Scheduling your usage for daylight hours can make a huge difference if you get paid 3 cents for the power you make and then pay 12 cents when you need to use it at night. Less than a month later, the CPUC said its new president, Alice Busching Reynolds, has requested additional time to analyze the record and consider revisions to the proposed decision based on the many comments that interested parties who have standing in the case have made to the commission. Senate Bill 1024 and its companion House Bill 741 have been filed this session to change the way electricity rates for net metering are calculated. It works like this: For a fee, the customer can claim a certain amount of energy from FPLs solar farm. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. If you have extra electricity to spend, please consider a heat pump hot water heater, and/or an induction stove, as well as an electric vehicle that can both get charged from your house and power your houses electric panel. In January, Gov. If you didnt have all of us solar customers on this distribution circuit the utility would have to upgrade their line feeding us. Berkeley found that 40 of the 43 states and Washington D.C. with net metering programs have a negligible cost increase attributed to solar, and that the cost picture remains this way until solar penetration meets 10% of a states generation portfolio. In 2017, Jacksonville reduced the amount it reimburses solar customers for excess energy sent to the grid (from 10.3 to 3.25/kWh). Florida Power & Light Company is a major supporter of this bill. We just get avoided costs now for avoided fuel, generation costs is about $.09/kwh though going up fast with higher NG, coal prices. Tim Sylvia is an associate editor at pv magazine USA. The city buys its power from a municipal power agency, rather than an investor-owned utility, so the town board was able to pass the ordinance. SB 1024 calls on the Florida Public Service Commission to set up a successor net metering program by January 1, 2023. Solar panels power the James Webb telescope, VinFast receives $1.2 billion incentive package to manufacture EVs in North Carolina, Californians will still get burned under solar killer proposal, Manchin blocks climate bill, Biden said he will take executive action, California solar net metering comment period closed, heres what leaders said, Ensure that public utility customers owning or leasing renewable generation pay the full cost of electric service and are not subsidized by the public utilitys general body of ratepayers. Never mind the environment, reduced stress on the grid, etc. While it would still potentially lock in hundreds of millions of dollars in extra charges for non-rooftop customers, it importantly directs the Florida Public Service Commission to phase out this regressive tax and make solar energy more equitable for all Floridians, not just the fortunate few.. Why is it, they look at solar customers as costing other rate payers money when in fact we are saving them money. The bill allows solar users until the end of 2023 to get the full retail rate for another 20 years. The guidelines apply to customers of investor-owned utilities, like Florida Power and Light (FPL). If you are retired, like I am, I only drive 3,000 miles each year so I would be better off keeping my older ICE car but replacing my fossil fuel heating with the 3-cent true-up electricity. I wonder why we dont have Texaco territory or Exxon territory for the fossil fuel market. Interestingly because TECO put in enough solar finally they had to cut the kwh rate and now because of higher FF costs, it has to rise 20%. Net metering never was a huge bargain. Assuming a typical array size together with the number of solar customers, rooftop solar generates about 0.5% of the states total electrical energy. It is obvious that the utilities are going to do everything possible to maintain their monopoly on the production, transmission, distribution and storage of electricity. This would allow such customers to recoup their costs since the payback period (the time you stay in your home to break even) for homeowners who self-finance is around 10+ years, while for those who obtain a loan about 15+ years. However, in New Mexico or Nevada, where electricity is under 12 cents per Kilo Watt Hour, Off grid is more costly if you live within the service area of your utility. Country of Freedom? My 8000 watt off grid system with 8000 amp hours of lead acid batteries costs $6,500 every 6 years to replace or about $1,100.00 per year. Once you connect to any utility, you OWE them and are totally dependent on them. 4:17 p.m. April 28, 2022: This story has been updated to include a quote from the group Affordable Clean Energy For All. There are others with solar doing the same in my area. Supporters of the proposed decision say the Florida case is different than Californias. Exactly. Duke electric in Tampa,Fl started charging a minimum $30.00 + tax = $35.71 bill in Jan.2022. An energy expert offers simple ways for San Diegans to adjust their habits, save electricity. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Total solar electric generation, including utility owned solar farms, accounts for about 4% of the states electrical energy. Are you still believe in this? Please be mindful of our community standards. DeSantis, Critics argue this would harm solar industry, deter potential users. Therefore, the argument goes, they [net metering customers] are not paying their fair share of upkeep of the grid. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The last time the CPUC tackled the issue was in January 2016 when the NEM 2.0 update passed in a tense 3-2 vote. With net metering, you are paid only the kwh cost minus the cost of fuel.You still have a customer svc chg. What you sent back to the grid I credited to your monthly bill and the end of the year true up is miniscule. My usual bill was $13.17 in months where I produced more kws than I used. Thomasville, PublishedFebruary 6, 2022 at 10:08 AM EST, rules surrounding solar were approved in 2008, On the day of Ivana Trump's funeral, Donald Trump remembers her 'beautiful life', Italian Prime Minister Draghi wins a confidence vote, but his coalition unravels, Prosecution rests its case in Steve Bannon trial, The Marines are set to have the first Black 4-star general in their 246-year history, Gulf Power To Build Second Solar Energy Center In Jackson County, Jackson County's Newest Solar Farm Breaks Ground. Zero Export Grid Tie is popular in Australia and needs to be adopted here in the USA. Call it double-dipping, double taxation, whatever; its just wrong. You get some home batteries? Over the summer, Green Cove Springs, Florida, passed an ordinance to halve the net metering rate. Sounds like going off-grid is the way to go here in FL. You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. to keep you dreaming about the American Dream! Ask yourself, If the utilities failed from a natural or man-made disaster, would you be able to be self-contained and survive for a year? Electricity, Natural Gas, Water, sewer and garbage collection are all bills along with the property taxes. Patrick Love is a retired physicist who runs a small consulting company in Tallahassee and can be reached at [emailprotected] This is a Greening Our Community article, an initiative of Sustainable Tallahassee. Last December, the CPUC issued a 204-page proposed decision making sweeping changes. Download it here. Gas prices go up, and now they want my solar to cost more! Energy:Every little bit counts when it comes to home energy conservation | Sustainable Tallahassee, HIking trails:Here's your chance to explore St. Marks area and support Florida hiking trails, Wolf Creek:Magic carpet of flowers will be blooming soon at Wolf Creek Preserve near Cairo. Gas prices in California will go up about 3 cents on July 1 due to the states excise tax on gasoline, which is adjusted each year. If you want to see unfair, take a look at what the co-ops are doing. But They are pretty new (the house is only 1 year old) and the gas is very cheap around here. Clearly, solar consumers arent a problem. And the politicians obey. This could work in the south west and deep south but northern states and Canada would need additional fuels for heating. The annual true-up payments to solar generating customers are at the generation cost rates but they need to consider that the utility meters on the neighborhood are paying for that generated power without the cost of long-distance transmission and without the line losses usually associated with their normal distribution. Homeowners with ample sunshine might thus decide to cut-the-cord (grid)and still have almost free fuel for their cars+batteries. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. It does this via a bidirectional electric meter that is installed along with the solar panels. Here is another example that they rolled out of double dipping. FPL leads the nation in expanding cost-effective, large-scale solar, and we also support our customers who choose to buy private rooftop solar systems. Workers install solar panels on the roof of a home in San Francisco. It is what it is. Meanwhile FPL is using the excess energy that they did not produce, but got from the customer, and charging other customers for energy they did not produce themselves while not compensating the actual producer of that energy. We are pleased Florida lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to pass bi-partisan legislation aimed at modernizing the states outdated net metering rules. Every day that goes by without meaningful reform increases the cost burden on non-solar customers who are disproportionally low income.. Stop dreaming! Your email address will not be published. Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. Rooftop solar also diversifies the energy mix and gives homeowners a choice in how they obtain their energy. -With more expensive electric meters we can measure peak demand/load, and parse out the time of day use of energy. They are one of the few who do not skim off the top for energy you give to the grid when they credit you back. I live in Florida and have both Solar PV and a whole house battery for the frequent outages (40 in the past 18 months). CPUC said its new president, Alice Busching Reynolds, largest number of rooftop solar installations in the country, CA energy law boosts renewables but some in San Diego say it stymies local control, Strike: Hilton Bayfront hotel workers walk off the job as Comic-Con returns, Looming decision on new rooftop solar rules draws protesters in front of Sempra headquarters, SDG&E customers to get a bill credit of $64 each of the next two months, Kearny Mesa auto dealer fires 20 striking technicians; union says it will file protest, Sempra partners with ConocoPhillips on LNG project on Texas Gulf Coast. Chopping the peak and filling the valley benefits both of us. The states major power companies, including San Diego Gas & Electric, have insisted that the growing number of installations leaves customers who dont have rooftop solar paying a greater share of the fixed costs things like wires, substations and transformers that come with maintaining the electric system. But DeSantis vetoed the legislation, citing current economic conditions. Legal Notice Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy pv magazine 2022, Welcome to pv magazine USA. Just they dont need as much and keeps from the utility having to increase generation which uses the most expensive fuels is saving that cost . The Florida legislature is not expected to attempt to override the veto, although one of the bills sponsors told the Miami Herald the issue will be taken up again in the future. Let us go off grid, that will solve their problem. Thats why Im going electric car asap. Rooftop solar is a great resource in combatting the urgent climate change problem. The costs mention every solar producing customer already pays for with the monthly fee like everyone else. Because the installed cost of a 10-kilowatt rooftop solar array can be $30,000 or more, another argument is that rooftop solar incentives benefit only the wealthy. If the utility allows you to have solar!? Instead of receiving the retail rate of electricity, they would get paid at the actual avoided cost, which is much lower. Learn More. The filed bills would allow the utility to credit the rooftop solar customer instead at the utilitys full avoided costs. Full avoided costs means the incremental costs to the utility of the electric energy or capacity, or both, which, but for the purchase from cogenerators or small power producers, such utility would generate itself or purchase from another source.. The primary argument for the legislation is that rooftop solar users are getting non-fuel utility services (power plants, wires, and maintenance) that everyone else pays more for. Policy issues can be complicated in our increasingly technical world. A similar proposal has been the subject of intense debate in California for months. My average cost of power with pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) in California is 26 Cents per kilo watt hour so I saved 10 cents per kilo watt hour with my off-grid system. This would be a significant cost to the utility. I differ with the contention that infrastructure cost is always buried. I then realized that the cost of the batteries, in that system, would be substantial and when pro-rated over their life and the life of the solar panels, it worked out to 16 cents per kilo watt hour for every kilo watt our I generated and used. The solar generating home owner should also consider what a battery-based, off-grid system would cost them for batteries and replacing those batteries periodically. Nowhere else do we attempt to parse out this cost and charge separately. Net metering is good for both me and the utility. the argument doesnt take into account the benefits of having more solar on the grid brings, including peak-shaving (the easing of grid strain during periods of high electricity use), utilities avoided costs (the more solar on the grid, the fewer expensive traditional power plants they have to build) and, naturally, the environmental benefits. Rachel Beveridge of Clermont chose to get solar panels installed in hopes of reaching net zero on her utility bills over time. They also argue the power generated by rooftop installations helps lower strain on the electrical grid and obviates the need to build new power plants that utility customers end up paying for.
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