LLC is a NABCEP certified renewable energy systems designer & installer based in Evansville, Indiana.
For more information contact Brad Morton, President, at (812) 402-0900.
Morton Solar and Wind is a member of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Speakers criticize Indiana energy laws
By Lana Kunz
Sunday, October 18, 2009
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/oct/18/speakerscriticizeindiana-energy-laws/
If net metering — an idea that allows buildings that use alternative energy sources to sell their extra power back to utilities — were a test, Indiana barely would pass, according to one report.
Indiana earned a D grade on net metering, according to the "Freeing the Grid 2008" report by the Network for New Energy Sources.
A crowd of about 30 people was educated about alternative energy Saturday at the first South West Indiana Solar Tour at the Ohio Township Public Library in Newburgh.
Several of the speakers promoted various alternative sources of energy, but the main focus was educating the public on net metering and Indiana's limited participation requirements for power companies.
"Net metering is this idea that you can spin your meter backward when you're not using energy," said Eric Cotton , a partner at East Central Indiana Wind and Solar.
Net metering allows buildings with alternative energy sources to sell the excess power to the power company.
"We're trying to make people aware that Indiana is behind the times," said Brad Morton, president of Morton Solar and Wind LLC, which sponsored the event.
"Freeing the Grid 2008" also reports that Indiana is the only state to exclude commercial and industrial customers from net metering.
Currently Indiana's regulations only require power companies to buy energy from residential and K-12 schools, even though some facilities "sometimes go above and beyond" what is required, Cotton said.
Vectren Energy also net meters municipal buildings, such as the Ohio Township Public Library, which has solar panels on its roof.
"The law has not caught up with the technology," Morton said.
Some that attended the event do not rely on the power grid at all.
"We built a house where electricity isn't available, hopefully as urban sprawl continues we can eventually connect to the grid," said Doug Gresham, who lives north of Boonville, Ind., off the power grid.
State limits
Current state law limits not only the type of consumer that can sell back energy, but how much they can sell, the size of the system generating the alternative energy, the types of energy utilities are required to buy, pays only a wholesale rate back to the consumer and does not require all power companies to net meter.
"We're trying to focus on getting these laws changed," Morton said. "Most of this stuff is not new, it's just new to Indiana."
The event included a self-guided tour of buildings that use alter-native energy applications.
East Side resident Mark Ambrose said he attended the event, "Just to get an education, I'm very interested in the solar side of this equation."
After purchasing a hybrid vehicle, Ambrose is "slowly embracing the need to lower the need for petroleum" and considering making the next step in adjustments to his home.
Geothermal, solar and wind power were the main alternative energy sources discussed.
"Geothermal is a way to extract energy from the earth and use it as usable energy in your home," President of HF Refrigeration Andy Harbison said in his speech on the geothermal heating and cooling units his company installs.
Harbison said his customers have seen 40 percent to 60 percent off utilities each month with their initial investment paid back in five to seven years.
Morton showed a map compiled by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that showed Southwestern Indiana receives more solar intensity than the rest of the state. "Southwest Indiana should take the lead due to its solar resources," Morton said.
Brad Morton with Morton Solar & Wind LLC and Eric Cotton with East Central Indiana Wind & Solar are both Founding Members of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association and both serve on the Board of Directors.
Sponsors of the meeting included Evansville-based Sustainable Communities Coalition, the Izaak Walton League of America--Evansville Chapter and the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/oct/18/speakerscriticizeindiana-energy-laws/
If net metering — an idea that allows buildings that use alternative energy sources to sell their extra power back to utilities — were a test, Indiana barely would pass, according to one report.
Indiana earned a D grade on net metering, according to the "Freeing the Grid 2008" report by the Network for New Energy Sources.
A crowd of about 30 people was educated about alternative energy Saturday at the first South West Indiana Solar Tour at the Ohio Township Public Library in Newburgh.
Several of the speakers promoted various alternative sources of energy, but the main focus was educating the public on net metering and Indiana's limited participation requirements for power companies.
"Net metering is this idea that you can spin your meter backward when you're not using energy," said Eric Cotton , a partner at East Central Indiana Wind and Solar.
Net metering allows buildings with alternative energy sources to sell the excess power to the power company.
"We're trying to make people aware that Indiana is behind the times," said Brad Morton, president of Morton Solar and Wind LLC, which sponsored the event.
"Freeing the Grid 2008" also reports that Indiana is the only state to exclude commercial and industrial customers from net metering.
Currently Indiana's regulations only require power companies to buy energy from residential and K-12 schools, even though some facilities "sometimes go above and beyond" what is required, Cotton said.
Vectren Energy also net meters municipal buildings, such as the Ohio Township Public Library, which has solar panels on its roof.
"The law has not caught up with the technology," Morton said.
Some that attended the event do not rely on the power grid at all.
"We built a house where electricity isn't available, hopefully as urban sprawl continues we can eventually connect to the grid," said Doug Gresham, who lives north of Boonville, Ind., off the power grid.
State limits
Current state law limits not only the type of consumer that can sell back energy, but how much they can sell, the size of the system generating the alternative energy, the types of energy utilities are required to buy, pays only a wholesale rate back to the consumer and does not require all power companies to net meter.
"We're trying to focus on getting these laws changed," Morton said. "Most of this stuff is not new, it's just new to Indiana."
The event included a self-guided tour of buildings that use alter-native energy applications.
East Side resident Mark Ambrose said he attended the event, "Just to get an education, I'm very interested in the solar side of this equation."
After purchasing a hybrid vehicle, Ambrose is "slowly embracing the need to lower the need for petroleum" and considering making the next step in adjustments to his home.
Geothermal, solar and wind power were the main alternative energy sources discussed.
"Geothermal is a way to extract energy from the earth and use it as usable energy in your home," President of HF Refrigeration Andy Harbison said in his speech on the geothermal heating and cooling units his company installs.
Harbison said his customers have seen 40 percent to 60 percent off utilities each month with their initial investment paid back in five to seven years.
Morton showed a map compiled by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that showed Southwestern Indiana receives more solar intensity than the rest of the state. "Southwest Indiana should take the lead due to its solar resources," Morton said.
Brad Morton with Morton Solar & Wind LLC and Eric Cotton with East Central Indiana Wind & Solar are both Founding Members of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association and both serve on the Board of Directors.
Sponsors of the meeting included Evansville-based Sustainable Communities Coalition, the Izaak Walton League of America--Evansville Chapter and the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
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