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DWP will allow customers to sell back excess solar energy

LA Times -- Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers for the first time will be able to sell back excess solar energy created on rooftops and parking lots under a new program approved Friday by the city utility's board of commissioners.

Described as the largest urban rooftop solar program of its kind in the nation, the so-called feed-in-tariff program would pay customers 17 cents per kilowatt hour for energy produced on their own equipment. The DWP has already accepted more than a dozen applicants and will be taking dozens more as it accepts contracts for up to 100 megawatts of solar power through 2016.

Environmentalists, business supporters and solar vendors were thrilled by the vote. Feed-in-tariff programs help generate jobs and economic activity while decreasing greenhouse gas emissio

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Submitted Jan 12, 2013 By: skb69sa

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honda0105 Champion Author Tallahassee Posts:18,643 Points:1,611,470 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Jan 15, 2013 5:02:37 AM Ignore honda0105 Report Abuse local electric co-op already is doing that for going on 8 years now.
DrLyon Champion Author Michigan Posts:6,660 Points:1,213,780 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 3:54:18 PM Ignore DrLyon Report Abuse Good...
OHMS Champion Author Orange County Posts:13,727 Points:1,693,830 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 1:03:57 PM Ignore OHMS Report Abuse sell back what they never bought
remay Champion Author Houston Posts:6,973 Points:2,119,340 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 12:47:19 PM Ignore remay Report Abuse Hope the program SPREADS to the rest of the US.
DanMtz Champion Author Oakland Posts:3,360 Points:1,244,300 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 8:57:32 AM Ignore DanMtz Report Abuse Hmmm, I pay 13 cents per kwhr. 17 cents sounds like a good deal for their customers.
tomok Champion Author Portland Posts:33,069 Points:2,347,460 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 2:19:29 AM Ignore tomok Report Abuse DWP will allow customers to sell back excess solar energy. They are finally getting around to supporting people with their own solar panels and wind turbines. Excess power from home generating green sources are a good source of electrcicty. Need more solar panels and wind turbines are large warehouse roofs, Costco, USPS, UPS, shopping malls, etc. etc. etc. There are many roofs across the US that can support the generation of electricty without taking land from other uses. Whatever the size or shape of the vehicle, vehicle manufactures Produce and the population ‘Drives’ vehicles with high MPG, are very safe, reliable, have a ‘reasonable’ cost and a good ‘value’ for the money. The price of fuel at the pump is too high! XII/XXII/MMXII! - The Day After......
JuicyQ69 All-Star Author San Bernardino Posts:643 Points:1,141,390 Joined:Apr 2009	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 12:47:36 AM Ignore JuicyQ69 Report Abuse Good deal.
DOS All-Star Author Illinois Posts:669 Points:930,140 Joined:Feb 2003	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 11:36:32 PM Ignore DOS Report Abuse Glad to hear LA is finally introducing a "Feed-in-tariff" program. Its long past time to enable smaller electric producers to make money from their solar installations. Solar marches on!
jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,863 Points:1,614,950 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 11:17:24 PM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse “It is around 6 to 10 cents here [Ontario] depending on time of day.” That’s due to the low cost of hydro generation from Ontario rivers. It is more expensive in most other areas. “. . . 84 cents a kwh our utility [also Ontario] pays to customers sending it to the grid.” What’s going on in Ontario? They are selling hydro-generated electricity for 6-10¢/kWh and buying solar-generated electricity for 84¢/kWh . . . ? What’s wrong with this picture??
bvrbill Champion Author Eugene Posts:3,229 Points:520,575 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 11:13:07 PM Ignore bvrbill Report Abuse I hope this succeeds without hurting the other customers.
jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,863 Points:1,614,950 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 11:06:53 PM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse “And 17 cents/kWh is not a huge premium in the average person's electric bill. Hardly anybody would even notice any difference in their bill.” Rob, I don’t understand this comment. 17¢/kWh is about what we pay here but the power company will pay us only ~10¢ on a net metering agreement for excess power returned to the grid. 17¢ would be huge. We are getting ready to install a PV system but it will be designed to handle ~90% of our usage. It is not worth installing a larger system because the payback is so low. If we could get 17¢ we would probably go with a bigger system.
jdevlin All-Star Author Ontario Posts:798 Points:1,380,595 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 11:05:22 PM Ignore jdevlin Report Abuse They are paying 17 cents. What do they charge for electricity out there. It is around 6 to 10 cents here depending on time of day.
SteelPenny Champion Author Dallas Posts:30,989 Points:2,608,690 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 11:04:09 PM Ignore SteelPenny Report Abuse It's called LADWP
TheSicilian Champion Author Jacksonville Posts:5,389 Points:1,471,700 Joined:Feb 2009	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 11:02:26 PM Ignore TheSicilian Report Abuse they should
hamdriver Champion Author Lansing Posts:3,479 Points:1,379,250 Joined:Feb 2008	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:58:41 PM Ignore hamdriver Report Abuse ok
tutaw Champion Author Kentucky Posts:3,613 Points:844,695 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:58:19 PM Ignore tutaw Report Abuse cool
pgerassi Champion Author Milwaukee Posts:10,906 Points:2,133,555 Joined:Apr 2007	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:56:47 PM Ignore pgerassi Report Abuse Net grid pricing is the future (the utility has to pay the same rates to homeowners who generate excess power as they pay for grid power up to a rated generator of 20KW). NG powered diesel generation up to 20KW in each home will remove any concentration problems. And the waste heat can be used to heat hot water and homes. There is such a policy by our state department regulating utilities.
OGW Champion Author London Posts:5,329 Points:1,532,975 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:56:09 PM Ignore OGW Report Abuse 17 cents is a lot more sensible than the 84 cents a kwh our utility pays to customers sending it to the grid. Eventually that will be at least our rate as they are guarenteed that for 20 years from installation.
DancingDee Champion Author Gary Posts:4,384 Points:1,056,765 Joined:Jul 2005	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:54:02 PM Ignore DancingDee Report Abuse Awesonme!!!!
Bildawg Champion Author Ohio Posts:1,071 Points:483,545 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:53:36 PM Ignore Bildawg Report Abuse good
me2002 All-Star Author Toledo Posts:763 Points:319,205 Joined:Dec 2011	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:47:39 PM Ignore me2002 Report Abuse Interesting. How much will the tax be for producing your own power?
Prodaddy Champion Author Houston Posts:8,385 Points:1,897,035 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:44:58 PM Ignore Prodaddy Report Abuse This is great
EVBuddy Champion Author Nevada Posts:16,695 Points:3,032,570 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:44:49 PM Ignore EVBuddy Report Abuse Good deal
DrLyon Champion Author Michigan Posts:6,660 Points:1,213,780 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:44:48 PM Ignore DrLyon Report Abuse Payback...
Aviator_Rob Champion Author New York Posts:3,805 Points:415,365 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:43:18 PM Ignore Aviator_Rob Report Abuse Why so negative, @carloco75? Solar is real and works very well, even in places that don't get sun 100% of the time. These panels still produce electricity, even on a cloudy day, and they're very efficient since the electricity they produce doesn't have to travel miles and miles to get to your house.
Aviator_Rob Champion Author New York Posts:3,805 Points:415,365 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:40:56 PM Ignore Aviator_Rob Report Abuse This is a great idea for sunny California. Just think of all that rooftop acreage that just goes to waste. And 17 cents/kWh is not a huge premium in the average person's electric bill. Hardly anybody would even notice any difference in their bill.
Dragnet Champion Author Arizona Posts:15,411 Points:2,909,735 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:39:50 PM Ignore Dragnet Report Abuse DWP will find a way to wiggle around our out of this as it shows they're incapable of providing what they charge customers for.
carloco75 Champion Author Richmond Posts:3,721 Points:602,215 Joined:Oct 2010	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:39:34 PM Ignore carloco75 Report Abuse congratulations for anyone that can...and for the rest of the 99.9 percent of the country that will never even see this in person..."whatever"
nimpy Champion Author Indianapolis Posts:8,145 Points:1,703,055 Joined:Oct 2007	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:35:25 PM Ignore nimpy Report Abuse This is only right
fish1552 Sophomore Author Georgia Posts:153 Points:528,665 Joined:Apr 2006	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:35:04 PM Ignore fish1552 Report Abuse If I had a solar panel set up, I'd tell the power company to give me a better rate or to go to hell. So they pay $0.17 to you, then charge $0.50 to someone else with no generation costs to them. It should be a 1-for-1 credit to their bill. Use one, and give back one and you are even. At the very least 3/4 covered if you need something to cover admin costs.
DrGasPain Veteran Author Dallas Posts:362 Points:459,700 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:34:29 PM Ignore DrGasPain Report Abuse Who could they sell it to for 17 cents or more per kwh? I don't know what the wholesale price of electricity is in CA but it can't be anywhere close 17 cents, in Texas it's 3 to 4 cents per kwh wholesale.
tdc007 Champion Author Lexington Posts:1,123 Points:384,805 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:33:55 PM Ignore tdc007 Report Abuse Net metering has been there for sometime.
mstearno Champion Author Dayton Posts:8,075 Points:1,733,165 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:33:43 PM Ignore mstearno Report Abuse do they have a choice?
Rajah Champion Author Illinois Posts:7,567 Points:2,307,405 Joined:Jul 2005	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:32:34 PM Ignore Rajah Report Abuse This sort of thing has been available in some areas for years. I have a geeky friend who has constructed a solar array and, on bright sunny days sells power back to the power company.
cwashi3324 Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:2,812 Points:575,240 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:31:02 PM Ignore cwashi3324 Report Abuse How nice of them!
MG_Sputnik Champion Author Philadelphia Posts:7,315 Points:1,962,355 Joined:Apr 2006	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:24:14 PM Ignore MG_Sputnik Report Abuse What do they do? Make it dark? Arr-arr!
papakoca All-Star Author Texas Posts:649 Points:531,410 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:23:23 PM Ignore papakoca Report Abuse The drawback is for those without alternative sources have to pay for the transmission line costs.
serrog Champion Author Nova Scotia Posts:5,574 Points:1,514,080 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:22:08 PM Ignore serrog Report Abuse ok
mdotson Champion Author Grand Rapids Posts:8,661 Points:1,992,690 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:21:31 PM Ignore mdotson Report Abuse As they should.
abcdMA Champion Author Worcester Posts:7,932 Points:1,576,930 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:18:41 PM Ignore abcdMA Report Abuse And on cloudy days they pay duble
oldiesman Champion Author New York Posts:6,437 Points:2,195,760 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:17:53 PM Ignore oldiesman Report Abuse Good about time something constructive instead of the alternative.
BREW9 All-Star Author Tampa Posts:891 Points:2,913,930 Joined:Jun 2004	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:16:30 PM Ignore BREW9 Report Abuse good
wayoung56 Champion Author Alabama Posts:2,810 Points:820,285 Joined:Oct 2006	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:15:40 PM Ignore wayoung56 Report Abuse Cool!!! Let the tree huggers recoup some of their initial expenditure to install the systems...
QualTekGuy Champion Author Illinois Posts:3,071 Points:734,825 Joined:Feb 2007	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:12:54 PM Ignore QualTekGuy Report Abuse It only seems fair.
Lukus Champion Author Halifax Posts:8,294 Points:1,676,480 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:11:38 PM Ignore Lukus Report Abuse OK, it is the proper way to go. The utility doesn't have the installation costs or the maintenance costs. They also save on the financing they would have with a big plant.
wang91554 Champion Author San Jose Posts:3,180 Points:1,203,755 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:11:26 PM Ignore wang91554 Report Abuse Los Angeles is way behind the rest of California on this.
drz614 Champion Author Harrisburg Posts:2,309 Points:599,570 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:09:59 PM Ignore drz614 Report Abuse 17 cents per kW? what is the rate consumers pay?
genoist Veteran Author Orlando Posts:341 Points:165,470 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:09:37 PM Ignore genoist Report Abuse Some markets already allow consumers to sell back to the grid when they have extra power to spare.
chuckhermann All-Star Author New York Posts:967 Points:500,925 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:07:19 PM Ignore chuckhermann Report Abuse Seventeen cents is a fair price for a FIT.
Bleeder Champion Author Virginia Posts:8,038 Points:1,700,375 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 10:06:21 PM Ignore Bleeder Report Abuse Why did this take so long.