Back to top Jump to featured resources

Viewing the net metering tag archive

commercial solar grid parity report ILSR 2012 cover page
Article, ILSR Press Room filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 2, 2013

Is Your Utility Ready? New Report Says Local Solar Could Power 10% of Country in 10 Years

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/utility-ready-report-local-solar-power-10-country-10-years/

Minneapolis, MN —Within a decade, more than 35 million buildings may be generating their own solar electricity (without subsidies) at prices lower than their utility offers, sufficient to power almost 10% of the country.

That’s the powerful headline from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s latest report, Commercial Rooftop Revolution. Despite the opportunity, utilities, regulators, and policy markers are largely unprepared for the surge of local solar power.

Read the report, view the interactive map, and more

Continue reading

State Virtual or Group Net Metering Policies 2012
Article, Rule filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 1 Comment | Updated on Aug 17, 2012

Virtual Net Metering

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/virtual-net-metering/

Net metering is a common distributed renewable energy policy in the United States, allowing individuals to “turn back” their meter (and reduce their electric bill) by generating on-site electricity.  But utility accounting systems typically prevent people from sharing the output from a single, common solar or wind project. Virtual (or group or neighborhood) net metering… Continue reading

agenergy_sunflower 1
Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 3 Comments | Updated on Aug 16, 2012

Colorado’s Community Solar Program Allots 9 MW in 30 Minutes

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/colorados-community-solar-program-allots-9-mw-30-minutes/

When you subtract out shady roofs, renters, and other factors, only about 25% of Americans have a place to install solar power.  With the high upfront cost of a complete system, the potential solar universe shrinks further. That changes with “community solar.” After a long wait on the state’s Public Utilities Commission to finalize the… Continue reading

5347619425_1ae1a58b89_z
Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 1 Comment | Updated on Apr 11, 2012

Net Metering a Cost to Utilities, or a Benefit?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/net-metering-cost-utilities-benefit-2/

Utilities often claim that allowing customers to run their meter backward (by generating electricity on-site, e.g. from rooftop solar) can affect their bottom line because these customers don’t pay enough to cover the cost of maintaining the grid.  In at least one case, however, a utility’s cost-benefit analysis of net metering was turned on its… Continue reading

Sundial
Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2012

Electricity Priced by the Hour Boosts Distributed Solar Value by a Third or More

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/electricity-priced-hour-boosts-distributed-solar/

Updated 2/1/12 because I underestimated how the tiered pricing worked.  Thanks to bkarney at Renewable Energy World for the comment. Last week I wrote about the time-of-use pricing scheme that PG&E offers in San Francisco, and how solar power is worth 14% more compared to a standard flat-rate electricity plan.  In reality, it’s 36% or… Continue reading

Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 7 Comments | Updated on Jun 1, 2011

Learning a Lesson about Net Metering

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/learning-lesson-about-net-metering/

I just got a copy of a utility bill for a Minnesota business that has a 40 kilowatt (kW) solar PV array.  I’d hoped to get a sense for how quickly he’d pay off his array with the net metering revenue.  I was shocked. Payback time was 30 years.  Even if the business owner had… Continue reading

Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Dec 9, 2010

Perverse Policy Makes Distributed Renewables More Expensive

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/perverse-policy-makes-distributed-renewables-more-expensive/

We’ve talked previously about the perversity of using tax credits to incentivize renewable energy production, increasing transaction costs and reducing participation in renewable energy development.  But there are other perversities in U.S. state and utility renewable energy policies, especially with upfront rebates and net metering. Let’s start with rebates.  Many states and utilities offer upfront… Continue reading