another hiccup to going solar?

[ddbackhoe]

Ca. is changing the net metering rules.

Major changes coming to California’s rooftop solar rules

A decision by the California Public Utilities Commission will make it much more expensive to get rooftop solar starting April 15th.

www.cbs8.com

 

[Hay Dude]

oh no!

 

[Dftodd]

Arkansas just passed similar. So much for selling back to the grid to help fund your solar investment

 

[ddbackhoe]

oh no!

I too was surprised

 

[sea2summit]

Can't let you think you can be independent of "them" and make your own power.

 

[ddbackhoe]

It's actually not. This is the energy providers doing this. Arkansas just passed similar regulations.

Your pretty much providing the electric companies with free electricity to sell back to your neighbors under the new regulations.

I'm sure you will see similar regulations pass in other states as well.

So the utilities can recoup their profit margins after the coal plants were closed? The projections for utility solar farms looks good, can hardly wait to see where the feds money really went.

Loan Programs Office

LPO investments accelerate the deployment of innovative clean energy projects & advanced technology vehicles manufacturing facilities across the U.S.

www.energy.gov

 

[Dftodd]

So the utilities can recoup their profit margins after the coal plants were closed? The projections for utility solar farms looks good, can hardly wait to see where the feds money really went.

Loan Programs Office

LPO investments accelerate the deployment of innovative clean energy projects & advanced technology vehicles manufacturing facilities across the U.S.

www.energy.gov

Yeah, they are building a solar farm down the street from my work.

We were consididering adding solar to our property we just purchased.

But will have to check out and see what our options are going forward. That kind of chaps the fanny when your providing them with free energy to sell

 

[LD1]

Welcome to my world with rural coop electric and why I havent switched to solar.

But to be clear.....anyone can be "free" of them if you have your own storage (batteries).

But the days of being able to use the "grid" as your "battery" for free are coming to an end. And I knew this day was coming because current solar model is not sustainable. Why should all the non-solar customers have to pay extra to subsidize all the solar customers.

Ill use 25ȼ and 4ȼ because thats what the article used

They said people currently paying 25ȼ for electric are currently getting a 25ȼ credit for solar they arent using. Directly offsetting their bill. Even though they are using "grid" power during peak times (evening when everyone is cooking and has lights on and TV, etc). Yet during the peak of solar output during the day when no one is at home and everyone working.....they are selling it back to the grid for the same 25ȼ they are paying. But that is gonna get cut to 4ȼ

Why is that you wonder......

Well your electric company is SELLING you power for 25ȼ. But that encompasses everything. That is the sum of their generation, transmission, distribution, transformers, meters, etc etc. They are BUYING their power at wholesale for 4ȼ. The other 21ȼ is all those other things that you STILL NEED if you are grid tied. You still need distribution, and the power lines/poles, and the linemen, and a meter, etc etc.

So let me ask.....why should NON-solar customers be forced to buy your surplus solar @25ȼ instead of the market wholesale rate which is 4ȼ? In what world does that make sense? As a business you want to buy from the most affordable supplier right?

 

[LD1]

Everyone thinking that if they go solar you are providing the electric company with "free" power to sell is sadly mistaken and has no understanding of how power companies work.

Power companies are just tired of being forced to pay residential customers 4x or 5x what they can buy the SAME power from their suppliers at wholesale for. Which only drives up the cost for everyone else, because you know damn good and well the power companies are just passing along that cost.

This is just the difference between wholesale and retail. No different than any other market.

You go into walmart and see they are selling milk for $5/gallon so you decide to get a couple of dairy cows and approach walmart. You intend to sell walmart milk if your cows make more than you use.....but if mil production drops you will still buy walmart's $5 milk. Now with this scenerio.....do you honestly expect walmart to buy YOUR surplus milk at the same $5/gal they are selling it for Or do you think they will only buy it at their wholesale rate of $2-$3 a gallonor whatever it is?

This is the same for solar. The only difference is it got screwed up because the government got involved and forced the utilities to do this.....thats the ONLY way solar got traction. Because from the very beginning if the electric companies were allowed to purchase residential solar at the market wholesale rate....not many would have went solar.

Again, why should the electric companies be FORCED to pay 4x or 5x for residential solar power when they can purchase it from their normal suppliers for a fraction of the cost. And at the same time while being forced to do so.....they also had to maintain their infrastructure to be your battery for FREE.

It was NEVER sustainable this way. And it was only a matter of time until enough people started switching to solar that things were gonna change. We have reached that time

 

[mrmikey]

You go into walmart and see they are selling milk for $5/gallon so you decide to get a couple of dairy cows and approach walmart. You intend to sell walmart milk if your cows make more than you use.....but if mil production drops you will still buy walmart's $5 milk. Now with this scenerio.....do you honestly expect walmart to buy YOUR surplus milk at the same $5/gal they are selling it for Or do you think they will only buy it at their wholesale rate of $2-$3 a gallonor whatever it is?

I never thought about it in those terms before, good example .
I can see the electric companies not paying you the same as what they charge, they are into it for profit not charity which I have no problem with. Is there that much of aa actual difference between what they charge and what they pay for electricity?
Our local company tried to drop the rates they'd pay for consumer supplied electric. Consumers and solar power installers raised such a stink the goobermint stepped in and halted it. What they're trying to do now is get people to sign up for off peak rates but the only way you can is if you:
1: have a thermal storage system for heat
2: pay an additional $8 a month (I think it is) billing fee and pay more for using power at regular times
They're in it to make money not be nice to people