That never occurred to me.The problem is that when the sun shines on your roof enough to backfeed it is also shining on the megawatt solar farm down the road and the market price of power goes negative.
Determining a fair price then becomes problematic!
Maybe it's a good article in the big picture, but as soon as I saw "kilowatts of energy" it made me wonder what else in it is wrong.Good Article by Consumer Reports ledger companies in California pushing for grid solar grid
And let EV owners charge for free. I would pay a reasonable monthly fee for that kind of pricing.One solution might be to give out free power during those peak hours to customers that have battery banks. It would encourage use of energy storage systems on a smaller, residential, scale.
As long as you’re also paying their monthly Grid Benefits Charge, they’d have no reason to come after you.My strategy is not to disconnect but rather to use as little as possible by self consuming the power I produce. I doubt they can come after me for that.
What do you mean by power plans could have been built?as for the terrain power plans could have been built instead of running lines
I built my off-grid system for backup but remain on the grid and have a decent sized grid-tied PV system (11kW) as well which saves us over $3k/year.why I decided to go off grid in the first place, got sick of the brownouts / blackouts during " peak " times and when inclement weather would shut it down for days and paying a premium for the privilege
hell a car would hit a poll and shut down large sections of the town, from hours to days.
But powerful hybrid inverters and large home batteries means that the grid only needs to supply average power for those customers, not peak power.
I built my off-grid system for backup but remain on the grid and have a decent sized grid-tied PV system (11kW) as well which saves us over $3k/year.
We could operate for long periods without the grid if we really needed to although our main home would be without aircon, ... Unpleasant on a hot humid Summer day but we have a pool and fans and eventually I'm hoping to have one section of our home with a more efficient aircon unit we could use.
My plan is to avoid the Grid Benefits Charge by cancelling my NEM agreement in fourteen years unless the economics change.As long as you’re also paying their monthly Grid Benefits Charge, they’d have no reason to come after you.
Another story? I prefer to base my speculation on current statutes and legislative history.If you tell them you’ve decommissioned your solar system but your consumption doesn’t change (because you continue to make use of it), that might be another story…
Texas gave free overnight power during times of abundant wind power.One solution might be to give out free power during those peak hours to customers that have battery banks. It would encourage use of energy storage systems on a smaller, residential, scale.
It’s true that you are on the trailing edge of this transition to the Successor Tariff, so all available paths should be well-trodden by the time you are facing these decisions.My plan is to avoid the Grid Benefits Charge by cancelling my NEM agreement in fourteen years unless the economics change.
I plan on reducing my consumption by self consuming my solar generation or storing it in batteries. The building code only requires me to have a grid connection. Nothing in that stature requires me to use it at any particular time or in any particular amount. My two EVs will probably require some usage as well as some other devices such as heat pumps especially in the winter when solar production is lower. It is a risk I am willing to take and economics will drive my decisions not some belief that PG&E has more authority than the statutes have given them.
What do you mean by power plans could have been built?
If you means power plants, then that's what all these smaller unintegrated pockets of regional supply have now, local generation (often very dirty generation although in more remote regions there are increasingly solar PV and battery systems being used to create mini-grids).
But ultimately power still has to get from the supply source (power generator) to the location of demand (homes and businesses) and that requires a transmission network, however large or small.
Connecting grids together to form larger grids provides many many benefits - it enables far greater resilience and stability and enables more distributed supply, right down to householder level. Indeed distributed rooftop solar PV is now the 3rd largest supplier of electrical energy in the Australian grid, and this would not be possible without integrated transmission networks.
At some point for a region it may be too costly to remain connected to the grid (with reliability) and that's where the new emerging microgrids are good options, e.g. what they are now doing in some Western Australian communities:
Microgrids - keeping the power on for regional WA customers
What is a microgrid system? Learn how Western Power is connecting regional communities in Western Australia with microgrids and improving power reliability.www.westernpower.com.au
Places more remote again need local generation and that has traditionally been diesel generators. Expensive and dirty and reliant on fuel supplies which may or may not be able to get there, especially in flood events. Solar/wind/battery tech is changing that paradigm.
yes I meant “Plants”. With all that sun you guys should have been on that path a long time ago. How are you handling the recycling of the turbine Blades and battery’s?What do you mean by power plans could have been built?
If you means power plants, then that's what all these smaller unintegrated pockets of regional supply have now, local generation (often very dirty generation although in more remote regions there are increasingly solar PV and battery systems being used to create mini-grids).
But ultimately power still has to get from the supply source (power generator) to the location of demand (homes and businesses) and that requires a transmission network, however large or small.
Connecting grids together to form larger grids provides many many benefits - it enables far greater resilience and stability and enables more distributed supply, right down to householder level. Indeed distributed rooftop solar PV is now the 3rd largest supplier of electrical energy in the Australian grid, and this would not be possible without integrated transmission networks.
At some point for a region it may be too costly to remain connected to the grid (with reliability) and that's where the new emerging microgrids are good options, e.g. what they are now doing in some Western Australian communities:
Microgrids - keeping the power on for regional WA customers
What is a microgrid system? Learn how Western Power is connecting regional communities in Western Australia with microgrids and improving power reliability.www.westernpower.com.au
Places more remote again need local generation and that has traditionally been diesel generators. Expensive and dirty and reliant on fuel supplies which may or may not be able to get there, especially in flood events. Solar/wind/battery tech is changing that paradigm.
The fact you have to have a grid connection is troubling. The rules are fluid, most statutes are heavily influenced by the electric companies.My plan is to avoid the Grid Benefits Charge by cancelling my NEM agreement in fourteen years unless the economics change.
Another story? I prefer to base my speculation on current statutes and legislative history.
I plan on self consuming my solar generation or storing it in batteries for later use in order to reduce my consumption. The proposed Successor Tariff encourages that. Economics will determine whether I can do that more economically than purchasing energy from PG&E. The building code only requires me to have a grid connection. Nothing in that statute requires me to use it at any particular time or in any particular amount. I am happy to pay a reasonable fixed fee to be able to use the grid as backup. In the winter my two EVs will probably require some usage as well as some other devices such as heat pumps especially when solar production is lower. It is a risk I am willing to take and economics will drive my decisions not some belief that PG&E has more authority than the statutes have given them.
Good Article by Consumer Reports ledger companies in California pushing for grid solar grid
California proposes reducing incentives for rooftop solar
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California regulators proposed major changes to the state’s booming residential solar industry Monday, including reducing the discounts homeowners with rooftop solar and storage systems get on their electric bills when they sell extra energy back to the power companies...ca.finance.yahoo.com
This is one reason why you should care, they can and will come for you
Florida woman living off the grid forced to connect to city utilities
A judge ruled that it's illegal to disconnect from the city's water systemwww.salon.com
You can do this now in parts of Australia with wholesale pass through plans, when the wholesale price goes sufficiently negative the full pass through price (including network/grid charges) is also negative.One solution might be to give out free power during those peak hours to customers that have battery banks. It would encourage use of energy storage systems on a smaller, residential, scale.
That would only send a signal to consumers to go out and buy batteries which then puts them in a worse position a few years time as those trying to justify their expensive home solar purchase and the reason for this thread.\One solution might be to give out free power during those peak hours to customers that have battery banks. It would encourage use of energy storage systems on a smaller, residential, scale.
They told her she had to connect to the grid, that is the problem. When Cathy’s run sewer and water lines they force people to connect and pay for having it done, this happens all over the country.Sewer bills are based off f water bills, so she was getting a free ride? What’s the concern?
I can but I have zero need to do that. It would cost a LOT more than just being a grid tied system. Batteries are still really expensive and not economically viable when the grid is available.If you put in an AC coupled battery inverter, and it can control output of GT PV by means of frequency shift, it will power the A/C and everything else quite nicely. I have similar size system with 4x SI-6048US (two would have been sufficient) and 400 Ah 48V AGM (SMA recommends 1100 AH for 11kW AC coupled PV but I haven't had a problem.)
No chance. We have 3 buildings / 2 dwellings to cover. Our biggest day was 144kWh and peak 5-min average power draw 13.5kW.If off-grid or otherwise no more than 6.7 kW of GT PV feeding through its 56A relay, one SI-6048US would be sufficient (needs 120/240V transformer.)
It is not troubling for me. I understand it from a building safety standpoint.The fact you have to have a grid connection is troubling.
I agree there are some grey areas. Only some of the rules have the effect of statutes and I have studied them long enough to the point that I understand what my options are. I firmly believe in the right to generate my own power as long as that is done in a safe manner and in conformance with the building codes. That right to generate power is clear to me and not one of the grey areas. I have spent the past fifty years interfacing with power companies in California while supervising over twenty million dollars worth of the construction. I am only speaking about my experience in California with the regulated Investor Owned Utilities. Municipal Utilities are another issue as are other states or countries.The rules are fluid, most statutes are heavily influenced by the electric companies.