Comments on: How Archaic Utility Rules Stall Local Solar (Infographic)

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:40:00 +0000

Agreed. My biggest hope for the cleantech future might just be super cheap home storage that can really decentralize electricity “power” and at least make utilities not act like total d***s

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:40:00 +0000

Solar is cheaper in Hawaii, is it not?

By: Daniel Ferra

Daniel Ferra — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 07:54:00 +0000

Japan and Germany will pay residents between 32- 52 cents per kilowatt hour, here in California they will pay us 4 cents per kilowatt hour, want to change our Feed in Tariff? Campaign to allow Californian residents to sell electricity obtained by renewable energy for a fair pro-business market price. Will you read, sign, and share this petition?

http://signon.org/sign/let-california-home-owners

By: Ronald Brak

Ronald Brak — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 07:15:00 +0000

If utilities insist on blocking rooftop solar installations, customers still have the option of seceding from the grid by purchasing battery storage and perhaps a small generator. This is a far from optimal solution as we’re better off if people feed their excess solar electricity into the grid, but as battery costs drop it will put a limit on how annoying utilities can be without losing a significant number of customers.

I guess another option would be to install rooftop solar, but not export any electricity to the grid and so it wouldn’t be any of the utility’s business, but again that’s sub-optimal.

By: Aaron Russell

Aaron Russell — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:58:00 +0000

Well said, we must strengthen the universities and institutions that are perfecting the keys to our sustainable future. Once those super efficient panels come out the oven, It’s game over for failure.

By: CAP@227

CAP@227 — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 02:36:00 +0000

Even though in So Cal Ed has installed so-called “smart” meters, the monthly bill is still calculated in tiers, so that, even with solar power for part of your usage, anything added at ANY time of day (particularly overnight automobile charging) will push your monthly bill into higher Tier 2 and Tier 3 electricity pricing….

By: RobS

RobS — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 02:02:00 +0000

This is a complete non issue, there is one thing I guarantee will trigger changes to these rules; angry people.
Once solar is cheaper then grid power and people know it I dare a utility to try and tell people they can’t have it and have to buy from the utility for more. They would be lynched and boycotted out of existence. Nothing other then natural justice will be needed for these rules to change I guarantee it.