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Vermont's PUC (Public Utility Commision) has approved a FIT (Feed-in-Tariff) for solar PV (photovoltaic) rate that is over 2x the average rate for residential[1]
Key elements of H. 446 as passed by the House in Oct 2009 are listed below. By way of context, note that in June 2008, Vermont residents were paying an average of 0.1354 $/kWh[2]: The tariffs will be updated in Jan. 2010. Highlights of H. 446:
In Vermont, the annual electricity consumption in 2005 was about 5,883 GWh/y[5], corresponding to ~ 1562 MW generating capacity (incl. imports), so that the PUC-allowed 50 MW renewable electricity amounts to ~3.2 % of that.
In Hawaii County (i.e. the Big Island of Hawaii, which by necessity is serving as a model for energy independence), the annual electricity consumption in 2005 was about 1120 GWh/y[6], with an installed generation ability of ~ 300 MW, so that 10-15% of “Distributed Generation” (DG)[3] approved by IRS (Interconnection Requirement Study), HELCO and PUC would allow 30 to 45 MW of such DG.
Spain, Germany, Netherlands and others in the U.S. (California, Washington), utilities in Oregon and Wisconsin), and municipalities (Gainesville, FL) have introduced FIT tariffs to encourage (low-risk) investment in renewable energy, as well as to meet RPSs (Renewable Portfolio Standards) as described in a detailed NREL report[7].
When the Public Utility Commission (PUC) instituted the “Pay As You Save” (PAYS) program, as authorized by Hawaii State Senate Bill SB2957 Act 240, SLH 2006, residents would be able to pay for upfront costs over time through electricity bill savings with no down payment required.[4]. Some banks now provide unsecured loans to help finance green energy: Enerbank ( http://www.enerbank.com/), GE and WellsFargo
California just passed AB 920, which gives solar homeowners two additional options for the excess kWh in their credit at the end of the year. They now have the option of rolling over month-to-month indefinitely – banking credits for later, when they can finally buy an electric car, maybe! – or they can take the cash at the end of each year. (The exact cash amount won’t be finalized by the CPUC till By January 1, 2011.). Under prior law, any net energy generation remaining at the end of each 12-month period was granted to the electric utility. This jives with the notion of encouraging penetration of distributed electricity generation[8].
Minnesota’s main utility, Xcel Energy, announced on 1 March 2010 that it is now offering an incentive of a one-time payment of 2.25 $/W to Minnesota electricity customers to install solar PV panels on top of their homes and businesses with a unshaded south, east or west-facing roof in good condition, and capacity of 0.5 kilowatts to 40 kilowatts.
For an average size residential installation of 3,500 watts, the incentive payment would be $7,875, or about 30 percent of the installation costs. In exchange for the incentive payment, ownership of the Renewable Energy Credits produced by the system will transfer to Xcel Energy for a term of 20 years. Xcel Energy will also buy any energy that a system produces the customer does not use.
Minnesota also offers: 1) 100% Solar Energy Sales Tax Exemption effective 1 Aug. 2005 Minn. Stat. § 297A.67, Subd. 29 and 2) Rebates up to $10,000 per home are now available to Minnesota homeowners who install qualifying solar electric and solar hot water systems, effective 7 Feb. 2010. Rebate reservations are available on a first-come, first-served basis for solar systems that are installed at an applicant's primary residence by a licensed contractor that meets program participation criteria.
References
[1] http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/2010/bills/House/H-446.pdf and 7 Oct 2009:http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/04/vermont-feed-in-tariff-bill-passes-major-milestones
[2] http://www.vtep.org/VTElectricityPricingJune08.pdf
[3] Sue Garrod and Jim Moulds (HELCO), “HELCO Energy Services Advisory” 5 January 2010, http://www.energyfuturehawaii.org/
[4] PAYS was demonstrated in 3 states by the Energy Efficiency Institute. http://www.eeivt.com/ see also http://www.computer.org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10.1109/HICSS.2009.553 and http://www.kohalacenter.org/pdf/analysis_and_recommendations.pdf
[5] http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=VT and http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/electricity.cfm/state=VT
[6] http://www.co.hawaii.hi.us/rd/hawaii_county_baseline_energ.pdf
[7] Karlynn Cory, Toby Couture, and Claire KreycikFeed-in Tariff Policy (NREL), “Design, Implementation, and RPS Policy Interactions”, Technical Report NREL/TP-6A2-45549 March 2009 http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/45549.pdf
[8] Susan Kraemer,”13% of Utilities Believe Centralized Electric Generation Will be Obsolete by 2050,” 27 Feb. 2010, CleanTechnica
[9] Xcel Energy offers one-time incentive for solar power. Xcel Energy “Solar Rewards Program”, Kare-11, Minneapolis, MN, 1 March 2010
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