Monday, March 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Victory Lets here it for the Assemblymember Jared Huffman Team
Hi Karen,
AB 920 was approved by the Legislature last week and is on its way to the Gov.
Lawrence Cooper
Legislative Director
Office of Assemblymember Jared Huffman
(916) 319-2006
AB 920 was approved by the Legislature last week and is on its way to the Gov.
Lawrence Cooper
Legislative Director
Office of Assemblymember Jared Huffman
(916) 319-2006
Thursday, July 9, 2009
AB 920 An act to amend Section 2827 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to energy
Existing law relative to private energy producers requires every
electric distribution utility or cooperative, as defined, upon
request, to make available to an eligible customer-generator, as
defined, a standard contract or tariff for net energy metering on a
first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total rated
generating capacity used by eligible customer-generators exceeds a
specified amount. Existing law provides that where the electricity
generated by the eligible customer-generator exceeds the electricity
supplied by the electric distribution utility or cooperative during a
12-month period, the eligible customer-generator is a net
electricity producer and the electric distribution utility or
cooperative retains any excess kilowatthours generated and the
customer-generator is not owed compensation for those excess
kilowatthours unless the electric distribution utility or cooperative
enters into a purchase agreement with the eligible
customer-generator for those excess kilowatthours.
This bill would replace the definition of "electric distribution
utility or cooperative" in existing law relative to private energy
producers with a definition of "electric utility." The bill would
require the ratemaking authority, as defined, for the electric
utility to adopt, by January 1, 2011, a net surplus electricity
compensation valuation to compensate a net surplus.
See the entire bill here at the link below:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_0901-0950/ab_920_bill_20090226_introduced.html
electric distribution utility or cooperative, as defined, upon
request, to make available to an eligible customer-generator, as
defined, a standard contract or tariff for net energy metering on a
first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total rated
generating capacity used by eligible customer-generators exceeds a
specified amount. Existing law provides that where the electricity
generated by the eligible customer-generator exceeds the electricity
supplied by the electric distribution utility or cooperative during a
12-month period, the eligible customer-generator is a net
electricity producer and the electric distribution utility or
cooperative retains any excess kilowatthours generated and the
customer-generator is not owed compensation for those excess
kilowatthours unless the electric distribution utility or cooperative
enters into a purchase agreement with the eligible
customer-generator for those excess kilowatthours.
This bill would replace the definition of "electric distribution
utility or cooperative" in existing law relative to private energy
producers with a definition of "electric utility." The bill would
require the ratemaking authority, as defined, for the electric
utility to adopt, by January 1, 2011, a net surplus electricity
compensation valuation to compensate a net surplus.
See the entire bill here at the link below:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_0901-0950/ab_920_bill_20090226_introduced.html
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
How PG E policy takes your electron burden from YOU for free
Say what?
Yes, this is what I heard California State Senator Cox argue on behalf of sparing PG&E from the cost of taking the energy YOU generate when you put up solar panels. In effect, the solar industry subsidizes PG&E!
Per Carla at Akeena Solar September 30, 2008, in California and a number of states, even though it may not be an actual sale, homeowners and businesses are credited any excess energy units against their accounts with local public utilities the retail value of what that energy unit would have cost them.
If the credit is not used by the end of a given year, the utility company will zero out any avaliable credit at the end of that year.
Yes, this is what I heard California State Senator Cox argue on behalf of sparing PG&E from the cost of taking the energy YOU generate when you put up solar panels. In effect, the solar industry subsidizes PG&E!
Per Carla at Akeena Solar September 30, 2008, in California and a number of states, even though it may not be an actual sale, homeowners and businesses are credited any excess energy units against their accounts with local public utilities the retail value of what that energy unit would have cost them.
If the credit is not used by the end of a given year, the utility company will zero out any avaliable credit at the end of that year.
but here is some good news
Continent's Largest Municipal Utility Proposes Solar Feed-in Tariff
November 30, 2008
By Paul Gipe
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced to much fanfare on November 24 that the city's municipal utility would launch one of the continent's largest solar power programs.
The mayor's plan would direct the city's municipal utility, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), to build or purchase 1,300 MW of solar energy by 2020.
Among provisions of the plan is a feed-in tariff for 150 MW of solar photovoltaics by 2016. This is the first official announcement of a feed-in tariff proposal by a California city, but it is not the first in the United States.
Gainesville, Florida previously announced that it was formally considering a feed-in tariff to replace its solar rebate program.
Recently, the Palm Springs Desert Sun reported that Palm Desert, California was also considering solar feed-in tariffs after city officials toured Spain, one of the world's leading developers of solar energy. Spain uses feed-in tariffs.
LADWP is the continent's largest municipal utility. It was briefly at the forefront of solar energy development in California from 1999 to 2003, before inexplicably abandoning its program.
The city and LADWP provided no details on the solar feed-in tariff or on the other renewable energy proposals that were part of the mayor's press release. There were no further details on LADWP's web site. Photos of wind turbines on the web site were standard stock photos and all were of wind turbines outside the utility's service area.
LADWP claims that 8.5% of its electricity currently comes from renewables and that the utility is on track to meet its 20% target by 2010. The last report on the utility's web site about its renewable energy program, however, is dated 2003, the year the utility canceled its successful solar program.
Los Angeles' 120 MW Pine Tree wind project is slated to come on line in 2009. The project also is outside of the Los Angeles Basin, just north of the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area.
Interestingly, it was a municipal utility that launched the modern version of Germany's famed feed-in tariffs. Aachen introduced the first solar-specific feed-in tariff in the mid-1990s. Subsequently other German cities followed suit. In 2000 Germany's parliament incorporated the concept behind Aachen's policy in its groundbreaking system of Advanced Renewable Tariffs.
Municipal utilities in the Americas may be able to emulate Aachen and be the first to launch true feed-in tariffs. Because municipal utilities are governed by city officials, they can be more responsive to public demands for action on renewable energy than the often more distant state or provincial legislatures.
Toronto Hydro, North America's second largest and Canada's largest municipal utility, briefly considered a solar PV feed-in tariff in 2007, but took no action. The proposal before Toronto Hydro employed a differentiated feed-in tariff that was intended to work with the province of Ontario's Standard Offer Contract Program.
The proposal of Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) is the most advanced in the United States. GRU's commission has ordered preparation of a tariff.
In contrast to Gainesville's approach, LADWP made public little or no information on the details of its proposal. GRU prepared a detailed report which it presented to Gainesville's utility commission when the utility went public with its proposal.
Los Angeles incorporates Hollywood within its city boundaries and there's always an element of showmanship in its pronouncements. The city's proposal is aggressive, more than one-third of the California Solar Initiative's 3,000 MW of solar PV, if it is more than simply aspirational.
The portion of the plan devoted to a feed-in tariff is about one-tenth of the entire program. Countries that have been the most successful at rapidly developing renewable energy (Germany, France, and Spain) use feed-in tariffs as the principal if not only policy mechanism.
Despite the uncritical media accounts of the "world's most ambitious solar plan," attention has focused not only on the targets, but also on the various mechanisms that may be used to reach those targets, including feed-in tariffs.
Regardless of how or even whether it follows through, Los Angeles, as one of North America's largest cities, has put feed-in tariffs, at least for solar, on the continent's public policy map.
Los Angeles Solar Plan Press Release
http://mayor.lacity.org/Issues/Environment/index.htm
The Los Angeles Solar Plan http://mayor.lacity.org/stellent/groups/electedofficials/@myr_ch_contributor/documents/contributor_web_content/lacity_004982.pdf
Palm Desert officials leave on solar trip to Spain: Ferguson and Conlon want to bring feed-in tariff to California (Desert Sun) http://www.windworks.org/FeedLaws/USA/USAList.html
Gainesville Regional Utilities Proposes Solar Feed-in Tariff (Gainesville Sun)
Germany's Success at Transforming Renewable Energy Markets
http://www.wind-works.org/FeedLaws/USA/Ed%20FMEA%20Solar%20Pres%207-8-08.ppt
Gainesville Solar Rate Proposal 10-13-08 Final.doc
http://www.wind-works.org/FeedLaws/USA/Gainesville%20Solar%20Rate%20Proposal%2010-13-08%20Final.doc
The Aachen Solar Tariff Model
http://www.wind-works.org/Solar/TheAachenSolarTariffModel.html
TREC's Proposed Toronto Hydro Solar Initiative
http://www.wind-works.org/Solar/TRECsTorontoHydroProposedSolarInitiative.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November 30, 2008
By Paul Gipe
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced to much fanfare on November 24 that the city's municipal utility would launch one of the continent's largest solar power programs.
The mayor's plan would direct the city's municipal utility, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), to build or purchase 1,300 MW of solar energy by 2020.
Among provisions of the plan is a feed-in tariff for 150 MW of solar photovoltaics by 2016. This is the first official announcement of a feed-in tariff proposal by a California city, but it is not the first in the United States.
Gainesville, Florida previously announced that it was formally considering a feed-in tariff to replace its solar rebate program.
Recently, the Palm Springs Desert Sun reported that Palm Desert, California was also considering solar feed-in tariffs after city officials toured Spain, one of the world's leading developers of solar energy. Spain uses feed-in tariffs.
LADWP is the continent's largest municipal utility. It was briefly at the forefront of solar energy development in California from 1999 to 2003, before inexplicably abandoning its program.
The city and LADWP provided no details on the solar feed-in tariff or on the other renewable energy proposals that were part of the mayor's press release. There were no further details on LADWP's web site. Photos of wind turbines on the web site were standard stock photos and all were of wind turbines outside the utility's service area.
LADWP claims that 8.5% of its electricity currently comes from renewables and that the utility is on track to meet its 20% target by 2010. The last report on the utility's web site about its renewable energy program, however, is dated 2003, the year the utility canceled its successful solar program.
Los Angeles' 120 MW Pine Tree wind project is slated to come on line in 2009. The project also is outside of the Los Angeles Basin, just north of the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area.
Interestingly, it was a municipal utility that launched the modern version of Germany's famed feed-in tariffs. Aachen introduced the first solar-specific feed-in tariff in the mid-1990s. Subsequently other German cities followed suit. In 2000 Germany's parliament incorporated the concept behind Aachen's policy in its groundbreaking system of Advanced Renewable Tariffs.
Municipal utilities in the Americas may be able to emulate Aachen and be the first to launch true feed-in tariffs. Because municipal utilities are governed by city officials, they can be more responsive to public demands for action on renewable energy than the often more distant state or provincial legislatures.
Toronto Hydro, North America's second largest and Canada's largest municipal utility, briefly considered a solar PV feed-in tariff in 2007, but took no action. The proposal before Toronto Hydro employed a differentiated feed-in tariff that was intended to work with the province of Ontario's Standard Offer Contract Program.
The proposal of Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) is the most advanced in the United States. GRU's commission has ordered preparation of a tariff.
In contrast to Gainesville's approach, LADWP made public little or no information on the details of its proposal. GRU prepared a detailed report which it presented to Gainesville's utility commission when the utility went public with its proposal.
Los Angeles incorporates Hollywood within its city boundaries and there's always an element of showmanship in its pronouncements. The city's proposal is aggressive, more than one-third of the California Solar Initiative's 3,000 MW of solar PV, if it is more than simply aspirational.
The portion of the plan devoted to a feed-in tariff is about one-tenth of the entire program. Countries that have been the most successful at rapidly developing renewable energy (Germany, France, and Spain) use feed-in tariffs as the principal if not only policy mechanism.
Despite the uncritical media accounts of the "world's most ambitious solar plan," attention has focused not only on the targets, but also on the various mechanisms that may be used to reach those targets, including feed-in tariffs.
Regardless of how or even whether it follows through, Los Angeles, as one of North America's largest cities, has put feed-in tariffs, at least for solar, on the continent's public policy map.
Los Angeles Solar Plan Press Release
http://mayor.lacity.org/Issues/Environment/index.htm
The Los Angeles Solar Plan http://mayor.lacity.org/stellent/groups/electedofficials/@myr_ch_contributor/documents/contributor_web_content/lacity_004982.pdf
Palm Desert officials leave on solar trip to Spain: Ferguson and Conlon want to bring feed-in tariff to California (Desert Sun) http://www.windworks.org/FeedLaws/USA/USAList.html
Gainesville Regional Utilities Proposes Solar Feed-in Tariff (Gainesville Sun)
Germany's Success at Transforming Renewable Energy Markets
http://www.wind-works.org/FeedLaws/USA/Ed%20FMEA%20Solar%20Pres%207-8-08.ppt
Gainesville Solar Rate Proposal 10-13-08 Final.doc
http://www.wind-works.org/FeedLaws/USA/Gainesville%20Solar%20Rate%20Proposal%2010-13-08%20Final.doc
The Aachen Solar Tariff Model
http://www.wind-works.org/Solar/TheAachenSolarTariffModel.html
TREC's Proposed Toronto Hydro Solar Initiative
http://www.wind-works.org/Solar/TRECsTorontoHydroProposedSolarInitiative.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Solar Village.com
.......While we are on the subject of FITs and REPs, you might want to view a few videos that cover it as well. The first is called - "Saved by the Sun". It is a PBS (Nova) video that is well worth the watch. They go to Germany and show examples of how Feed-In Tariff credits work and how banks participate in low interest loans for those installing panels. Typically they are spread over 20 years. For the governments part, they guarantee that the utility will purchase power from each site over that period of time at a rate to pay for the system as well as insuring systems become income producing for the owner of the installed site. The video is available through NetFlix and Blockbuster. I bought my copy.
Here is another one.........Go to the website - www.thesolarvillage.com where there is a free video on Freiberg, Germany and the start of the solar initiative in Germany in the 1970s by a town and its people demonstrating through civil disobedience against a proposed nuclear facility to be built there. This is all shown in the video. It was the impetus that spawned Germany's solar lead in the world today. The town of Freiberg houses one of Germany's biggest solar panel manufacturers today all fostered by this grass roots movement. Please take time to watch this video......it is important. Just go to the website and you will find it in the upper left hand corner. I see that Al Gore met today with Obama and Biden about global warming and the need to transition to clean energy. One more suggestion is to read the Thomas L. Friedman book - "Hot, Flat, and Crowded". I am in the final chapters and feel that it is the best book I have read this year. It ties all of the issues we face for the health of the planet - global warming, the emergence of the middle class throughout the world and the stress that that has placed on fossil fuels, and finally the population explosion and the pressure that that is placing on the other two...........These are all interrelated, of course.
More later..................
Here is another one.........Go to the website - www.thesolarvillage.com where there is a free video on Freiberg, Germany and the start of the solar initiative in Germany in the 1970s by a town and its people demonstrating through civil disobedience against a proposed nuclear facility to be built there. This is all shown in the video. It was the impetus that spawned Germany's solar lead in the world today. The town of Freiberg houses one of Germany's biggest solar panel manufacturers today all fostered by this grass roots movement. Please take time to watch this video......it is important. Just go to the website and you will find it in the upper left hand corner. I see that Al Gore met today with Obama and Biden about global warming and the need to transition to clean energy. One more suggestion is to read the Thomas L. Friedman book - "Hot, Flat, and Crowded". I am in the final chapters and feel that it is the best book I have read this year. It ties all of the issues we face for the health of the planet - global warming, the emergence of the middle class throughout the world and the stress that that has placed on fossil fuels, and finally the population explosion and the pressure that that is placing on the other two...........These are all interrelated, of course.
More later..................
USA energy pie, Solar is about 2 tenths of a percent
Click on the figure itself to see in larger magnification.
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