Does solar or other energy companies share data in a uniform way?

ggse000
ggse000 Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭✭
in General Solar Power Topics #1
Every once a while, I hear a news headline which says something like "...State of <state> has generated <x> % of its total energy generation by solar, wind and rest is coal in <y> year...". 
This leads me to thinking another step: Does energy companies has any means to share and or inform the percent of renewable energy they use within a certain time frame (most common unit of frame being a month due to a monthly bill).
If there is any standardized way where energy companies share and exchange the that percentage information, there can be some really revolutionary concepts and new driving force can be created to encourage transition to renewable energy. However if each company does it proprietray way, this will not be a possible.
 



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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #2
    In California, last I remember, if your home system is 10 kWatt or less (solar array), they do not track your generation vs usage. It is "net power" (loads-kWH generated by solar = energy used/generated, reported back to PG&E every 60 minutes for residential accounts).

    For systems between (as I recall) 10-100 kWatt array, they may require a separate logging meter for solar power that is (probably) reported back by the same type of wireless power meter every (probably) 15 minutes (commercial customers).

    For over 100 kWatt arrays, full utility interface (whatever that is).

    California also does post some of this information through:

    http://www.caiso.com/Pages/default.aspx

    And they have "live graphs" of generation (broken down into various types of generating sources--Excluded "big hydro"--A huge part of generation capacity and normally "green"????) and loads... Represents something like 80% of the energy usage in California:

    http://www.caiso.com/Pages/TodaysOutlook.aspx

    "Today's Renewable Generation"





    There is a lot of information on the above page, and lots of detailed documents if you look around.

    Note that other states/utilities have different rules (in many states, separate meters for loads and solar are required). In California, we "net meter" (if the loads are less than solar, extra power to grid; if local load is greater than solar, net power supplied by grid).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • peakbagger
    peakbagger Solar Expert Posts: 341 ✭✭✭
    #3

    I think most of the Independent System Operators (ISOs) do track  generation type. New England has a local carbon market (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative - "commonly called "reggie" that definitely tracks renewable generation as suppliers have to meet minimum renewable goals in most states or pay a penalty. There is a problem where each state has different definitions of renewable. VT got slapped on the wrist for double counting renewables, they were including SREC generation as credit for state goals but that was cheating as renewable power producers who sell SRECS have stripped the renewable attributes for sale via a SREC to some other party. Frequently when you see some company boasting some percentage of renewable power they are buying SRECs rather then physically installing renewable power equipment.

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