Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. The emphasis today is on net metering.
Idaho (Net Metering)
First up: Idaho Power seeks changes for solar customers. JWR’s Comments: The power utilities don’t like seeing home power meters running backwards. Doing away with net metering is a slap in the face of thousands of customers. These are folks who each invested tens of thousands of dollars. They did so in anticipation of the equipment gradually paying for itself. Without net metering, their investment would probably be a net loss. Changing the rules in the middle of the game is just disreputable.
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Also in Idaho: Boise neighbors tackle, pin driver after hit-and-run spree
Montana
Moving on to Big Sky Country: Small plane lands on interstate in Montana
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Firefighters continue to battle Montana wildfires The largest fires are in eastern Montana.
Eastern Oregon
House bill could shed light on wireless coverage gaps in Eastern Oregon.
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ODOT plans new tactic for keeping roads clear — salt
Eastern Washington
Next, Thunderbird pilots roar above Spokane for Skyfest 2017
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Latah blues: Town weighs disincorporation as city government lacks candidates for office
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Petition started against Washington distracted driving law. The law bans the use of handheld devices while driving. The law also says police can give drivers a $99 ticket “for other distracting behavior…” This reportedly includes eating, drinking, or grooming. (But only if the driver is pulled over for another offense.)
Wyoming
On to: Cheyenne City Council bans ‘rolling coal’ in diesel vehicles
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Lastly: Wild horse race remains popular spectacle at Cheyenne Frontier Days
Send Your News Tips
Please send your American Redoubt region news tips and event announcements to JWR. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.
Re: Net Metering. “Idaho Power officials argue the current system wasn’t designed for homeowners who installed their own solar panel and warn traditional power customers are shouldering the extra costs.” Then who was the system designed for? The residents spend their own money, incur any cost for repairs, provide clean power back to the ultilities which they can resale for an easy profit, yet it is not enough. It will not be long (it may have already occurred) when people who are totally off grid will be penalized for doing so through taxes, permits, recurring yearly fees, etc. Try not paying those charges and see who wins. As has been said before on this sight, it is almost impossible for a person to live on their own land and be self sufficient. We are serfs, some more than others.
“provide clean power back to the ultilities which they can resale for an easy profit,”
Untrue. The utilities buy wholesale electricity and make the profit between that and retail. That pays for the maintenance of the grid and the rest.
They actually have to buy back the solar electricity AT A LOSS. Consider when it is cold and people have electric heat they have to provide more electricity at night when it is demanded, not when the meters run backwards in the middle of the day. The utilities CAN’T STORE the electricity. They have to stop paying for wholesale power and pay retail for every solar watt forced back onto the grid.
It would be as if there were a law requiring your local grocer to buy every egg produced by local farms at retail price whether they could resell them or not.
It has nothing to do with someone completely off grid.
This is an entitlement mentality. Yes, people were sold on the idea of solar and have excess capacity to the grid (not to batteries!) that the utility would be FORCED TO BUY. Laws change. I complain I’m “forced to buy” government services I don’t need or want via taxes. So I want tax cuts so I’m forced to buy less. The utility companies want the same thing.
This is not green or conservation, but simply to derive income. Leave everything off during the day so the meter runs backwards a lot, come home and turn everything on so it runs forward, just not as much. No local storage batteries so if the grid goes out you go dark. Your “storage” is the grid, something it was not designed to do. The excess power is often when the utilities don’t need it.
The forced purchase of solar and wind at retail is increasing the bills of everyone else. I don’t want a smart meter, but that would be the only fair way – let the solar providers sell at wholesale when they have excess and continue to buy at retail. Or sell your excess power to your neighbors.
When it was just people who went solar/wind to be green and had a small excess, net metering wasn’t a problem. When it became a ponzi scam where “just finance this for 20 years, and after 5 or 6 it will be pure profit” and lots of people did it just for the “can’t lose” money maker, it ruined everything.
What a load of nonsense. In Michigan there were two different programs, Net Metering where you reduce your bill for the excess power you generate and put in the grid, and another (I don’t remember the official name) where you actually get compensated for the excess power you produce beyond a zero electric bill. That program has since been suspended, and it was expensive for the self-powered to be involved.
If you don’t have battery backup you are a fool, what would be the point in being off the grid without it.
The subsidy for solar and wind power, Federally, is only 1/3, up to $7500.00. So a $15K solar power system gets all of $5K in subsidies. Not bad, but no where near the majority of the cost of putting in the system in the first place.
With solar, you are putting power into the grid during peak usage hours, when the utility is getting paid the highest price per kilowatt for the power it supplies to the grid. You get compensated at $0.15 per watt and only against your total bill, not the, up to, $0.30 per watt the power company charges during peak usage hours. This does not include the taxes and fees charged on top of your actual power usage charge.
Then there is the extra cost of the grid-tie equipment and the inspections and the government approvals and permits that any grid-tied self-power system must meet.
I can’t sell my excess power to my neighbors, then I become a utility and have to pay thousands of dollars a year in fees because I would now be in competition with the power company. We can’t have competition, now can we?
If you haven’t gotten the message yet, a self-powered system owner is selling back to the grid at wholesale or less.
Just sayin’
When the power companies can’t deliver because their system is constantly down, other solutions will present themselves. Its really not that hard.
Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
I would encourage all residents near a military base to attend the open house weekends the base might put on. Interact with your military neighbors who defend our nation. Attend the demonstrations and talk to the troops assisting with the displays, ask them where they’re from, if they have other family members serving. It means a lot to them. Look for the additional pride when they announce their hometowns and tell of their experiences. If you’re a vet, share some anecdotes with them. You just might make their day.
Net metering was forced on the utility and the costs were borne by all customers. If you want net metering then let those who utilize it pay the costs of it. Also it was stated that those with solar panels paid for them. While they may have paid something the taxpayers paid for most of it. If they like their PV systems they can keep their PV systems but not force them on the rest of us.
And last but not least for the Northwest Utility co. Avista merging with Hydro One from Canada. How will a foreign company control our utilities, Canada is a nice neighbor but not American.
https://lcvalley.dailyfly.com/Home/ArtMID/1352/userid/6/ArticleID/47316/Avista-Announces-Merger-With-Canadian-Utility-Hydro-One-Limited
A bit off subject but I hope no one will mind.
Brownells catalog number 70 – the Big Book for 2017-2018 is now out if you give it a day or so the PDF copy should be out.
Solar energy is the haven of the 21st century version of a used car salesman. Your roof panels and associated equipment are augmented by my tax extortion bill. All because they are not capable of paying for themselves without it.
Really sad that Latah is talking about disincorporating. I have passed thru it many times on my way to Spokane. They need to find or create ways to generate revenue. In my little Idaho town of 200, there is no shortage of summer celebrations and festivals conjured up to draw people in. and the money spent by visitors makes sure we can plow our own roads.
Net metering sounds similar to the situation I read about in Hawaii where they put a moratorium on further solar installations. Problem is maintenance of the grid. Personally I think decentralized power is the future but phasing out centralized power is tough. How do you get from here to there when you consider grid maintenance being shared be fewer and fewer customers until no one needs it? That last guys bill will be horrendous!