11th hour deal in California

- California public utility Imperial Irrigation District has reached a deal with the solar industry to extend net metering deals to between 1,200 and 1,300 customers, months after announcing it would not be taking new subscriptions, the Desert Sun reports.
- Earlier this year, IID said it had reached a cap on the program, put in place by the state legislature, which limited net metering to 5% of its peak electricity demand, leaving more than a thousand customers in limbo with their solar arrays.
- In a letter from IID District General Manager Kevin Kelley to state Senator Ben Hueso (D), the utility said it would extend net metering to customers who requested interconnection before April 1, and other sets of customers who had already taken steps to install panels.
Dive Insight:
Despite the decision by California regulators to preserve the current net metering rates until 2019 for investor-owned utilities, a public utility is caught in a debate over rooftop solar similar to those occurring in Arizona and Nevada.
The solar industry was trying to push a bill through the California legislature to extend IID's net metering program. But as the end of the session loomed, the utility agreed to reach a deal to allow more customers into the program.
The Desert Sun obtained a copy of IID's letter which explained the three sets of customers which will still be granted net metering deals: those who requested interconnection before April; those who applied for solar rebates by Feb. 5; and anyone who paid for a building permit before April 1.
According to the newspaper, those groups include more than 1,000 customers who previously would have been locked out of the program. The legislation which the solar industry supported would have allowed even more customers into the program, but the utility's compromise reaches more than 80% of customers who had been in the process of installing solar when IID hit the cap.
IID has previously had run-ins with solar advocates. In 2014, the utility reduced its incentives for small solar systems from $1.55/watt to $0.50/watt, prompting one installer to label the initiative the "worst solar rebate program on God's green earth."
Recommended Reading
The Desert Sun: Rooftop solar industry, Imperial Irrigation District strike last-minute compromise on net metering
http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/
E-mail [email protected]
Comments
Dive Insight:
As the California legislative session wound down, lawmakers voted on four separate bills aimed at giving a boost to energy storage.
AB 33 directs the CPUC to consider large-scale storage, specifically pumped hydro. The bill comes after the California ISO identified a need for fast-ramping, flexible resources to balance the grid and mitigate the potential impacts of over-generation from renewables.
In either a new or existing proceeding, the law would direct regulators to "assess the potential costs and benefits of all types of long duration bulk energy storage resources, including impacts to the transmission and distribution systems of location-specific long duration bulk energy storage resources."
Recommended Reading
California legislature: AB 33
California legislature: AB 2868
California legislature: AB 1637
California legislature: AB 2861
http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/
E-mail [email protected]
[b]The solar industry was trying to push a bill through the California legislature to extend IID's net metering program. But as the end of the session loomed, the utility agreed to reach a deal to allow more customers into the program.[/b]
Your last quote is your best quote.
People here are welcoming you to a community, but being a friend by saying some of your comments may not be coming out the way you intend.
Main daytime system ~4kw panels into 2xMNClassic150 370ah 48v bank 2xOutback 3548 inverter 120v + 240v autotransformer
Night system ~1kw panels into 1xMNClassic150 700ah 12v bank morningstar 300w inverter
KID #51B 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
My humorous comment was at least on the topic of California, several posts here have tried to derail that by discussing personal matters and for that I apologize to the OP.
Main daytime system ~4kw panels into 2xMNClassic150 370ah 48v bank 2xOutback 3548 inverter 120v + 240v autotransformer
Night system ~1kw panels into 1xMNClassic150 700ah 12v bank morningstar 300w inverter
Just be be on our best behaviour as guests in their home.
And you can see why I do not attempt much in the way of off the wall humor here/online in places that I care about (unless a web forum goes "that way").
I do not get paid for this (and have never hit NAWS up for "free stuff"). I do it because I care about helping others--Just like folks helped me and my families when I was young.
Please dial it back a bit. Does not mean that we cannot disagree or feel strongly about things. Just be straight forward in the discussion about the points of issue.
-Bill