Original Article: http://www.pal-item.com/article/20101108/NEWS01/11080320
Utility considers allowing customers with wind, solar power or generators to sell power back
By Pam Tharp • Correspondent • November 8, 2010
Richmond Power & Light customers who also generate their own power might soon be able to sell extra kilowatts to RP&L.
Customers with wind or solar power systems or generators could sell their excess power back to the electrical grid if RP&L adopts a net metering ordinance, RP&L general manager Steve Saum said. The RP&L board will review a proposed ordinance for net metering at its Nov. 15 meeting.
The amount of electricity a customer could sell to the grid is limited to 10 kilowatts at any one time. Customers with higher generation capacity would need an agreement with the Indiana Municipal Power Agency, Saum said.
RP&L charges its customers 7.5 to 8 cents per kilowatt hour. Customers with extra power to sell would be paid at half of that rate, about 4.5 cents, because the higher rate includes the utility's fixed costs for line maintenance and overhead, Saum said.
Saum's unsure how many customers are generating power using solar panels or wind turbines but said he's had some inquiries about selling power back to the grid.
"Green" energy systems that power the sustainable living house at Centerville's Cope Environmental Center have transferred 540 kilowatts to Whitewater Valley REMC since April 2009, said Cope executive director Stephanie Hays-Mussoni. A 1-kilowatt wind turbine and a 900-watt solar panel power the sustainable living house.
Cope staff gets numerous inquiries about wind and solar power for home use, Hays-Mussoni said. Few follow through because of the substantial capital investment required -- about $20,000 to $25,000 for the systems and extra insulation, she said.
"We aren't currently selling the power back, but it does go back to the grid," Hays-Mussoni said. "It's not a whole lot of power. The turbine and solar panel provide 60 percent of the energy used by the residents of the sustainable house throughout the year. The systems don't provide energy all the time because sometimes the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow."
A disconnect switch is required for any system that would send power back to RP&L or other utilities. The switch automatically disconnects the private system line from the utility during a power failure, Saum said. Without the switch, a lineman working on a power failure issue could be injured by electricity flowing back into the line from a home generation system. The disconnect switch also must be inspected by the city building inspector before power sales can begin, Saum said.
RP&L board member Larry Parker was concerned earlier this week about the safety of RP&L linemen if a power outage occurred.
"How will we know if the disconnect switch has been installed?" Parker asked. "I don't want one of our linemen being killed because of this."
Those who enroll in the net metering program would be required to sign a form verifying the disconnect switch was installed, Saum said. Linemen also are trained to be cautious during outages, he said.
"If the line is out and we see lights, they know there's a generator or something producing power in the home," Saum said.
Board member Jack Elstro questioned the wisdom of the program.
"Why do we want to do this? To me, it's foolish," Elstro said.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission is encouraging utilities to allow customers who generate excess electrical power to sell it to the power grid, Saum said.
"The IURC is trying to push it pretty hard. They've had complaints from customers whose utility didn't have a net metering ordinance," Saum said. "It's not mandatory yet for utilities to do this. We're trying to be proactive and be ready to handle it."
For more information
A customer interested in selling electricity to Richmond Power & Light should contact the utility for additional information, RP&L manager Steve Saum said. The net metering agreement is a legal document that includes acceptance of liability, and the required disconnect switch must be inspected and approved by the city of Richmond's building inspector, Saum said.
Comment on this story at palitem@pal-item.com.
This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Showing posts with label net metering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label net metering. Show all posts
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
In the Dark Ages of renewable energy
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.
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.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Logansport Municipal Utility (LMU) Approves Net Metering
This article submitted by Joe and Lee Scheidler who are Owners of Springcreek Landscaping in Logansport. They are members of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Pharos-Tribune
June 25, 2010
LMU approves net metering, cogeneration
Program will keep LMU ahead of state regulations
by Mark Fletcher
Pharos-Tribune
— The Logansport Municipal Utility Service Board has approved a net metering program that will help its customers pay their utility bills, save the environment and stay ahead of state regulations.
Net metering allows customers with renewable-energy systems to generate electricity and apply it toward their utility bills.
The provision approved at Tuesday’s meeting also included cogeneration, a process where a user creates electricity and heat at the same time.
LMU Superintendent Paul Hartman said the difference between net metering and cogeneration largely came down to the use of renewable energy sources and scale or magnitude.
Net metering requires the use of alternative, or renewable, energy sources. Cogeneration systems normally produce electricity and steam heat with the customer using the heat and selling the electricity. More than that, cogeneration systems can be large.
Hartman said net metering customers would have a system installed on their service line, where a cogeneration system would connect directly to LMU’s power grid.
Board member Tom Slusser expressed some misgivings about both net metering and cogeneration. Slusser said it might lead to unforeseen economic problems at LMU.
Hartman said much of what LMU wanted to accomplish with net metering was to help its customers and encourage the use of alternative energy sources.
He also pointed out that net metering and cogeneration systems would keep LMU ahead of state regulations. Hartman said the state might eventually require electric companies to acquire part of their electricity from renewable sources.
“This is our way of saying we are going to go ahead and do that before we are told,” Hartman said.
Several on the board expressed concerns about cogeneration, and Hartman said one issue might involve the amount of power a large cogeneration system might send to LMU’s grid.
“One of our customers might install a facility so large we couldn’t handle the power coming from it,” Hartman said.
He added the resolution gave LMU the power to limit the size of those facilities.
LMU has two net metering customers and no cogeneration customers. Hartman said one customer, however, was considering cogeneration.
Net metering and cogeneration are designed to benefit not LMU, but the customer, Hartman said.
“The only way it could benefit LMU is it might help us shave our peak use during the summer,” Hartman said.
• Mark R. Fletcher is a reporter for the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at 574-732-5148 or mark.fletcher@pharostribune.com
This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Pharos-Tribune
June 25, 2010
LMU approves net metering, cogeneration
Program will keep LMU ahead of state regulations
by Mark Fletcher
Pharos-Tribune
— The Logansport Municipal Utility Service Board has approved a net metering program that will help its customers pay their utility bills, save the environment and stay ahead of state regulations.
Net metering allows customers with renewable-energy systems to generate electricity and apply it toward their utility bills.
The provision approved at Tuesday’s meeting also included cogeneration, a process where a user creates electricity and heat at the same time.
LMU Superintendent Paul Hartman said the difference between net metering and cogeneration largely came down to the use of renewable energy sources and scale or magnitude.
Net metering requires the use of alternative, or renewable, energy sources. Cogeneration systems normally produce electricity and steam heat with the customer using the heat and selling the electricity. More than that, cogeneration systems can be large.
Hartman said net metering customers would have a system installed on their service line, where a cogeneration system would connect directly to LMU’s power grid.
Board member Tom Slusser expressed some misgivings about both net metering and cogeneration. Slusser said it might lead to unforeseen economic problems at LMU.
Hartman said much of what LMU wanted to accomplish with net metering was to help its customers and encourage the use of alternative energy sources.
He also pointed out that net metering and cogeneration systems would keep LMU ahead of state regulations. Hartman said the state might eventually require electric companies to acquire part of their electricity from renewable sources.
“This is our way of saying we are going to go ahead and do that before we are told,” Hartman said.
Several on the board expressed concerns about cogeneration, and Hartman said one issue might involve the amount of power a large cogeneration system might send to LMU’s grid.
“One of our customers might install a facility so large we couldn’t handle the power coming from it,” Hartman said.
He added the resolution gave LMU the power to limit the size of those facilities.
LMU has two net metering customers and no cogeneration customers. Hartman said one customer, however, was considering cogeneration.
Net metering and cogeneration are designed to benefit not LMU, but the customer, Hartman said.
“The only way it could benefit LMU is it might help us shave our peak use during the summer,” Hartman said.
• Mark R. Fletcher is a reporter for the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at 574-732-5148 or mark.fletcher@pharostribune.com
This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Join InREA for Webinar on IPL's New Renewable Energy Incentives Including FiT
Last summer, InREA brought you a webinar on Feed-in Tariffs (FiT) including information about Indianapolis Power and Light's proposal for a FiT that was part of their Demand Side Management (DSM) plan pending before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC). IPL's DSM plan was approved and now you can hear about the details and how to sign-up for these new renewable energy incentives.
See http://indianadg.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/final-ipl-feed-in-tariff-effective-march-30-2010/
If you can't join us on May 27th, we plan to provide web access to this presentation later.
The presenters for this webinar include:
John Haselden, Secretary of the InREA Board of Directors, is a Principal Engineer in Corporate Affairs at Indianapolis Power and Light Company (IPL). He works in the evaluation, planning and regulatory approval process of environmental compliance options, renewable resources and Demand Side Management (DSM) programs at IPL. He is the author of IPL’s Rate REP (Renewable Energy Production) feed-in tariff recently approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. He has over eighteen years of experience at IPL and has worked in engineering, planning, fuel supply and marketing and was also the Director of Engineering for a regional railroad before rejoining IPL in his present position. He graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He also graduated from Indiana University with a Master of Business Administration. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Indiana.
Jake Allen is in Marketing and Program Management at Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL). During his tenure with IPL he has worked in numerous staff and management positions, including Engineer, Administrator of Rates, Director of Rates, and Manager, Energy Project Development. Since August 1997, he has been the individual who has primary responsibility for IPL’s Energy Efficiency or Demand Side Management (“DSM”) programs, including the development, research, implementation, planning, monitoring and evaluation of all DSM programs. He has been a witness in numerous Company proceedings before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Jake holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Engineering and Management from Purdue University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Indiana University. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Indiana.
InREA Webinar: John Haselden and Jake Allen explain new Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL) Renewable Energy Programs
Join us for a Webinar on May 27
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/145063256
InREA Webinar: John Haselden and Jake Allen explain new Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL) Renewable Energy Programs
Join the first webinar by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association (InREA) using GoToWebinar on Thursday, May 27th from 10:00 to 11:00 am. John Haselden and Jake Allen with Indianapolis Power and Light (IPL) will describe and explain renewable energy incentives recently approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC).
These new renewable energy incentives include: 1) revised net metering tariff; 2) new Rate REP or Renewable Energy Production (aka Feed-in Tariff); and 3) incentives for small scale renewable energy projects.
The revised net metering tariff has been expanded to be available to all customers and the capacity limits have been increased from 10 kW to 50 kW.
IPL's Rate REP is:
This is a webinar you won't want to miss. We plan to record this webinar and make it available later so watch for more details.
Title: John Haselden and Jake Allen explain new IPL Renewable Energy Programs
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer
Please forward this information to others who you think might be interested but each person must register for this webinar brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
IPL Offers RATE REP for Renewable Energy Production
Available to any customer of IPL that operates within the Company’s service territory a Qualifying Renewable Energy Power Production Facility (REP-QF).
A REP-QF is for the production of electricity with capacity no less than 50 kW (20 kW for solar) and no greater than 10 MW. It shall be located at one site and is not the aggregation of more than one site each less than 50 kW (20 kW for solar) and which produces electric power through the use of 100% renewable resources or fuel. Customer must sell the total production of the Facility to IPL.
Such resources or fuels include:
• Solar photovoltaic cells and panels
• Wind
• Dedicated crops grown for energy production
• Organic waste biomass
• Biomass will be consistent with the State’s definition in IC 8-1-8.8-10
IPL RATE REP Purchase Rates
Solar
• No capacity payment
• Energy payments
o For facilities generating 20 kW to 100 kW: $0.24 per KWH
o For facilities generating more than 100 kW: $0.20 per KWH
Wind
• No capacity payment
• Energy payments
o For facilities generating 50 kW to 100 kW: $0.14 per KWH
o For facilities generating 100 kW to 1 MW: $0.10.5 per KWH
o For facilities generating more than 1 MW: $0.075 per KWH
Biomass
• Capacity payment: $6.18 per KW per month
• Energy payment $0.085 per KWH
See http://indianadg.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/final-ipl-feed-in-tariff-effective-march-30-2010/
If you can't join us on May 27th, we plan to provide web access to this presentation later.
The presenters for this webinar include:
John Haselden, Secretary of the InREA Board of Directors, is a Principal Engineer in Corporate Affairs at Indianapolis Power and Light Company (IPL). He works in the evaluation, planning and regulatory approval process of environmental compliance options, renewable resources and Demand Side Management (DSM) programs at IPL. He is the author of IPL’s Rate REP (Renewable Energy Production) feed-in tariff recently approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. He has over eighteen years of experience at IPL and has worked in engineering, planning, fuel supply and marketing and was also the Director of Engineering for a regional railroad before rejoining IPL in his present position. He graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He also graduated from Indiana University with a Master of Business Administration. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Indiana.
Jake Allen is in Marketing and Program Management at Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL). During his tenure with IPL he has worked in numerous staff and management positions, including Engineer, Administrator of Rates, Director of Rates, and Manager, Energy Project Development. Since August 1997, he has been the individual who has primary responsibility for IPL’s Energy Efficiency or Demand Side Management (“DSM”) programs, including the development, research, implementation, planning, monitoring and evaluation of all DSM programs. He has been a witness in numerous Company proceedings before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Jake holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Engineering and Management from Purdue University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Indiana University. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Indiana.
InREA Webinar: John Haselden and Jake Allen explain new Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL) Renewable Energy Programs
Join us for a Webinar on May 27
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/145063256
InREA Webinar: John Haselden and Jake Allen explain new Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL) Renewable Energy Programs
Join the first webinar by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association (InREA) using GoToWebinar on Thursday, May 27th from 10:00 to 11:00 am. John Haselden and Jake Allen with Indianapolis Power and Light (IPL) will describe and explain renewable energy incentives recently approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC).
These new renewable energy incentives include: 1) revised net metering tariff; 2) new Rate REP or Renewable Energy Production (aka Feed-in Tariff); and 3) incentives for small scale renewable energy projects.
The revised net metering tariff has been expanded to be available to all customers and the capacity limits have been increased from 10 kW to 50 kW.
IPL's Rate REP is:
- Available to all customers not on Net Metering Rider 9.
- Applicable to generating capacity of 50 kW (20 kW for solar PV) to 10 MW
- All production will be metered and purchased by IPL (not just net of use)
- IPL retains all environmental attributes (e.g. RECs) to be used for compliance with an RPS or sold to the market for the credit of all customers.
- Allows for multi-year contracting of production and pricing (allows for project financing)
- Standard pricing to be adjusted periodically using a 30-filing process and will take into account DSM incentives, tax credits and other influences so as to not create a windfall for developers.
This is a webinar you won't want to miss. We plan to record this webinar and make it available later so watch for more details.
Title: John Haselden and Jake Allen explain new IPL Renewable Energy Programs
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer
Please forward this information to others who you think might be interested but each person must register for this webinar brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
IPL Offers RATE REP for Renewable Energy Production
Available to any customer of IPL that operates within the Company’s service territory a Qualifying Renewable Energy Power Production Facility (REP-QF).
A REP-QF is for the production of electricity with capacity no less than 50 kW (20 kW for solar) and no greater than 10 MW. It shall be located at one site and is not the aggregation of more than one site each less than 50 kW (20 kW for solar) and which produces electric power through the use of 100% renewable resources or fuel. Customer must sell the total production of the Facility to IPL.
Such resources or fuels include:
• Solar photovoltaic cells and panels
• Wind
• Dedicated crops grown for energy production
• Organic waste biomass
• Biomass will be consistent with the State’s definition in IC 8-1-8.8-10
IPL RATE REP Purchase Rates
Solar
• No capacity payment
• Energy payments
o For facilities generating 20 kW to 100 kW: $0.24 per KWH
o For facilities generating more than 100 kW: $0.20 per KWH
Wind
• No capacity payment
• Energy payments
o For facilities generating 50 kW to 100 kW: $0.14 per KWH
o For facilities generating 100 kW to 1 MW: $0.10.5 per KWH
o For facilities generating more than 1 MW: $0.075 per KWH
Biomass
• Capacity payment: $6.18 per KW per month
• Energy payment $0.085 per KWH
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Big Energy Firms Blocking Solar Power in South
NOTE: The Georgia Solar Energy Association is a state chapter of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) just as the Indiana Renewable Energy Association is a state chapter of ASES. Although the focus of this article is on the activities of Georgia Power, it also mentions Duke Energy which operates in North Carolina as well as in Indiana.
http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/news/0618.html
By Matthew Cardinale, News Editor, The Atlanta Progressive News (March 31, 2010)
A version of this article originally appeared on the Inter-Press Service website at http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50862.
ATLANTA, Georgia, Mar 31, 2010 (IPS) - As citizens, businesses and non-profit organisations seek to transition to cleaner power sources like solar and wind, some big energy firms whose business models rely on polluting sources are standing in the way.
In Georgia, the energy company Georgia Power has lobbied for favourable public policies at the Public Service Commission (PSC) and State legislature that are making it difficult for the state's residents to transition to solar power.
IPS learned that the Dekalb County school system wanted to put solar panels on their schools, but could not do it because of state policies like the Territorial Electric Service Act of 1973 which gives Georgia Power a monopoly over the purchase of energy.
"In Georgia, we have about a dozen state policies preventing creation of solar energy," James Marlow, vice chair of the Georgia Solar Energy Association, told IPS. "One of those is the Territorial Act."
"If you're looking at a school, one of the common ways [of setting up solar panels] is using a power purchase agreement or PPA," Marlow said.
Typically, one of the biggest obstacles for businesses and organisations to switch to solar energy is the initial cost of obtaining and installing the panels. A PPA allows a school system, for example, to obtain the panels for no cost from a solar installation company which finances the panels.
Then, the school can purchase the energy from the solar installation company, which would own the panels, for a 20-year period. Marlow said that a PPA client typically pays for the panels after the first five years and then saves money on energy for the next 15, all the while avoiding the use of dirty energy.
However, because of Georgia's Territorial Act, individuals, organisations, and businesses with solar panels can only sell their energy to Georgia Power. This means they cannot enter a PPA with a solar installation company and may have difficulty affording the panels in the first place.
For those who are able to buy or lease their own solar panels, selling that energy to Georgia Power--the only allowed buyer--is subject to the rules of Georgia Power's net metering program. Net metering is where residents and businesses with solar panels sell any excess energy produced by the solar panels to Georgia Power for use by other customers.
"The problem with the current [net-metering] program is... there's a waiting list and it's limited. Net-metering in Georgia has a cap of 100 kilowatt hours," Marlow said, adding that one state in the US South, North Carolina, is taking the lead on solar power. "In North Carolina, that cap is two megawatts."
"We requested a 5 megawatt cap in Georgia. Georgia Power has lobbied to limit that to a smaller number," Marlow said.
But why would Georgia Power put a cap and waiting list on purchasing solar power from Georgia residents and businesses?
The company explains that its ability to purchase solar power from Georgians with solar panels is limited by the proceeds of its "green energy blocks" program, wherein Georgia Power customers are allowed to pay extra to purchase blocks of solar energy.
"We had to cap the amount we would buy back, because there's only so much the program would bear as we rolled it out and it started to be developed," Ervan Hancock, Georgia Power's renewable and green strategy manager, told the Savannah Morning News newspaper in July 2009.
"Georgia Power will only buy solar energy if it's funded through purchase of green energy blocks. Right now they only have 4,500 customers such as the US Center for Disease Control and Warner Robins Air Force Base. The funding from that goes to buy solar energy from your rooftop," Marlow said.
However, Georgia Power charges more for solar power than it does for coal-based power, so there's no incentive for most customers to purchase it. "They [purchasers of the blocks] would pay a slight premium to buy clean energy versus buying coal energy," Marlow said.
Many of the purchasers of blocks of solar energy are government agencies that need to comply with government mandates to support clean energy, Marlow said.
Other states like Colorado have taken a different approach to encourage the use of solar panels. They charge all energy customers 50 cents a month, a very low amount, to support the purchase of solar energy from producers.
According to the Morning News, the Tennessee Valley Authority has enrolled 13,000 green-power customers and has no cap on the annual amount of green energy it will buy from producers. Florida Power & Light "is building three solar facilities that combined will generate 110 megawatts of electricity... Duke Energy in North Carolina plans to invest 50 million in rooftop installations."
To be sure, Georgia Power is only following the regulations established by the legislature and PSC. However, they lobbied for those policies to be enacted in the first place, Marlow said.
"At this point, the utilities are opposed to solar and they're not working to foster its development," Marlow said.
In addition to regulatory tricks, there are more direct ways in which big energy companies like Georgia Power are blocking solar and wind power.
"They are trying to block clean energy by trying to flood the market with cheap, dirty energy," said Erin Glynn, director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, referring to companies attempting to build two new coal plants and two new nuclear reactors in Georgia alone. As previously reported by IPS, numerous coal and nuclear plants are in planning stages throughout the U.S. South.
"If you build these giant power plants, there will be no demand for clean energy. The clean technologies are here today. People have solar panels. The companies are blocking the market," Glynn said.
Big energy companies are lobbying at the state and national levels to prevent public policies from shifting towards renewable energy production as well. Georgia Power's parent company, Southern Company, employed 63 lobbyists to fight the recent federal clean energy bill.
A recent report from the Centre for Public Integrity (CPI) shows that many big utility companies employed two dozen or more lobbyists to oppose the clean energy bill, while Southern Company had far more lobbyists than any other company.
"We feel it's very important to educate our legislators, and we continue to work with Congress to further address the issues we see as critical to our ability to provide affordable, reliable energy," Southern Company spokeswoman Terri Cohilas told CPI.
Southern Company argues that pursuing renewable energy or taking steps to address carbon dioxide's recent classification as a pollutant will drive up the cost of energy to consumers. However, Marlow believes that dirty and clean energy are quickly approaching "cost parity," and he said there are indirect costs of dirty energy such as high asthma rates near coal plants.
Twenty-nine states have a renewable portfolio standard, which requires that a certain percentage of the state's energy will be renewable by a certain date.
"California and Colorado will require 30 percent comes from renewable by 2020," Marlow said. "North Carolina requires 12 percent. Georgia has no requirement. North Carolina is the only state in the Southeast that has a renewable portfolio standard."
Links added.
http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/news/0618.html
By Matthew Cardinale, News Editor, The Atlanta Progressive News (March 31, 2010)
A version of this article originally appeared on the Inter-Press Service website at http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50862.
ATLANTA, Georgia, Mar 31, 2010 (IPS) - As citizens, businesses and non-profit organisations seek to transition to cleaner power sources like solar and wind, some big energy firms whose business models rely on polluting sources are standing in the way.
In Georgia, the energy company Georgia Power has lobbied for favourable public policies at the Public Service Commission (PSC) and State legislature that are making it difficult for the state's residents to transition to solar power.
IPS learned that the Dekalb County school system wanted to put solar panels on their schools, but could not do it because of state policies like the Territorial Electric Service Act of 1973 which gives Georgia Power a monopoly over the purchase of energy.
"In Georgia, we have about a dozen state policies preventing creation of solar energy," James Marlow, vice chair of the Georgia Solar Energy Association, told IPS. "One of those is the Territorial Act."
"If you're looking at a school, one of the common ways [of setting up solar panels] is using a power purchase agreement or PPA," Marlow said.
Typically, one of the biggest obstacles for businesses and organisations to switch to solar energy is the initial cost of obtaining and installing the panels. A PPA allows a school system, for example, to obtain the panels for no cost from a solar installation company which finances the panels.
Then, the school can purchase the energy from the solar installation company, which would own the panels, for a 20-year period. Marlow said that a PPA client typically pays for the panels after the first five years and then saves money on energy for the next 15, all the while avoiding the use of dirty energy.
However, because of Georgia's Territorial Act, individuals, organisations, and businesses with solar panels can only sell their energy to Georgia Power. This means they cannot enter a PPA with a solar installation company and may have difficulty affording the panels in the first place.
For those who are able to buy or lease their own solar panels, selling that energy to Georgia Power--the only allowed buyer--is subject to the rules of Georgia Power's net metering program. Net metering is where residents and businesses with solar panels sell any excess energy produced by the solar panels to Georgia Power for use by other customers.
"The problem with the current [net-metering] program is... there's a waiting list and it's limited. Net-metering in Georgia has a cap of 100 kilowatt hours," Marlow said, adding that one state in the US South, North Carolina, is taking the lead on solar power. "In North Carolina, that cap is two megawatts."
"We requested a 5 megawatt cap in Georgia. Georgia Power has lobbied to limit that to a smaller number," Marlow said.
But why would Georgia Power put a cap and waiting list on purchasing solar power from Georgia residents and businesses?
The company explains that its ability to purchase solar power from Georgians with solar panels is limited by the proceeds of its "green energy blocks" program, wherein Georgia Power customers are allowed to pay extra to purchase blocks of solar energy.
"We had to cap the amount we would buy back, because there's only so much the program would bear as we rolled it out and it started to be developed," Ervan Hancock, Georgia Power's renewable and green strategy manager, told the Savannah Morning News newspaper in July 2009.
"Georgia Power will only buy solar energy if it's funded through purchase of green energy blocks. Right now they only have 4,500 customers such as the US Center for Disease Control and Warner Robins Air Force Base. The funding from that goes to buy solar energy from your rooftop," Marlow said.
However, Georgia Power charges more for solar power than it does for coal-based power, so there's no incentive for most customers to purchase it. "They [purchasers of the blocks] would pay a slight premium to buy clean energy versus buying coal energy," Marlow said.
Many of the purchasers of blocks of solar energy are government agencies that need to comply with government mandates to support clean energy, Marlow said.
Other states like Colorado have taken a different approach to encourage the use of solar panels. They charge all energy customers 50 cents a month, a very low amount, to support the purchase of solar energy from producers.
According to the Morning News, the Tennessee Valley Authority has enrolled 13,000 green-power customers and has no cap on the annual amount of green energy it will buy from producers. Florida Power & Light "is building three solar facilities that combined will generate 110 megawatts of electricity... Duke Energy in North Carolina plans to invest 50 million in rooftop installations."
To be sure, Georgia Power is only following the regulations established by the legislature and PSC. However, they lobbied for those policies to be enacted in the first place, Marlow said.
"At this point, the utilities are opposed to solar and they're not working to foster its development," Marlow said.
In addition to regulatory tricks, there are more direct ways in which big energy companies like Georgia Power are blocking solar and wind power.
"They are trying to block clean energy by trying to flood the market with cheap, dirty energy," said Erin Glynn, director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, referring to companies attempting to build two new coal plants and two new nuclear reactors in Georgia alone. As previously reported by IPS, numerous coal and nuclear plants are in planning stages throughout the U.S. South.
"If you build these giant power plants, there will be no demand for clean energy. The clean technologies are here today. People have solar panels. The companies are blocking the market," Glynn said.
Big energy companies are lobbying at the state and national levels to prevent public policies from shifting towards renewable energy production as well. Georgia Power's parent company, Southern Company, employed 63 lobbyists to fight the recent federal clean energy bill.
A recent report from the Centre for Public Integrity (CPI) shows that many big utility companies employed two dozen or more lobbyists to oppose the clean energy bill, while Southern Company had far more lobbyists than any other company.
"We feel it's very important to educate our legislators, and we continue to work with Congress to further address the issues we see as critical to our ability to provide affordable, reliable energy," Southern Company spokeswoman Terri Cohilas told CPI.
Southern Company argues that pursuing renewable energy or taking steps to address carbon dioxide's recent classification as a pollutant will drive up the cost of energy to consumers. However, Marlow believes that dirty and clean energy are quickly approaching "cost parity," and he said there are indirect costs of dirty energy such as high asthma rates near coal plants.
Twenty-nine states have a renewable portfolio standard, which requires that a certain percentage of the state's energy will be renewable by a certain date.
"California and Colorado will require 30 percent comes from renewable by 2020," Marlow said. "North Carolina requires 12 percent. Georgia has no requirement. North Carolina is the only state in the Southeast that has a renewable portfolio standard."
Links added.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
IURC Approves Muny Electric Net Metering Tariffs
Today (01/13/10) during the weekly meeting of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC), the Commission approved its Weekly Utility Articles that included approval for four (4) municipal electric utilities that requested to adopt net metering tariffs. The utilities are as follows:
Anderson Municpal Light and Power,
Lebanon Utilities,
Crawfordsville Electric Light and Power, and
Columbia City Municpal Electric Utility.
The 30-Day Utility Articles approved today can be found at http://www.in.gov/iurc/files/u011310s.pdf
These four municipal electric utilities needed IURC approval to create a net metering tariff since they have choosen to remain under IURC rate regulation rather than to opt out of IURC jurisdiction as many other municipal electric utilities have. See http://www.in.gov/iurc/2340.htm for a list of utilities that have opted out, etc.
Each of the four utilities proposed identical proposed net metering tariffs that reflect the current IURC rules for Investor Owned Utilities (IOU's) with one exception, they proposed that their net metering tariffs be available for all classes of customers not just residential and K-12 schools. Hence, the system size limit is 10 kW and is proposed to be .1% of their most recent summer peak load of the utility.
Eric Cotton, a partner in ECI Wind and Solar, VP of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association and Treasurer of the newly formed Indiana Distributed Energy Advocates (IDEA), commended the action taken today by the IURC.
"These four municipal electric utilities should be commended for their leadership in promoting renewable energy development in their service territories by proposing these net metering tariffs." said Cotton. "We look forward to working with these utilities and their customers to install renewable energy systems."
This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association and Indiana Distributed Energy Advocates.
Anderson Municpal Light and Power,
Lebanon Utilities,
Crawfordsville Electric Light and Power, and
Columbia City Municpal Electric Utility.
The 30-Day Utility Articles approved today can be found at http://www.in.gov/iurc/files/u011310s.pdf
These four municipal electric utilities needed IURC approval to create a net metering tariff since they have choosen to remain under IURC rate regulation rather than to opt out of IURC jurisdiction as many other municipal electric utilities have. See http://www.in.gov/iurc/2340.htm for a list of utilities that have opted out, etc.
Each of the four utilities proposed identical proposed net metering tariffs that reflect the current IURC rules for Investor Owned Utilities (IOU's) with one exception, they proposed that their net metering tariffs be available for all classes of customers not just residential and K-12 schools. Hence, the system size limit is 10 kW and is proposed to be .1% of their most recent summer peak load of the utility.
Eric Cotton, a partner in ECI Wind and Solar, VP of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association and Treasurer of the newly formed Indiana Distributed Energy Advocates (IDEA), commended the action taken today by the IURC.
"These four municipal electric utilities should be commended for their leadership in promoting renewable energy development in their service territories by proposing these net metering tariffs." said Cotton. "We look forward to working with these utilities and their customers to install renewable energy systems."
This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association and Indiana Distributed Energy Advocates.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Aggregate net metering issue in Florida
Triple J Ranch owners Mary Clark, center, and Rhonda and James Holmes stand atop one of two barns that house solar panels at the 300-acre facility. Because the ranch has multiple power meters, it has to buy the power it generates back from FPL.
Editor's Note: Could this problem in Flordia happen in Indiana if the issue of aggregate metering is not addressed in proposed net metering legislation? Do we need assurances that this will not hapen in Indiana?
A big solar array, but little savings
Rancher generates a lot of power,
but is still paying to use most of it
By Zac Anderson
Published: Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, June 6, 2009 at 9:02 p.m.
By Zac Anderson
Published: Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, June 6, 2009 at 9:02 p.m.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090607/ARTICLE/906071047/-1/NEWSSITEMAP#
A Sarasota County rancher and environmentalist spent $500,000 for one of the largest private solar projects in Florida, expecting big savings on energy costs while setting an example for others to follow.
But instead of cutting her monthly energy bills from roughly $5,000 to $1,000, Mary Clark's 300-panel solar array has saved little. Florida Power & Light buys the excess energy from Clark's ranch and sells it back to her for twice as much.
Though legal, the charges reveal flaws in a new state law designed to promote solar power by reimbursing private producers for their excess energy.
Clark's experience underscores the influence big utilities wield in Florida, as the state moves tentatively to diversify from fossil fuels into more renewable energy sources.
It could also discourage the grass-roots investment in alternative sources that advocates say is crucial to adoption of emerging sources and energy independence.
Clark's difficulties have implications for farmers, homeowners' associations, condominium and motel complexes and anyone else seeking to share solar energy between multiple buildings, electric meters and accounts.
"Instead of looking at this thing with pride, I get sick to my stomach," said the 88-year-old Clark. "I stepped up. I put up the biggest rig of anybody and I had visions of being a model that people could learn from. But that isn't the case at all."
Clark is fighting with the power company and writing state legislators for help. But power company officials blame Clark's solar contractor for a flawed design in her system and say there is nothing they can do. State regulators side with FPL.
"These aren't rules that we made up," said FPL spokeswoman Jackie Anderson. "We're just following the law."
10 barns, 11 wells
Ranches and farms have extensive roof space and open land that could help boost solar energy production around the state. But, as in Clark's case, many have more than one meter to measure power use.
A 2008 solar law fails to account for homes, farms and businesses with multiple electric meters. And that creates a potential barrier for people to profit from installing panels.
"If we're going to get where we need to be with solar we've got to make it as easy as possible for people like this," said Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota.
The problem stems in part from the fact that energy consumption on ranches such as Clark's cover a large area, while the solar panels are more concentrated.
The 300-acre Triple J Ranch has 11 wells with electric pumps to distribute water. A big free-standing feed grinder uses electricity to ration food for 130 horses and 120 cows.
Ten barns, three show arenas, two bunk houses, a chow house and RVs also need power. Many of the buildings have separate electric meters.
But instead of spreading Triple J's solar panels across the ranch so they would feed into each of nine electric meters, Greenlaw Solar Group installed the panels in clusters of 150 on two horse stables with low-pitched roofs, feeding into two meters.
Simple and efficient, thought Greenlaw owner Doug Greenlaw.
He and Clark thought FPL could combine her nine meter bills into one and deduct from her total power bill the solar energy she produced at the retail rate of 12 cents per kilowatt hour.
'It has to be easier'
However, an archaic 1969 law generally prohibits combining multiple electric meters under one bill. That skews how rates are calculated and hurts other ratepayers, according to state regulators with the Public Service Commission.
Clark could save more if the solar panels were tied into meters for facilities that use a lot of power, instead of the low-consumption horse barns. The only way she can directly tap the energy is to run expensive wiring across the whole ranch.
Instead, all of the excess energy Clark is generating -- in just the last month alone, the two meters her panels are tied into have racked up enough extra power to run an average house for a year -- is sent to FPL.
But rather than crediting her at a rate of 12 cents per kilowatt hour, FPL buys her energy back for just 6 cents per kilowatt hour. It gives her a check at the end of the year, instead of deducting the amount from her monthly bills.
Greenlaw faults FPL, saying the power company opposes solar energy and is "doing everything they can to stop it."
"The design of the system is not the problem, it's the way FPL does billing," the solar contractor said.
Rex James of Solar Direct in Bradenton said the problem could have been avoided, but said the law makes it tougher to implement smaller-scale solar projects.
"It's a logistics problem," James said. "I've anticipated it and avoided it in projects but it shouldn't be such an issue. They need to change the law."
But FPL contends it is simply following the 2008 law regulating "net metering" of solar operations.
"The key is to put the renewable energy generation on a meter that's using a significant load," said FPL's Anderson.
Private solar producers can get only 6 cents for their energy because that is the "fuel" price FPL charges if the cost of providing transmission lines and other infrastructure is factored out, regulators say.
If Clark got the 12-cent rate, she essentially would be using FPL's transmission lines to spread the energy around her property for free, said Public Service Commission spokeswoman Cindy Muir.
Adding insult to injury is the different treatment given to farmers generating excess energy from anaerobic digesters, which burn methane from cows. These farmers are allowed to combine their bills under the 2008 law, and deduct excess energy from one bill.
The irony for Clark is that some utilities actually pay solar producers a premium for their energy. Gainesville pays 32 cents per kilowatt hour because solar power is considered a public benefit that should be encouraged and subsidized.
"When you look at it that way, I'm taking a real licking. But I don't regret it for a minute," said Clark, an ardent environmental advocate who spent five years in Newfoundland tagging humpback whales before moving to Florida. "No matter how you slice it, it's the right thing to do. But if they want more people to get involved, it has to be a lot easier."
But instead of cutting her monthly energy bills from roughly $5,000 to $1,000, Mary Clark's 300-panel solar array has saved little. Florida Power & Light buys the excess energy from Clark's ranch and sells it back to her for twice as much.
Though legal, the charges reveal flaws in a new state law designed to promote solar power by reimbursing private producers for their excess energy.
Clark's experience underscores the influence big utilities wield in Florida, as the state moves tentatively to diversify from fossil fuels into more renewable energy sources.
It could also discourage the grass-roots investment in alternative sources that advocates say is crucial to adoption of emerging sources and energy independence.
Clark's difficulties have implications for farmers, homeowners' associations, condominium and motel complexes and anyone else seeking to share solar energy between multiple buildings, electric meters and accounts.
"Instead of looking at this thing with pride, I get sick to my stomach," said the 88-year-old Clark. "I stepped up. I put up the biggest rig of anybody and I had visions of being a model that people could learn from. But that isn't the case at all."
Clark is fighting with the power company and writing state legislators for help. But power company officials blame Clark's solar contractor for a flawed design in her system and say there is nothing they can do. State regulators side with FPL.
"These aren't rules that we made up," said FPL spokeswoman Jackie Anderson. "We're just following the law."
10 barns, 11 wells
Ranches and farms have extensive roof space and open land that could help boost solar energy production around the state. But, as in Clark's case, many have more than one meter to measure power use.
A 2008 solar law fails to account for homes, farms and businesses with multiple electric meters. And that creates a potential barrier for people to profit from installing panels.
"If we're going to get where we need to be with solar we've got to make it as easy as possible for people like this," said Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota.
The problem stems in part from the fact that energy consumption on ranches such as Clark's cover a large area, while the solar panels are more concentrated.
The 300-acre Triple J Ranch has 11 wells with electric pumps to distribute water. A big free-standing feed grinder uses electricity to ration food for 130 horses and 120 cows.
Ten barns, three show arenas, two bunk houses, a chow house and RVs also need power. Many of the buildings have separate electric meters.
But instead of spreading Triple J's solar panels across the ranch so they would feed into each of nine electric meters, Greenlaw Solar Group installed the panels in clusters of 150 on two horse stables with low-pitched roofs, feeding into two meters.
Simple and efficient, thought Greenlaw owner Doug Greenlaw.
He and Clark thought FPL could combine her nine meter bills into one and deduct from her total power bill the solar energy she produced at the retail rate of 12 cents per kilowatt hour.
'It has to be easier'
However, an archaic 1969 law generally prohibits combining multiple electric meters under one bill. That skews how rates are calculated and hurts other ratepayers, according to state regulators with the Public Service Commission.
Clark could save more if the solar panels were tied into meters for facilities that use a lot of power, instead of the low-consumption horse barns. The only way she can directly tap the energy is to run expensive wiring across the whole ranch.
Instead, all of the excess energy Clark is generating -- in just the last month alone, the two meters her panels are tied into have racked up enough extra power to run an average house for a year -- is sent to FPL.
But rather than crediting her at a rate of 12 cents per kilowatt hour, FPL buys her energy back for just 6 cents per kilowatt hour. It gives her a check at the end of the year, instead of deducting the amount from her monthly bills.
Greenlaw faults FPL, saying the power company opposes solar energy and is "doing everything they can to stop it."
"The design of the system is not the problem, it's the way FPL does billing," the solar contractor said.
Rex James of Solar Direct in Bradenton said the problem could have been avoided, but said the law makes it tougher to implement smaller-scale solar projects.
"It's a logistics problem," James said. "I've anticipated it and avoided it in projects but it shouldn't be such an issue. They need to change the law."
But FPL contends it is simply following the 2008 law regulating "net metering" of solar operations.
"The key is to put the renewable energy generation on a meter that's using a significant load," said FPL's Anderson.
Private solar producers can get only 6 cents for their energy because that is the "fuel" price FPL charges if the cost of providing transmission lines and other infrastructure is factored out, regulators say.
If Clark got the 12-cent rate, she essentially would be using FPL's transmission lines to spread the energy around her property for free, said Public Service Commission spokeswoman Cindy Muir.
Adding insult to injury is the different treatment given to farmers generating excess energy from anaerobic digesters, which burn methane from cows. These farmers are allowed to combine their bills under the 2008 law, and deduct excess energy from one bill.
The irony for Clark is that some utilities actually pay solar producers a premium for their energy. Gainesville pays 32 cents per kilowatt hour because solar power is considered a public benefit that should be encouraged and subsidized.
"When you look at it that way, I'm taking a real licking. But I don't regret it for a minute," said Clark, an ardent environmental advocate who spent five years in Newfoundland tagging humpback whales before moving to Florida. "No matter how you slice it, it's the right thing to do. But if they want more people to get involved, it has to be a lot easier."
Sunday, January 10, 2010
House Hearing on Net Metering Bill Monday afternoon, Jan. 11th
Editor's Note: A new organization has been formed named, Indiana Distributed Energy Advocates (IDEA) as a 501(c)(6) or trade association. The mission of this new group is to lobby for renewable energy policies in the State of Indiana including net metering. Therefore, IDEA will take positions on issues such as net metering and lobby members of the Indiana General Assembly NOT the Indiana Renewable Energy Association. More details on IDEA forthcoming soon!
For more information on net metering, please see Net Metering: Policy Recommendations for Indiana, prepared by Eric Cotton, ECI Wind and Solar and Laura Ann Arnold, The Arnold Group; prepared for Indiana Distributed Energy Advocates, Inc. (IDEA).
AGENDA FOR: House Commerce, Energy, Technology and Utilities
MEETING: January 11, Upon Adjournment, 156B, State House, Indianapolis,
CHAIR: Rep. Win Moses, Jr., Chair (D-Fort Wayne)h81@in.gov
VICE-CHAIR: Rep. Matt Pierce, Vice Chair (D-Bloomington)h61@in.gov
MEMBERS:
Rep. Kreg Battles (D-Vincennes) h64@in.gov
Rep. Sandy Blanton (D-Orleans) h62@in.gov
Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D-South Bend) h8@in.gov
Rep. Scott Reske (D-Pendleton) h37@in.gov
Rep. Dan Stevenson (D-Highland) h11@in.gov
Rep. Jack Lutz, RMM (R-Anderson) h35@in.gov
Rep. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) h65@in.gov
Rep. Robert Behning (R-Indianapolis) h91@in.gov
Rep. David Frizzell (R-Indianapolis) h93@in.gov
Rep. Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso) h4@in.gov
AGENDA: HB 1094
The Indiana House of Representatives is scheduled to go into session at 1:30 pm on Monday, January 11, 2010. Therefore, the House Commerce, Energy, Technology and Utilities Committee hearing could be as early as 2:00 pm but most likely it will begin at 2:30-3:00 pm.
To call Representatives while the Legislature is in session telephone:
(317) 232-9600 or (317) 232-9700;
Toll free 1-800-382-9841 or 1-800-382-9842.
To determine your state legislators, please visit the Indiana General Assembly District Look-up Service. Please enter your zipcode + four with your street address and city.
Here is a quick summary of HB 1094:
The bill directs the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to adopt new net metering rules as follows:
For more information on net metering, please see Net Metering: Policy Recommendations for Indiana, prepared by Eric Cotton, ECI Wind and Solar and Laura Ann Arnold, The Arnold Group; prepared for Indiana Distributed Energy Advocates, Inc. (IDEA).
AGENDA FOR: House Commerce, Energy, Technology and Utilities
MEETING: January 11, Upon Adjournment, 156B, State House, Indianapolis,
CHAIR: Rep. Win Moses, Jr., Chair (D-Fort Wayne)h81@in.gov
VICE-CHAIR: Rep. Matt Pierce, Vice Chair (D-Bloomington)h61@in.gov
MEMBERS:
Rep. Kreg Battles (D-Vincennes) h64@in.gov
Rep. Sandy Blanton (D-Orleans) h62@in.gov
Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D-South Bend) h8@in.gov
Rep. Scott Reske (D-Pendleton) h37@in.gov
Rep. Dan Stevenson (D-Highland) h11@in.gov
Rep. Jack Lutz, RMM (R-Anderson) h35@in.gov
Rep. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) h65@in.gov
Rep. Robert Behning (R-Indianapolis) h91@in.gov
Rep. David Frizzell (R-Indianapolis) h93@in.gov
Rep. Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso) h4@in.gov
AGENDA: HB 1094
The Indiana House of Representatives is scheduled to go into session at 1:30 pm on Monday, January 11, 2010. Therefore, the House Commerce, Energy, Technology and Utilities Committee hearing could be as early as 2:00 pm but most likely it will begin at 2:30-3:00 pm.
To call Representatives while the Legislature is in session telephone:
(317) 232-9600 or (317) 232-9700;
Toll free 1-800-382-9841 or 1-800-382-9842.
To determine your state legislators, please visit the Indiana General Assembly District Look-up Service. Please enter your zipcode + four with your street address and city.
Here is a quick summary of HB 1094:
The bill directs the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to adopt new net metering rules as follows:
(1) Require an electric utility to offer net metering to all customer classes.
(2) Allow a net metering customer to interconnect to an electric utility's distribution facility a generating facility with a nameplate capacity of:
(A) twenty (20) kilowatts or less, in the case of a residential customer;
(B) two hundred (200) kilowatts or less, in the case of a commercial customer other than an industrial customer;
(C) two (2) megawatts or less, in the case of: (i) an industrial customer; or (ii) an agricultural customer; or
(D) five (5) megawatts or less, in the case of any of the following customers: (i) The state. (ii) A unit (as defined in IC 36-1-2-23). (iii) An elementary or a secondary school attended by students in kindergarten or grades 1 through 12. (iv) A school corporation (as defined in IC 20-43-1-23). (v) A postsecondary educational institution (as described in IC 6-3-3-5).
(3) Allow a net metering customer to interconnect a facility that generates electricity through any of the following technologies:
(A) Solar.
(B) Wind.
(C) Microhydroelectric facilities.
(D) Hydroelectric facilities at dams existing before January 1, 2010.
(E) Microturbines using renewable fuels.
(F) Fuel cells using renewable fuels.
(G) Biogas, including anaerobic digestion.
(H) Methane from landfills.
This information brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Put energy into smart legislation
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100104/OPINION08/1040309/1291/OPINION08/Put-energy-into-smart-legislation
January 4, 2010
Our Opinion
The waning days of 2009 are not likely to be remembered for good financial news when it comes to Indiana's public school districts. A state mandate to make nearly $300 million in spending cuts makes for indelible headlines.
There may be hope for making up some of that loss, however, thanks to statements by key members of the Indiana General Assembly regarding an obscure phenomenon known as net metering.
Schools will not be the only beneficiaries if legislation talked up a few days ago by state Sen. James Merritt and Rep. Ryan Dvorak sees the light of day.
Exploited in neighboring states far more than here, net metering allows utilities customers who generate some of their own power through wind, sun or other means to send the excess back to the grid and get charged only for what they use.
The potential savings are immense, as are the benefits in reduced reliance on high-polluting coal and promotion of an already burgeoning renewable energy industry.
Right now, Indiana allows only homeowners and schools to use net metering, and limits them to a nominal take of 10 kilowatts.
Dvorak, D-South Bend, wants to boost that figure to 1,000 kilowatts. Merritt, R-Indianapolis, is not inclined to go nearly that high; but he does want to extend net metering to businesses and municipalities.
In the 2009 session, both men got their bills passed; but differences over the numbers proved irreconcilable in conference committee. Net metering became one of several sensible energy bills for which lofty hopes died.
Now, compromise is in the air. The utilities, obstinate opponents in the past, have seen that federal taxes on coal are imminent and have endorsed modest net metering. Proponents may well have to settle for a 100-kilowatt limit to get a law onto the books; but as a tenfold increase over the status quo, that is a most encouraging starting point. Building upon it in the future should come easily as its payoff asserts itself.
Like renewable energy itself, net metering offers a win-win to producers and consumers by converting waste into value, with cleaner air and tax relief as part of the bargain.
Again, surrounding states have gotten the message and are running with it. If, as Gov. Mitch Daniels is fond of saying, we are the smart ones when it comes to fighting through hard economic times, this is an easy opportunity for lawmakers to prove it.
January 4, 2010
Our Opinion
The waning days of 2009 are not likely to be remembered for good financial news when it comes to Indiana's public school districts. A state mandate to make nearly $300 million in spending cuts makes for indelible headlines.
There may be hope for making up some of that loss, however, thanks to statements by key members of the Indiana General Assembly regarding an obscure phenomenon known as net metering.
Schools will not be the only beneficiaries if legislation talked up a few days ago by state Sen. James Merritt and Rep. Ryan Dvorak sees the light of day.
Exploited in neighboring states far more than here, net metering allows utilities customers who generate some of their own power through wind, sun or other means to send the excess back to the grid and get charged only for what they use.
The potential savings are immense, as are the benefits in reduced reliance on high-polluting coal and promotion of an already burgeoning renewable energy industry.
Right now, Indiana allows only homeowners and schools to use net metering, and limits them to a nominal take of 10 kilowatts.
Dvorak, D-South Bend, wants to boost that figure to 1,000 kilowatts. Merritt, R-Indianapolis, is not inclined to go nearly that high; but he does want to extend net metering to businesses and municipalities.
In the 2009 session, both men got their bills passed; but differences over the numbers proved irreconcilable in conference committee. Net metering became one of several sensible energy bills for which lofty hopes died.
Now, compromise is in the air. The utilities, obstinate opponents in the past, have seen that federal taxes on coal are imminent and have endorsed modest net metering. Proponents may well have to settle for a 100-kilowatt limit to get a law onto the books; but as a tenfold increase over the status quo, that is a most encouraging starting point. Building upon it in the future should come easily as its payoff asserts itself.
Like renewable energy itself, net metering offers a win-win to producers and consumers by converting waste into value, with cleaner air and tax relief as part of the bargain.
Again, surrounding states have gotten the message and are running with it. If, as Gov. Mitch Daniels is fond of saying, we are the smart ones when it comes to fighting through hard economic times, this is an easy opportunity for lawmakers to prove it.
This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Michigan City News Dispatch Editorial Supports Net Metering in Indiana
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=50&SubSectionID=72&ArticleID=27911
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Net-metering
Renewable energy ready for boost
Editorial
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Our Opinion:
The Issue:
The Indiana General Assembly appears likely to relax limits on selling power back to utilities.
Our Opinion:
The Legislature should increase the amount of electricity utilities must buy from renewable sources.
It's heartening to hear that Indiana lawmakers think a new "net-metering" law will pass in the 2010 session of the General Assembly. It's especially good to know that power companies seem to be willing to accept expansion of the amount of power that utilities would have to accept.
Under net-metering, utility customers who generate some of their electricity from renewable sources are allowed to sell their excess capacity to the power companies, offsetting their electric bills.
Indiana law now applies only to homeowners and schools, and limits the amount of electricity a utility has to accept to 10 kilowatts. Legislation that is expected to be given serious consideration next year would up that figure to 100 kilowatts and expand it to businesses and municipalities. Meanwhile other lawmakers favor an even higher level of 1,000 kilowatts.
In an age when the nation desperately needs to encourage the development of power from renewable sources, the Indiana Legislature should change the law and expand net-metering. Similar legislation stalled in the previous session because lawmakers couldn't find a ceiling they could agree upon - 100 kilowatts favored by some, and 1,000 by others.
It's important that both Republican and Democratic legislators favor expanding net-metering, and as long as the power companies don't fight it, certainly the lawmakers can find a compromise figure, and Indiana can move a small step forward in encouraging the production of electricity from wind and solar generators.
Indiana lags behind its neighboring states in net-metering policy, according to an advocacy group for renewable energy. Lawmakers should move quickly on this change when the legislative session begins Jan. 5.
Brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Net-metering
Renewable energy ready for boost
Editorial
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Our Opinion:
The Issue:
The Indiana General Assembly appears likely to relax limits on selling power back to utilities.
Our Opinion:
The Legislature should increase the amount of electricity utilities must buy from renewable sources.
It's heartening to hear that Indiana lawmakers think a new "net-metering" law will pass in the 2010 session of the General Assembly. It's especially good to know that power companies seem to be willing to accept expansion of the amount of power that utilities would have to accept.
Under net-metering, utility customers who generate some of their electricity from renewable sources are allowed to sell their excess capacity to the power companies, offsetting their electric bills.
Indiana law now applies only to homeowners and schools, and limits the amount of electricity a utility has to accept to 10 kilowatts. Legislation that is expected to be given serious consideration next year would up that figure to 100 kilowatts and expand it to businesses and municipalities. Meanwhile other lawmakers favor an even higher level of 1,000 kilowatts.
In an age when the nation desperately needs to encourage the development of power from renewable sources, the Indiana Legislature should change the law and expand net-metering. Similar legislation stalled in the previous session because lawmakers couldn't find a ceiling they could agree upon - 100 kilowatts favored by some, and 1,000 by others.
It's important that both Republican and Democratic legislators favor expanding net-metering, and as long as the power companies don't fight it, certainly the lawmakers can find a compromise figure, and Indiana can move a small step forward in encouraging the production of electricity from wind and solar generators.
Indiana lags behind its neighboring states in net-metering policy, according to an advocacy group for renewable energy. Lawmakers should move quickly on this change when the legislative session begins Jan. 5.
Brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Indianapolis Star Editorial Lists Net Metering in 5 Top Priorities for Our State
January 3, 2010
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100103/OPINION08/1030330/1291/OPINION08/5-top-priorities-for-our-state
Our opinion
5 top priorities for our state
Short on money, legislators can still accomplish much during abbreviated session.
The Indiana General Assembly opens its 2010 session this week with virtually no money to spend and little time to act before lawmakers stop work in March. Yet, even while operating under such restrictions, legislators have an opportunity to adopt several important proposals, including ethics reform.
Here is The Star Editorial Board's legislative agenda for 2010:
More ethical government: Even House Speaker Pat Bauer, a longtime opponent of restrictions on lobbyists' influence over legislators, now acknowledges that the Statehouse has been compromised.
"It was apparent the level of pressure exerted by special interests put a cloud over the legislature's ability to respond to the concerns of Hoosiers,'' Bauer wrote concerning last year's session in an op-ed published in The Star in November.
The General Assembly should adopt five common-sense reforms to reduce the level of influence that special interests hold over lawmakers:
Legislators may not accept any gift worth more than $50 in value from registered lobbyists.
Lobbyists must disclose the value of goods and services offered to individual legislators or groups of lawmakers, including meals, tickets to sporting and entertainment events, or other gifts.
Legislators may not accept gifts, including payment of travel-related expenses, from businesses, organizations or individuals that do business with the state.
Legislators may not accept meals, tickets to athletic games or other events, or any other gift valued at more than $50 from state universities or colleges.
Former legislators may not work as registered lobbyists until one year after they leave office.
Better representation for voters: Lawmakers have a prime opportunity to end the discredited practice of gerrymandering ahead of redistricting in 2011. The best means to ensure fairness and impartiality in drawing district maps is to assign the job to an independent commission. It may be possible, according to research by the Brennan Center for Justice, to create such a commission without having to pursue a constitutional amendment. Legislators should create a system for drawing district maps that fosters competitive elections, encourages qualified candidates to seek elected office and protects voters' ability to make a difference on Election Day.
More efficient local government: Indiana taxpayers continue to pay for far more government than they need. In a year when state and local budgets are squeezed tight, townships are still sitting on more than $200 million in reserves. If they were ready to put the public's best interests ahead of their political allies' concerns, lawmakers would finally eliminate township government this year. That's not likely to happen, however.
Instead, legislators at least need to trim around the edges by adopting three modest reforms:
Township advisory boards should be abolished. It's a step that would save taxpayers money without sacrificing oversight or transparency.
Poor relief, now dispensed inefficiently and unevenly by 1,008 township trustees, should be consolidated on the county level, a move that likely would improve service and reduce costs.
School board elections should be shifted from the May primary to the general election in November to assure better voter turnout and raise the profile of these important races.
A cleaner environment: In a state where air and water quality rank among the worst in the nation, environmental initiatives deserve far more attention than they have received from the General Assembly and the governor. One measure that could help promote use of wind and solar power involves so-called net metering, which allows consumers to send excess power that they generate back onto the electrical grid. Legislators should increase the current 10-kilowatt cap on net metering to 1,000 kilowatts.
Better schools: Modest steps are again the most likely avenues for progress, in this instance because of a lack of money. One proposal that deserves strong bipartisan support centers on closing loopholes that allow abusive teachers to escape accountability. Lawmakers should ensure that school districts have access to all the information they need about a prospective employee's background before they make a hire. The legislature also should eliminate off-the-record agreements that allow districts to remove substantiated reports of misconduct from employees' files without conducting a formal hearing.
Safer children: The General Assembly achieved a welcome advancement last year when it set up an office of ombudsman to make the Department of Child Services more accountable to the public. Now, legislators should give the ombudsman the necessary resources, including sufficient legal authority, to make a real difference.
This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100103/OPINION08/1030330/1291/OPINION08/5-top-priorities-for-our-state
Our opinion
5 top priorities for our state
Short on money, legislators can still accomplish much during abbreviated session.
The Indiana General Assembly opens its 2010 session this week with virtually no money to spend and little time to act before lawmakers stop work in March. Yet, even while operating under such restrictions, legislators have an opportunity to adopt several important proposals, including ethics reform.
Here is The Star Editorial Board's legislative agenda for 2010:
More ethical government: Even House Speaker Pat Bauer, a longtime opponent of restrictions on lobbyists' influence over legislators, now acknowledges that the Statehouse has been compromised.
"It was apparent the level of pressure exerted by special interests put a cloud over the legislature's ability to respond to the concerns of Hoosiers,'' Bauer wrote concerning last year's session in an op-ed published in The Star in November.
The General Assembly should adopt five common-sense reforms to reduce the level of influence that special interests hold over lawmakers:
Legislators may not accept any gift worth more than $50 in value from registered lobbyists.
Lobbyists must disclose the value of goods and services offered to individual legislators or groups of lawmakers, including meals, tickets to sporting and entertainment events, or other gifts.
Legislators may not accept gifts, including payment of travel-related expenses, from businesses, organizations or individuals that do business with the state.
Legislators may not accept meals, tickets to athletic games or other events, or any other gift valued at more than $50 from state universities or colleges.
Former legislators may not work as registered lobbyists until one year after they leave office.
Better representation for voters: Lawmakers have a prime opportunity to end the discredited practice of gerrymandering ahead of redistricting in 2011. The best means to ensure fairness and impartiality in drawing district maps is to assign the job to an independent commission. It may be possible, according to research by the Brennan Center for Justice, to create such a commission without having to pursue a constitutional amendment. Legislators should create a system for drawing district maps that fosters competitive elections, encourages qualified candidates to seek elected office and protects voters' ability to make a difference on Election Day.
More efficient local government: Indiana taxpayers continue to pay for far more government than they need. In a year when state and local budgets are squeezed tight, townships are still sitting on more than $200 million in reserves. If they were ready to put the public's best interests ahead of their political allies' concerns, lawmakers would finally eliminate township government this year. That's not likely to happen, however.
Instead, legislators at least need to trim around the edges by adopting three modest reforms:
Township advisory boards should be abolished. It's a step that would save taxpayers money without sacrificing oversight or transparency.
Poor relief, now dispensed inefficiently and unevenly by 1,008 township trustees, should be consolidated on the county level, a move that likely would improve service and reduce costs.
School board elections should be shifted from the May primary to the general election in November to assure better voter turnout and raise the profile of these important races.
A cleaner environment: In a state where air and water quality rank among the worst in the nation, environmental initiatives deserve far more attention than they have received from the General Assembly and the governor. One measure that could help promote use of wind and solar power involves so-called net metering, which allows consumers to send excess power that they generate back onto the electrical grid. Legislators should increase the current 10-kilowatt cap on net metering to 1,000 kilowatts.
Better schools: Modest steps are again the most likely avenues for progress, in this instance because of a lack of money. One proposal that deserves strong bipartisan support centers on closing loopholes that allow abusive teachers to escape accountability. Lawmakers should ensure that school districts have access to all the information they need about a prospective employee's background before they make a hire. The legislature also should eliminate off-the-record agreements that allow districts to remove substantiated reports of misconduct from employees' files without conducting a formal hearing.
Safer children: The General Assembly achieved a welcome advancement last year when it set up an office of ombudsman to make the Department of Child Services more accountable to the public. Now, legislators should give the ombudsman the necessary resources, including sufficient legal authority, to make a real difference.
This article brought to you by 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.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Schwarzenegger signs 2 renewable energy bills, vetoes others
California will require utilities to pay consumers for generating more solar and wind power than they use and will boost the payoff for certain solar facilities. The laws take effect Jan 1.
By Tiffany Hsu, latimes.com
October 13, 2009
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has approved two major initiatives that will require utilities to pay consumers for generating extra power and will boost the payoff for certain solar facilities.
Homes, businesses and schools that have solar panels or wind turbines previously had no financial incentive to use less electricity than they generated. But AB 920, written by Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), will encourage efficiency, supporters say.
SB 32, by state Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-Chino), requires utilities to purchase solar electricity from facilities that produce up to three megawatts and could increase installations on unused spaces such as warehouse roofs. The old limit was 1.5 megawatts.
The two bills will go into effect Jan. 1. Schwarzenegger signed them late Sunday, the last day to act on bills from this year's legislative session.
Under AB 920, the state Public Utilities Commission will set a rate for utilities to compensate customers whose solar or wind systems produce more power than they use in a year. Under California's current law, customers are not paid for any surplus electricity they feed back into the grid.
The state requires that when a consumer installs a solar power system, it be the right size to produce only enough power necessary for on-site use. Rebates from the California Solar Initiative, overseen by the utilities commission, discourage anything larger. So customers who later reduce their energy consumption often end up underutilizing their solar panels.
"The current system instills a perverse incentive for people to waste their solar electricity just so they don't give it away for free to the utilities," said Bernadette Del Chiaro, a clean energy advocate with Environment California, which sponsored the bill.
The new law could boost sales of photovoltaics, especially in regions with sunny summers. Homes that use less power than they did when their solar panels were installed -- such as those that add energy-efficient appliances, insulation or weatherproofing -- and those with children who have moved out can also benefit.
"This bill applies to individual homeowners as well as small businesses, farms, wineries, schools and even affordable housing developments," Huffman said in a statement.
Customers can either receive a check for the extra energy or have credit rolled forward on their electricity bills. Experts, however, said they should expect little profit.
SB 32, meanwhile, could spark more interest in commercial rooftop systems. The law expands an existing program to include municipal utilities, which now must purchase solar power at a set rate until they reach their portion of a statewide 750-megawatt cap. The limit was previously set at 500 megawatts.
The utilities commission will set the rate, which will be higher than market price after incorporating environmental compliance costs and other benefits, said Sue Kateley, executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Assn., which sponsored the bill.
Between the sweeping solar installations in the desert and the small-scale ones on homes, she said, there had been a category of properties that had plenty of space but didn't use enough power to justify setting up huge solar panels.
But now, owners of large storage units and similar low-energy facilities will be able to install solar power systems and sell the extra electricity back to the utilities, a program known as a feed-in tariff.
The program took cues from countries such as Germany -- where, some in the industry have complained, a similar tariff format stimulated the market so much that prices of solar energy shot too high. Other critics are worried that the tariff could be too low to interest investors.
"We didn't want to replicate the German model, which was a social movement to create an industry," Kateley said. "In California, we already had an industry, but we wanted to fill a market gap. And within the community, it's really exciting because this law will create local jobs."
In a note to the state Senate on Sunday, Schwarzenegger encouraged the utilities commission to continue investigating an expanded tariff for small to medium-size producers of renewable energy.
"In order to meet our greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and a Renewable Portfolio Standard of 33% by 2020, we will need to use all the tools available under our existing programs," he said.
But Schwarzenegger vetoed a slate of bills -- including SB 14 and AB 64 -- that would have required the state to rely on renewable resources for at least one-third of its electricity. He has issued an executive order to meet the 33% goal using a different plan and supports efforts to create 1 million solar roofs by 2018.
Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (D-Los Angeles), chairman of a renewable energy committee, called the vetoes a dangerous setback. The bills, Krekorian said, would have created "green" jobs and steadied price volatility while cutting market manipulation from solar hubs outside of California. He said the vetoes would sour developers to the California market, leading them elsewhere.
"If we don't get started now," he said, "our opportunities to complete projects are going to be missed."
tiffany.hsu@latimes.com
Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times
By Tiffany Hsu, latimes.com
October 13, 2009
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has approved two major initiatives that will require utilities to pay consumers for generating extra power and will boost the payoff for certain solar facilities.
Homes, businesses and schools that have solar panels or wind turbines previously had no financial incentive to use less electricity than they generated. But AB 920, written by Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), will encourage efficiency, supporters say.
SB 32, by state Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-Chino), requires utilities to purchase solar electricity from facilities that produce up to three megawatts and could increase installations on unused spaces such as warehouse roofs. The old limit was 1.5 megawatts.
The two bills will go into effect Jan. 1. Schwarzenegger signed them late Sunday, the last day to act on bills from this year's legislative session.
Under AB 920, the state Public Utilities Commission will set a rate for utilities to compensate customers whose solar or wind systems produce more power than they use in a year. Under California's current law, customers are not paid for any surplus electricity they feed back into the grid.
The state requires that when a consumer installs a solar power system, it be the right size to produce only enough power necessary for on-site use. Rebates from the California Solar Initiative, overseen by the utilities commission, discourage anything larger. So customers who later reduce their energy consumption often end up underutilizing their solar panels.
"The current system instills a perverse incentive for people to waste their solar electricity just so they don't give it away for free to the utilities," said Bernadette Del Chiaro, a clean energy advocate with Environment California, which sponsored the bill.
The new law could boost sales of photovoltaics, especially in regions with sunny summers. Homes that use less power than they did when their solar panels were installed -- such as those that add energy-efficient appliances, insulation or weatherproofing -- and those with children who have moved out can also benefit.
"This bill applies to individual homeowners as well as small businesses, farms, wineries, schools and even affordable housing developments," Huffman said in a statement.
Customers can either receive a check for the extra energy or have credit rolled forward on their electricity bills. Experts, however, said they should expect little profit.
SB 32, meanwhile, could spark more interest in commercial rooftop systems. The law expands an existing program to include municipal utilities, which now must purchase solar power at a set rate until they reach their portion of a statewide 750-megawatt cap. The limit was previously set at 500 megawatts.
The utilities commission will set the rate, which will be higher than market price after incorporating environmental compliance costs and other benefits, said Sue Kateley, executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Assn., which sponsored the bill.
Between the sweeping solar installations in the desert and the small-scale ones on homes, she said, there had been a category of properties that had plenty of space but didn't use enough power to justify setting up huge solar panels.
But now, owners of large storage units and similar low-energy facilities will be able to install solar power systems and sell the extra electricity back to the utilities, a program known as a feed-in tariff.
The program took cues from countries such as Germany -- where, some in the industry have complained, a similar tariff format stimulated the market so much that prices of solar energy shot too high. Other critics are worried that the tariff could be too low to interest investors.
"We didn't want to replicate the German model, which was a social movement to create an industry," Kateley said. "In California, we already had an industry, but we wanted to fill a market gap. And within the community, it's really exciting because this law will create local jobs."
In a note to the state Senate on Sunday, Schwarzenegger encouraged the utilities commission to continue investigating an expanded tariff for small to medium-size producers of renewable energy.
"In order to meet our greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and a Renewable Portfolio Standard of 33% by 2020, we will need to use all the tools available under our existing programs," he said.
But Schwarzenegger vetoed a slate of bills -- including SB 14 and AB 64 -- that would have required the state to rely on renewable resources for at least one-third of its electricity. He has issued an executive order to meet the 33% goal using a different plan and supports efforts to create 1 million solar roofs by 2018.
Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (D-Los Angeles), chairman of a renewable energy committee, called the vetoes a dangerous setback. The bills, Krekorian said, would have created "green" jobs and steadied price volatility while cutting market manipulation from solar hubs outside of California. He said the vetoes would sour developers to the California market, leading them elsewhere.
"If we don't get started now," he said, "our opportunities to complete projects are going to be missed."
tiffany.hsu@latimes.com
Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
An idea blowing in the wind: Interest in wind turbines growing
Interest in energy-producing wind turbines
has picked up locally in tough economy.
An idea blowing in the wind: Interest in wind turbines growing - The Elkhart Truth - Elkhart, IN
Shared via AddThis
Published: 8/25/2009 12:00:00 AM
Last Updated: 8/24/2009 11:15:42 PM
By: Dustin Lawrence dlawrence@etruth.com
ELKHART -- Only a light morning breeze hit the Skystream 3.7 wind turbine. After looking up the 45-foot tower, Glen Smith grabbed a three-foot-long wrench and began tightening the bolts at its base.
"Have to make sure the unit's level," Smith explained. As the breeze began to pick up, the three carbon fiber fins began to slowly rotate. "And there they go."
Nearly five years ago Smith was servicing similar towers for a cellular phone company. But as the economy began to spin downward he was laid off. That's when Smith and his brother, Dave, began looking for a new way to utilize their engineering know-how. After meeting with Southwest Windpower, the manufacturer of the Skystream turbine, the brothers were awarded a dealership to sell the turbines. They called their new venture Wind-Wire.
Now Wind-Wire is the central Midwest dealer for Skystream turbines and business is booming. Based out of St. Joseph County, they sell and install generators in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. But even in Elkhart County, where unemployment is still at a stifling 16.7 percent, Smith says the machines are piquing interest.
"In Elkhart County we have been doing one to two (installations) a month lately," he said. "It's a good county. The people are proactive."
Back in 2008, only one request for a wind generator went through the Elkhart County Planning Department. But since April there have been six requests and more are expected. Other businesses that supply residential wind turbines in Elkhart County say they too have noticed a spike in consumer interest.
But the trend isn't specific to only Elkhart County. Smith says residents are putting up wind turbines throughout the Midwest and across much of the country.
"We will have done a hundred by the end of the year," he said. "By next year we will be well over 100."
Smith says the reason that so many have begun to purchase his turbines -- which cost around $12,500 after the tax credits -- is because people are looking to lower their energy costs or in some cases get rid of them all together.
"If this (turbine) is humming it will pretty much power that whole house," he claimed, pointing to a single-story ranch house. "Any energy that this puts out and that the house is not using ... It will turn the meter backwards."
On the Skystream Web site the company claims that its product typically lowers a household electric bill by 30 to 80 percent.
Nick Meyer, communications manager for Northern Indiana Public Service Company, notes NIPSCO does not buy back power but offers customers with wind generators participation in its net metering program.
"If the customer generates more power than they're using then they build up a credit," Meyer said about the net metering program.
Other utilities in Indiana, such as AEP's Indiana Michigan Power, offer similar net metering programs. However, Indiana law doesn't allow net metering benefits for wind generators that produce more than 10 kilowatts. Of the 42 states that require net metering, Indiana has one of the most restrictive limits. Arizona and Ohio don't have any limits.
Still, power generated by a wind turbine directly offsets the cost of power from the grid.
That's one reason why Mark and Paula Steiner decided to get a wind turbine. Wind-Wire recently installed a 45-foot wind tower in the couple's back yard.
"In the long run the extra cash will go back to my children's college funds," Steiner said, also admitting that environmental impact was a reason they purchased the wind turbine.
Yet Steiner also says she wouldn't have bought the wind turbine without the tax credits.
Heidi McHugh, marketing manager for Mobile Home and Energy, a Middlebury supplier of solar and wind energy options, says her company has seen a 15 percent increase in business since January. That's when the Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency went into affect, allowing consumers such as Steiner to get up to 30 percent of the costs for energy saving projects.
But the initial costs is one reason why many can't install wind generators on their properties. The American Wind Energy Association says a typical home wind system costs around $32,000 installed and an Indiana Consumers Guide says they can cost as much as $50,000.
Even though Wind-Wire's systems cost far less than those estimates, Smith notes there is another deterrent -- a lack of wind. On a six-tiered system that measures wind productivity, most of Northern Indiana is rated a class two. That means the estimated productivity per square mile is 350 to 500 kilowatt-hours per year. In a class-six area, the productivity is 770 to 880 kilowatt-hours per year.
While costs and lack of wind has turned some in Elkhart County away from wind energy, it has inspired others. Doug Martin, an engineer with a background in ultralight flyers, has already raised three prototype wind turbines, which he says are more efficient than most others on the market.
On his 17-acre property rise testaments to his resolution -- 80-foot high towers topped by his prototype generators.
"This all starts somewhere," Martin said. "At one point Bill Gates was sitting in his college dorm room saying, 'You know what, software is the next big thing.'"
Martin says that like the famed entrepreneur, he too is a "capitalist" who has noticed a future demand across the county. And even as companies like Home and Mobile Energy and Wind-Wire are now seeing more customers, Martin hopes to further perfect his design.
"In the very near future," Martin said, "this (renewable energy) could be the biggest market."
Wind-Wire of South Bend and Home and Mobile Energy of Middlebury are both Business Members of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
has picked up locally in tough economy.
An idea blowing in the wind: Interest in wind turbines growing - The Elkhart Truth - Elkhart, IN
Shared via AddThis
Published: 8/25/2009 12:00:00 AM
Last Updated: 8/24/2009 11:15:42 PM
By: Dustin Lawrence dlawrence@etruth.com
ELKHART -- Only a light morning breeze hit the Skystream 3.7 wind turbine. After looking up the 45-foot tower, Glen Smith grabbed a three-foot-long wrench and began tightening the bolts at its base.
"Have to make sure the unit's level," Smith explained. As the breeze began to pick up, the three carbon fiber fins began to slowly rotate. "And there they go."
Nearly five years ago Smith was servicing similar towers for a cellular phone company. But as the economy began to spin downward he was laid off. That's when Smith and his brother, Dave, began looking for a new way to utilize their engineering know-how. After meeting with Southwest Windpower, the manufacturer of the Skystream turbine, the brothers were awarded a dealership to sell the turbines. They called their new venture Wind-Wire.
Now Wind-Wire is the central Midwest dealer for Skystream turbines and business is booming. Based out of St. Joseph County, they sell and install generators in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. But even in Elkhart County, where unemployment is still at a stifling 16.7 percent, Smith says the machines are piquing interest.
"In Elkhart County we have been doing one to two (installations) a month lately," he said. "It's a good county. The people are proactive."
Back in 2008, only one request for a wind generator went through the Elkhart County Planning Department. But since April there have been six requests and more are expected. Other businesses that supply residential wind turbines in Elkhart County say they too have noticed a spike in consumer interest.
But the trend isn't specific to only Elkhart County. Smith says residents are putting up wind turbines throughout the Midwest and across much of the country.
"We will have done a hundred by the end of the year," he said. "By next year we will be well over 100."
Smith says the reason that so many have begun to purchase his turbines -- which cost around $12,500 after the tax credits -- is because people are looking to lower their energy costs or in some cases get rid of them all together.
"If this (turbine) is humming it will pretty much power that whole house," he claimed, pointing to a single-story ranch house. "Any energy that this puts out and that the house is not using ... It will turn the meter backwards."
On the Skystream Web site the company claims that its product typically lowers a household electric bill by 30 to 80 percent.
Nick Meyer, communications manager for Northern Indiana Public Service Company, notes NIPSCO does not buy back power but offers customers with wind generators participation in its net metering program.
"If the customer generates more power than they're using then they build up a credit," Meyer said about the net metering program.
Other utilities in Indiana, such as AEP's Indiana Michigan Power, offer similar net metering programs. However, Indiana law doesn't allow net metering benefits for wind generators that produce more than 10 kilowatts. Of the 42 states that require net metering, Indiana has one of the most restrictive limits. Arizona and Ohio don't have any limits.
Still, power generated by a wind turbine directly offsets the cost of power from the grid.
That's one reason why Mark and Paula Steiner decided to get a wind turbine. Wind-Wire recently installed a 45-foot wind tower in the couple's back yard.
"In the long run the extra cash will go back to my children's college funds," Steiner said, also admitting that environmental impact was a reason they purchased the wind turbine.
Yet Steiner also says she wouldn't have bought the wind turbine without the tax credits.
Heidi McHugh, marketing manager for Mobile Home and Energy, a Middlebury supplier of solar and wind energy options, says her company has seen a 15 percent increase in business since January. That's when the Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency went into affect, allowing consumers such as Steiner to get up to 30 percent of the costs for energy saving projects.
But the initial costs is one reason why many can't install wind generators on their properties. The American Wind Energy Association says a typical home wind system costs around $32,000 installed and an Indiana Consumers Guide says they can cost as much as $50,000.
Even though Wind-Wire's systems cost far less than those estimates, Smith notes there is another deterrent -- a lack of wind. On a six-tiered system that measures wind productivity, most of Northern Indiana is rated a class two. That means the estimated productivity per square mile is 350 to 500 kilowatt-hours per year. In a class-six area, the productivity is 770 to 880 kilowatt-hours per year.
While costs and lack of wind has turned some in Elkhart County away from wind energy, it has inspired others. Doug Martin, an engineer with a background in ultralight flyers, has already raised three prototype wind turbines, which he says are more efficient than most others on the market.
On his 17-acre property rise testaments to his resolution -- 80-foot high towers topped by his prototype generators.
"This all starts somewhere," Martin said. "At one point Bill Gates was sitting in his college dorm room saying, 'You know what, software is the next big thing.'"
Martin says that like the famed entrepreneur, he too is a "capitalist" who has noticed a future demand across the county. And even as companies like Home and Mobile Energy and Wind-Wire are now seeing more customers, Martin hopes to further perfect his design.
"In the very near future," Martin said, "this (renewable energy) could be the biggest market."
Wind-Wire of South Bend and Home and Mobile Energy of Middlebury are both Business Members of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Friday, July 24, 2009
REVISED: Join Us for InREA Intro Feed-in Tariff Webinar Re-Scheduled Aug. 18th @ 2 pm EDT
- Want to know what the buzz is about Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) or advanced renewable energy contracts?
- Did you miss the Indiana Renewable Energy Association (InREA) reception and meeting with FIT advocate Paul Gipe last September in Ft. Wayne?
- Want to know more about how FIT's compare to other policies such as net metering and a renewable electricity standard (RES) to promote renewable energy development?
- Did you know there is a feed-in tariff (FIT) proposed by Indianapolis Power and Light (IPL) currently pending before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC)?
- Want to know more about the state legislation introduced during the 2009 Indiana General Assembly on advanced renewable energy tariffs and the prospects for 2010?
InREA members Chris Striebeck with IDS of Indianapolis and Laura Ann Arnold with The Arnold Group of Indianapolis are planning an Intro Webinar on FIT's. Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) will also participate in this webinar. Rep. Pierce introduced a FIT bill during the 2009 session of the Indiana General Assembly and currently plans to introduce another bill in 2010. This webinar will cover an introduction to FIT's as well as a status report on recent FIT proposals in the US and abroad. See this FIT update.
We anticipate scheduling additional webinars on this topic with additional speakers as well as other issues related to renewable energy development in Indiana.
Don't miss this important event. SIGN-UP TODAY!
The FIT webinar is scheduled as follows:
How Advanced Renewable Energy Contracts aka Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) can bring clean energy jobs and promote more rapid deployment of renewable energy resources and distributed generation (DG) in Indiana.
NEW DATE: Tuesday, August 18, 2009
2:00 to 3:30 pm EDT
Register for this webinar to receive 1) call-in information and 2) written materials please e-mail us at info@indianarenew.org.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Two Northern Indiana "Green" Businesses to be Showcased at Meeting June 13th
The Indiana Renewable Energy Association will highlight two "green" Nappanee-based businesses for installing solar systems and taking additional energy conservation steps. An open house will be held this weekend for auto dealership McCormick Motors and fur buying and trading company UNL Furs.
June 9, 2009
Indiana Renewable Energy Association (InREA) will host a public open house Saturday, June 13 for two "green" Nappanee businesses, highlighting the installed solar systems and additional energy conservation steps taken by the businesses. State Representative Wes Culver will speak at 12:00 noon at McCormick Motors, followed by presentations on renewable energy, and lunch will be served. McCormick Motors, a Nappanee auto dealership, will be open from 11:30 am - 2:30 pm. UNL Furs, a fur buying and trading business also of Nappanee; will be open for tours from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.
“We are pleased to have a prominent state legislator and businessman such as Wes Culver attending our open house,” said Laura Ann Arnold, president of InREA. “He’s an active advocate for renewable energy; he introduced a bill to provide a tax credit for those who invest in a residential renewable energy system, and he supports action to remove the cap that individuals can sell back to utilities on electricity produced by their systems.”
McCormick Motors auto dealership features a solar grid-tied system, connected to the local utility company, installed in February 2009 by Home and Mobile Energy of Middlebury. The installation was partially funded with a grant winning from the Indiana Office of Energy Development Alternative Power and Energy Program. McCormick's has taken many other energy conservation steps including adding insulation, high-efficiency lighting and programmable equipment that is turned on by demand only. McCormick Motors is located at 1255 W. Market Street in Nappanee.
UNL Furs’ renewable energy system, installed in September 2008 by Home and Mobile Energy, includes both solar and wind power applications. These off-grid solar and wind systems provide power for this fur buying and trading business. UNL Furs is owned by Ura Hochstetler and is located at 10558 North, 900 West, also in Nappanee.
The featured presentations on renewable energy will take place at McCormick Motors from 1:00 pm.-2:30 pm. Gordon Moore, owner of McCormick Motors, will discuss his research and implementation of renewable energy and conservation over the past decade. The auto dealership’s renewable energy project was designed in collaboration with an economics class at Goshen College, and serves as an ongoing educational sight for Goshen College.
Following Moore’s presentation, Arnold will talk about InREA’s mission and how to become involved in the promotion of renewable energy.
Leon Bontrager of Home and Mobile Energy and Eric Cotton of ECI Wind and Solar will give a presentation on net metering, explaining the billing arrangement between a utility company and a customer with a grid-tied renewable energy system. The presentation will include discussions on what a customer should look for in an agreement with the utility company, how Indiana compares with other states, how NEC codes affect installations and the difference in regulations between public utilities, co-ops and municipalities.
InREA was formed in 2008 by individuals and businesses supporting renewable energy development in the State of Indiana. The mission of InREA is to promote the use of renewable energy technologies, environmental sustainability and economic development in the State of Indiana. More information is available online at http://www.indianarenew.org/.
Source: Home and Mobile Energy
June 9, 2009
Indiana Renewable Energy Association (InREA) will host a public open house Saturday, June 13 for two "green" Nappanee businesses, highlighting the installed solar systems and additional energy conservation steps taken by the businesses. State Representative Wes Culver will speak at 12:00 noon at McCormick Motors, followed by presentations on renewable energy, and lunch will be served. McCormick Motors, a Nappanee auto dealership, will be open from 11:30 am - 2:30 pm. UNL Furs, a fur buying and trading business also of Nappanee; will be open for tours from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.
“We are pleased to have a prominent state legislator and businessman such as Wes Culver attending our open house,” said Laura Ann Arnold, president of InREA. “He’s an active advocate for renewable energy; he introduced a bill to provide a tax credit for those who invest in a residential renewable energy system, and he supports action to remove the cap that individuals can sell back to utilities on electricity produced by their systems.”
McCormick Motors auto dealership features a solar grid-tied system, connected to the local utility company, installed in February 2009 by Home and Mobile Energy of Middlebury. The installation was partially funded with a grant winning from the Indiana Office of Energy Development Alternative Power and Energy Program. McCormick's has taken many other energy conservation steps including adding insulation, high-efficiency lighting and programmable equipment that is turned on by demand only. McCormick Motors is located at 1255 W. Market Street in Nappanee.
UNL Furs’ renewable energy system, installed in September 2008 by Home and Mobile Energy, includes both solar and wind power applications. These off-grid solar and wind systems provide power for this fur buying and trading business. UNL Furs is owned by Ura Hochstetler and is located at 10558 North, 900 West, also in Nappanee.
The featured presentations on renewable energy will take place at McCormick Motors from 1:00 pm.-2:30 pm. Gordon Moore, owner of McCormick Motors, will discuss his research and implementation of renewable energy and conservation over the past decade. The auto dealership’s renewable energy project was designed in collaboration with an economics class at Goshen College, and serves as an ongoing educational sight for Goshen College.
Following Moore’s presentation, Arnold will talk about InREA’s mission and how to become involved in the promotion of renewable energy.
Leon Bontrager of Home and Mobile Energy and Eric Cotton of ECI Wind and Solar will give a presentation on net metering, explaining the billing arrangement between a utility company and a customer with a grid-tied renewable energy system. The presentation will include discussions on what a customer should look for in an agreement with the utility company, how Indiana compares with other states, how NEC codes affect installations and the difference in regulations between public utilities, co-ops and municipalities.
InREA was formed in 2008 by individuals and businesses supporting renewable energy development in the State of Indiana. The mission of InREA is to promote the use of renewable energy technologies, environmental sustainability and economic development in the State of Indiana. More information is available online at http://www.indianarenew.org/.
Source: Home and Mobile Energy
Monday, April 27, 2009
Indiana Legislators Work on Renewable Energy Bills before Indiana General Assembly Adjourns April 29th
Two bills addressing important aspects of renewable energy are still pending during the 2009 session of the Indiana General Assembly. Compromise versions of both SB 300 and SB 420 must be adopted by midnight Wednesday, April 29 to become law this year. Both SB 300 and 420 currently contain language pertaining to a renewable electricity standard (RES) and net metering.
(NOTE: These links to the bills on the Indiana General Assembly website will allow you to view both the Introduced Bill and the Latest Printing of SB 300 and SB 420 plus amendments Filed and Passed. The eventual conference committee adopted will likely be a blended rendition of these various versions of the bill. You can also access the Roll Call records to see how your state legislators voted.)
A handful of state legislators will hammer out the differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill. The four conferees must reach a consensus assisted by a group of advisors from their respective parties in their House. Those appointed for this task include:
SB 300 Conferees:
Sen. Jim Merritt, Jr. (R-Indianapolis) s31@in.gov , (317) 232-9533
Sen. Sue Errington (D-Muncie) s26@in.gov, (317) 232-9526
Rep. Win Moses, Jr. (D-Ft. Wayne) h81@in.gov, (317) 232-9999
Rep. Jack Lutz (R-Anderson) h35@in.gov, (317) 232-9648
SB 300 Advisors:
Sen. Marlin Stutzman (R-Howe) s13@in.gov, (317) 232-9493
Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) s42@in.gov, (317) 234-9054
Sen. Beverly Gard (R-Greenfield) s28@in.gov, (317) 232-9493
Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D-South Bend) h8@in.gov, (317) 234-9290
Rep. Kreg Battles (D-Vincennes) h64@in.gov, (317) 232-9798
Rep. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) h65@in.gov, (317) 232-0664
Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis) h91@in.gov, (317) 232-9981
Rep. Wes Culver (R-Goshen) h49@in.gov, (317) 234-3825
SB 420 Conferees:
Sen. Brendt Hershman (R-Monticello) s7@in.gov, (317) 232-9840
Sen. Sue Errington (D-Muncie) s26@in.gov, (317) 232-9526
Rep. Win Moses, Jr. (D-Ft. Wayne) h81@in.gov, (317) 232-9999
Rep. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) h65@in.gov, (317) 232-0664
SB 420 Advisors:
Sen. Marlin Stutzman (R-Howe) s13@in.gov, (317) 232-9493
Sen. Robert Deig (D-Mount Vernon) s49@in.gov, (317) 232-9523
Sen. Beverly Gard (R-Greenfield) s28@in.gov, (317) 232-9493
Rep. Dale Grubb (D-Covington), h42@in.gov, (317) 232-9987
Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D-South Bend) h8@in.gov, (317) 234-9290
Rep. Jack Lutz (R-Anderson) h35@in.gov, (317) 232-9648
Rep. Robert Cherry (R-Greenfield) h53@in.gov, (317) 232-9620
Rep. Wes Culver (R-Goshen) h49@in.gov, (317) 232-9753
Time is of the essence. Please contact these state legislators and express your support for renewable energy. Do it now!
(NOTE: These links to the bills on the Indiana General Assembly website will allow you to view both the Introduced Bill and the Latest Printing of SB 300 and SB 420 plus amendments Filed and Passed. The eventual conference committee adopted will likely be a blended rendition of these various versions of the bill. You can also access the Roll Call records to see how your state legislators voted.)
A handful of state legislators will hammer out the differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill. The four conferees must reach a consensus assisted by a group of advisors from their respective parties in their House. Those appointed for this task include:
SB 300 Conferees:
Sen. Jim Merritt, Jr. (R-Indianapolis) s31@in.gov , (317) 232-9533
Sen. Sue Errington (D-Muncie) s26@in.gov, (317) 232-9526
Rep. Win Moses, Jr. (D-Ft. Wayne) h81@in.gov, (317) 232-9999
Rep. Jack Lutz (R-Anderson) h35@in.gov, (317) 232-9648
SB 300 Advisors:
Sen. Marlin Stutzman (R-Howe) s13@in.gov, (317) 232-9493
Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) s42@in.gov, (317) 234-9054
Sen. Beverly Gard (R-Greenfield) s28@in.gov, (317) 232-9493
Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D-South Bend) h8@in.gov, (317) 234-9290
Rep. Kreg Battles (D-Vincennes) h64@in.gov, (317) 232-9798
Rep. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) h65@in.gov, (317) 232-0664
Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis) h91@in.gov, (317) 232-9981
Rep. Wes Culver (R-Goshen) h49@in.gov, (317) 234-3825
SB 420 Conferees:
Sen. Brendt Hershman (R-Monticello) s7@in.gov, (317) 232-9840
Sen. Sue Errington (D-Muncie) s26@in.gov, (317) 232-9526
Rep. Win Moses, Jr. (D-Ft. Wayne) h81@in.gov, (317) 232-9999
Rep. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) h65@in.gov, (317) 232-0664
SB 420 Advisors:
Sen. Marlin Stutzman (R-Howe) s13@in.gov, (317) 232-9493
Sen. Robert Deig (D-Mount Vernon) s49@in.gov, (317) 232-9523
Sen. Beverly Gard (R-Greenfield) s28@in.gov, (317) 232-9493
Rep. Dale Grubb (D-Covington), h42@in.gov, (317) 232-9987
Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D-South Bend) h8@in.gov, (317) 234-9290
Rep. Jack Lutz (R-Anderson) h35@in.gov, (317) 232-9648
Rep. Robert Cherry (R-Greenfield) h53@in.gov, (317) 232-9620
Rep. Wes Culver (R-Goshen) h49@in.gov, (317) 232-9753
Time is of the essence. Please contact these state legislators and express your support for renewable energy. Do it now!
After the four conferees agree to a conference committee report, it still must pass a Roll Call vote again in both the Indiana Senate and Indiana House. Therefore, your own state legislators will have one more time to support renewable energy in Indiana.
Since we don't know what rendition of these bills will play, STAY TUNED TO THIS BLOG.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Two Different Renewable Energy Bills Pass Indiana House
The Hoosier Environmental Council (HEC) provided this update on the renewable energy bills still pending before the 2009 session of the Indiana General Assembly. Now that both SB 420 and SB 300 passed the Indiana House, these bills return to their Senate authors, Sen. Brandt Hershman (R-Monticello) and Sen. James Merritt (R-Indianapolis) for further deliberations before the session ends at the end of April. Both Senators are likely to return the language of their bills back closer to the way they passed the Indiana State Senate earlier this year. Neogotiations will begin next week after Dissent Motions are filed and conference committee members are appointed. Watch this blog for updates!
House Passes First Comprehensive Green Jobs Bill, Thanks to Your Efforts. Your Help Needed in the Final Stretch!
In a bi-partisan fashion, Indiana's House of Representatives passed the first comprehensive green jobs bill in Indiana`s history. However, ultimate victory is not yet ours! House and Senate negotiations now take place on two different versions of SB 300.
The House version of SB 300, which HEC strongly advanced, would require that 15% of Indiana`s electricity come from wind, biomass and solar (not coal) by 2025 and would enable, in unprecedented ways, Hoosiers to produce more affordable clean, renewable energy at their homes and businesses.
SB 420, a competing renewables bill re-defines so-called "clean coal" as renewable energy, also passed the House. These bills will now go to conference committee.
Please continue your support in these last weeks of the legislative session by contacting the expected members of the conference committee and encouraging them to support SB 300, the HEC supported Green Jobs Development Act and oppose SB 420.
For a comparison of these two dramatically different energy visions, see HEC's policy brief. Conference committee member information can be found here. (This is the list of likely conferees since conferees have not been named yet.)
Click here to see the Roll Call on SB 300. 51 House Democrats voting "Yes", 11 House Republicans Voting "Yes", 37 House Republicans Voting "No" and the Speaker "not voting".
Click here to see the Roll Call on SB 420. 93 House Democrats and Republicans voting "Yes", 3 House Democrats voting "No", and 4 including the Speaker "not voting".
House Passes First Comprehensive Green Jobs Bill, Thanks to Your Efforts. Your Help Needed in the Final Stretch!
In a bi-partisan fashion, Indiana's House of Representatives passed the first comprehensive green jobs bill in Indiana`s history. However, ultimate victory is not yet ours! House and Senate negotiations now take place on two different versions of SB 300.
The House version of SB 300, which HEC strongly advanced, would require that 15% of Indiana`s electricity come from wind, biomass and solar (not coal) by 2025 and would enable, in unprecedented ways, Hoosiers to produce more affordable clean, renewable energy at their homes and businesses.
SB 420, a competing renewables bill re-defines so-called "clean coal" as renewable energy, also passed the House. These bills will now go to conference committee.
Please continue your support in these last weeks of the legislative session by contacting the expected members of the conference committee and encouraging them to support SB 300, the HEC supported Green Jobs Development Act and oppose SB 420.
For a comparison of these two dramatically different energy visions, see HEC's policy brief. Conference committee member information can be found here. (This is the list of likely conferees since conferees have not been named yet.)
Click here to see the Roll Call on SB 300. 51 House Democrats voting "Yes", 11 House Republicans Voting "Yes", 37 House Republicans Voting "No" and the Speaker "not voting".
Click here to see the Roll Call on SB 420. 93 House Democrats and Republicans voting "Yes", 3 House Democrats voting "No", and 4 including the Speaker "not voting".
Monday, April 13, 2009
Citizens Action Coalition Urges Calls to State Legislators on Renewable Energy
We received this Action Alert from Citizens Action Coalition and wanted to share their views on pending renewable energy legislation with you. We also recommend entering your zipcode + 4 at www.votesmart.org to obtain information on your elected officials.
Please note that both SB 300 and SB 420 were recently amended substantially in the House Commerce, Energy, Technology and Utilities Committee. SB 300 was amended to add revised provisions from HB 1347 and HB 1349 introduced by Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D-South Bend). SB 420 was amended with revised language from HB 1305 introduced by Rep. Dale Grubb (D-Covington). Also HB 1360 was amended in the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee and it now contains substantially the language of SB 300, SB 201 and SB 420 as these bills passed the Senate on third reading during the first half of the session. Therefore, we urge that you review the new language in each of these bills.
Are you confused now? You should be confused and it is likely your state legislators will be confused, too. Therefore, craft your message carefully. It is unclear at this point which one of these bills will become the vehicle for a renewable energy Conference Committee during the last two weeks of the session. PLEASE STAY TUNED!
There are 3 different energy bills moving at the Statehouse dealing with the issue of renewable energy that require your immediate attention:
Tell your State Representative to SUPPORT SB 300 and to OPPOSE SB 420!!!
House Switchboard: (800) 382-9842
Click here for the direct office phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the Indiana State Representatives.
Tell your State Senator to OPPOSE HB 1360!!!
Senate Switchboard: (800) 382-9467
Click here for the direct office phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the Indiana State Senators.
Click here to look up your State Senator and Representative.
If you call the direct office numbers of your State Senator and Representative, you will get the voicemail of their Legislative Assistants, and you can leave a message at anytime. If you call the Switchboard numbers, you will have to call between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday thru Friday.
SB 300 will require investor owned utilities to get 15% of their electricity from renewable resources by 2025 and will expand Indiana's net metering rule to allow all customers to generate up to 1 megawatt of electricity and sell the excess power back to the utility. SB 300 will be voted on in the House on Monday April 13th. A clean renewable energy standard and updated net metering rule will generate thousands of new jobs for our State, save ratepayers money, and vastly improve the quality of our environment and public health.
Please contact your State Representative today and urge him/her to SUPPORT SB 300!
SB 420 is a renewable energy standard that defines coal as a renewable resource. The definition also includes waste to energy which will allow the incineration of tires to qualify as a renewable resource. SB 420 also forces us as utility customers to pay for utility infrastructure to ethanol and bio-diesel facilities. Please contact your State Representative today and urge him/her to OPPOSE SB 420! Remind him/her that there is nothing clean or renewable about coal and that we should not be expected to subsidize ethanol plants! Urge them to VOTE NO on any renewable energy standard that includes coal as a renewable resource. Please contact your State Representative today as SB 420 will be voted on in the House early next week!
HB 1360 is an atrocious bill that must be stopped. This bill includes coal, coal bed methane, and nuclear power in the definition of renewable energy, and will also allow the incineration of tires to qualify as a renewable resource. HB 1360 also forces us as utility customers to pay for utility infrastructure to ethanol and biodiesel plants, and would allow investor owned utilities to raise rates automatically with no regulatory oversight. But HB 1360 goes even further, by attempting to add new nuclear reactors to the Construction Work in Progress, or CWIP, statute. CWIP forces us as Indiana ratepayers to pay for the construction of unnecessary and enormously expensive power plants before those plants are producing a single drop of electricity. Wall Street is refusing to finance these plants, so this will boost utility profit margins at our expense. Please contact your State Senator today and urge him/her to OPPOSE HB 1360. Remind him/her that there is nothing clean or renewable about coal or nuclear power. Remind him/her that consumers are the ones that need protection, not utility companies with a captive ratebase, a monopoly service territory, and guaranteed profit. Please call your State Senator today as HB 1360 will be voted on the Senate early next week!
For more information about these bills, visit our website: www.citact.org
Thank you for your continued support of CAC's efforts to protect Indiana consumers, Indiana's environment, and the health of all Hoosiers.
Sincerely,
Kerwin Olson
Program Director
Citizens Action Coalition
www.citact.org
Please note that both SB 300 and SB 420 were recently amended substantially in the House Commerce, Energy, Technology and Utilities Committee. SB 300 was amended to add revised provisions from HB 1347 and HB 1349 introduced by Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D-South Bend). SB 420 was amended with revised language from HB 1305 introduced by Rep. Dale Grubb (D-Covington). Also HB 1360 was amended in the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee and it now contains substantially the language of SB 300, SB 201 and SB 420 as these bills passed the Senate on third reading during the first half of the session. Therefore, we urge that you review the new language in each of these bills.
Are you confused now? You should be confused and it is likely your state legislators will be confused, too. Therefore, craft your message carefully. It is unclear at this point which one of these bills will become the vehicle for a renewable energy Conference Committee during the last two weeks of the session. PLEASE STAY TUNED!
There are 3 different energy bills moving at the Statehouse dealing with the issue of renewable energy that require your immediate attention:
Tell your State Representative to SUPPORT SB 300 and to OPPOSE SB 420!!!
House Switchboard: (800) 382-9842
Click here for the direct office phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the Indiana State Representatives.
Tell your State Senator to OPPOSE HB 1360!!!
Senate Switchboard: (800) 382-9467
Click here for the direct office phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the Indiana State Senators.
Click here to look up your State Senator and Representative.
If you call the direct office numbers of your State Senator and Representative, you will get the voicemail of their Legislative Assistants, and you can leave a message at anytime. If you call the Switchboard numbers, you will have to call between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday thru Friday.
SB 300 will require investor owned utilities to get 15% of their electricity from renewable resources by 2025 and will expand Indiana's net metering rule to allow all customers to generate up to 1 megawatt of electricity and sell the excess power back to the utility. SB 300 will be voted on in the House on Monday April 13th. A clean renewable energy standard and updated net metering rule will generate thousands of new jobs for our State, save ratepayers money, and vastly improve the quality of our environment and public health.
Please contact your State Representative today and urge him/her to SUPPORT SB 300!
SB 420 is a renewable energy standard that defines coal as a renewable resource. The definition also includes waste to energy which will allow the incineration of tires to qualify as a renewable resource. SB 420 also forces us as utility customers to pay for utility infrastructure to ethanol and bio-diesel facilities. Please contact your State Representative today and urge him/her to OPPOSE SB 420! Remind him/her that there is nothing clean or renewable about coal and that we should not be expected to subsidize ethanol plants! Urge them to VOTE NO on any renewable energy standard that includes coal as a renewable resource. Please contact your State Representative today as SB 420 will be voted on in the House early next week!
HB 1360 is an atrocious bill that must be stopped. This bill includes coal, coal bed methane, and nuclear power in the definition of renewable energy, and will also allow the incineration of tires to qualify as a renewable resource. HB 1360 also forces us as utility customers to pay for utility infrastructure to ethanol and biodiesel plants, and would allow investor owned utilities to raise rates automatically with no regulatory oversight. But HB 1360 goes even further, by attempting to add new nuclear reactors to the Construction Work in Progress, or CWIP, statute. CWIP forces us as Indiana ratepayers to pay for the construction of unnecessary and enormously expensive power plants before those plants are producing a single drop of electricity. Wall Street is refusing to finance these plants, so this will boost utility profit margins at our expense. Please contact your State Senator today and urge him/her to OPPOSE HB 1360. Remind him/her that there is nothing clean or renewable about coal or nuclear power. Remind him/her that consumers are the ones that need protection, not utility companies with a captive ratebase, a monopoly service territory, and guaranteed profit. Please call your State Senator today as HB 1360 will be voted on the Senate early next week!
For more information about these bills, visit our website: www.citact.org
Thank you for your continued support of CAC's efforts to protect Indiana consumers, Indiana's environment, and the health of all Hoosiers.
Sincerely,
Kerwin Olson
Program Director
Citizens Action Coalition
www.citact.org
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
ALL UTILITY CUSTOMERS NEED RENEWABLE ENERGY INCENTIVES
Indiana renewable energy businesses are encouraged that state lawmakers are addressing incentives to promote renewable energy usage. Two bills moving through the Indiana General Assembly will revise and improve the rules to allow consumers to net meter and provide needed tax incentives.
When consumers install a wind turbine or solar energy system to reduce their electric bill, they need their electric utility to credit them for any excess power they generate or net meter. Allowing a customer’s meter to run backwards or net metering is an important policy to promote distributed generation. Wide adoption of renewable distributed generation will help to clean the air, reduce carbon emissions, create jobs, and support economic growth. Currently in Indiana only residential customers and K-12 schools are allowed to net meter.
The 2008 Edition of Freeing the Grid, a national report on the status of net metering across the Unites States identifies Indiana among the worst in the U.S. The report states that in Indiana “businesses and other commercial or industrial customers are excluded from net metering. Indiana is now the only state in the nation with this limitation.”
“Not requiring utilities to net meter business and industrial customers is counter productive and just crazy,” said Terry Black, Co-owner of Green Way Supply in Indianapolis. “Why are we are the only state that does not have this incentive to attract new industry?” Duke Energy exceeds the rules established by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and does allow small commercial customers but the other Investor Owned Utilities do not permit net metering for businesses.
“Both proposed net metering laws need further improvement,” said Eric Cotton with ECI Wind and Solar in Fairmount. “Neither net metering bill applies to the REMC’s. 22 other states require net metering for rural electric cooperatives.”
“Not including Indiana’s REMC’s in net metering is a travesty for rural Hoosiers,” says Eric Cotton. “Some of the best opportunities for renewable energy are small wind turbines for farmers. Not including REMC’s creates a disincentive for renewable energy systems in rural areas. For an agricultural state like Indiana this just doesn’t make sense.”
SB 300 and HB 1347, if enacted by the Indiana General Assembly would change the net metering rules to permit all customer classes to net meter including business and industrial customers. The bills do differ in the maximum system size for net metering. SB 300 would permit systems up to 100 kW but HB 1347 would allow for systems up to 1 MW. Currently state rules only permit net metering for systems up to 10 kW.
The past two federal Economic Stimulus bills provide incentives for businesses to install solar and renewable energy systems, a 30% investment tax credit or grants covering 30% of the costs of a system. HB 1347 was amended in the Indiana House of Representatives to add a 15% tax credit for renewable energy manufacturing and a 10% tax credit for businesses investing in renewable energy systems.
“Federal incentives encourage long term investment in clean energy technologies, they help reduce operating costs in businesses willing to invest in them and they will improve our air quality which right now stinks,” added Terry Black. “Congress has taken action and now Indiana needs to do the same.”
Green Way Supply and ECI Wind and Solar are both founding members of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association formed last year. For more information about these companies and other Indiana renewable energy companies see www.indianarenew.org.
When consumers install a wind turbine or solar energy system to reduce their electric bill, they need their electric utility to credit them for any excess power they generate or net meter. Allowing a customer’s meter to run backwards or net metering is an important policy to promote distributed generation. Wide adoption of renewable distributed generation will help to clean the air, reduce carbon emissions, create jobs, and support economic growth. Currently in Indiana only residential customers and K-12 schools are allowed to net meter.
The 2008 Edition of Freeing the Grid, a national report on the status of net metering across the Unites States identifies Indiana among the worst in the U.S. The report states that in Indiana “businesses and other commercial or industrial customers are excluded from net metering. Indiana is now the only state in the nation with this limitation.”
“Not requiring utilities to net meter business and industrial customers is counter productive and just crazy,” said Terry Black, Co-owner of Green Way Supply in Indianapolis. “Why are we are the only state that does not have this incentive to attract new industry?” Duke Energy exceeds the rules established by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and does allow small commercial customers but the other Investor Owned Utilities do not permit net metering for businesses.
“Both proposed net metering laws need further improvement,” said Eric Cotton with ECI Wind and Solar in Fairmount. “Neither net metering bill applies to the REMC’s. 22 other states require net metering for rural electric cooperatives.”
“Not including Indiana’s REMC’s in net metering is a travesty for rural Hoosiers,” says Eric Cotton. “Some of the best opportunities for renewable energy are small wind turbines for farmers. Not including REMC’s creates a disincentive for renewable energy systems in rural areas. For an agricultural state like Indiana this just doesn’t make sense.”
SB 300 and HB 1347, if enacted by the Indiana General Assembly would change the net metering rules to permit all customer classes to net meter including business and industrial customers. The bills do differ in the maximum system size for net metering. SB 300 would permit systems up to 100 kW but HB 1347 would allow for systems up to 1 MW. Currently state rules only permit net metering for systems up to 10 kW.
The past two federal Economic Stimulus bills provide incentives for businesses to install solar and renewable energy systems, a 30% investment tax credit or grants covering 30% of the costs of a system. HB 1347 was amended in the Indiana House of Representatives to add a 15% tax credit for renewable energy manufacturing and a 10% tax credit for businesses investing in renewable energy systems.
“Federal incentives encourage long term investment in clean energy technologies, they help reduce operating costs in businesses willing to invest in them and they will improve our air quality which right now stinks,” added Terry Black. “Congress has taken action and now Indiana needs to do the same.”
Green Way Supply and ECI Wind and Solar are both founding members of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association formed last year. For more information about these companies and other Indiana renewable energy companies see www.indianarenew.org.
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