Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
District of Columbia
Related: About this forumPepco Violation Could Cost Community Solar Owners Thousands
AUG 9, 10:56 AM
Pepco Violation Could Cost Community Solar Owners Thousands
Jacob Fenston
After regulators ruled that Pepco violated D.C. law in its implementation of community solar in the city, the utility company is telling solar owners they will need to manually track solar generation, entering thousands of lines of data each month, and potentially costing thousands of dollars. ... Community solar is a way that renters and residents in multi-unit buildings can reap the benefits of solar energy, without having to install panels themselves. Subscribing to a solar facility should mean big savings on your energy bills. ... But in D.C., those savings could be wiped out with community solar facilities potentially spending more money on updating spreadsheets than theyre saving on electric bills.
Its the latest in an ongoing spat over Pepcos handling of community solar in the District. The D.C. Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities in the city, ruled earlier this year that Pepco had violated the law in its implementation of community solar, undercounting solar energy generation and failing to provide solar credits in an accurate and timely fashion. ... Pepcos proposed solution will only make matters worse, according to solar subscribers, advocates, and D.C. officials, making solar owners pay for Pepcos mistake.
Its taken us hours of meetings, time gathering information, and speaking to professionals that can guide us, tracking people down, getting bids, says Nathalie Lawrence, manager of a 110 unit co-op building in Lanier Heights. A few years ago, residents voted to put solar panels on the roof of the building, the Ontario. It operates as a community renewable energy facility, or CREF, and residents can choose to subscribe. ... At issue are generation meters that Pepco installed at community solar facilities throughout the District. According to the Public Service Commission, those meters were illegally installed under D.C. law, Pepco must rely on meters owned by the solar facilities.
The commission ordered Pepco to remove its meters, and to reimburse ratepayers for the money the company spent installing them. This ruling came in response to a formal complaint by the D.C. Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Peoples Counsel. The complaint alleged a pattern of systemic violations in Pepcos handling of community solar in the District. In the complaint, solar owners said Pepcos meters sometimes showed zero electricity generated in a month, while the CREF owners meters recorded continued generation. ... Community solar owners already have their own meters, but for a variety of reasons Pepco says those meters cannot be automatically integrated into the companys network. One concern, Pepco says, is the possibility that hackers could find their way into unsecured CREF meter software. ... So, as Pepco begins removing its meters, the utility company wants solar owners to manually compile generation data in 15-minute intervals using spreadsheets, and email the data to Pepco. It might sound simple enough, but it would be a massive and menial job, requiring roughly 2,880 data entries per month per solar facility.
{snip}
Pepco Violation Could Cost Community Solar Owners Thousands
Jacob Fenston
After regulators ruled that Pepco violated D.C. law in its implementation of community solar in the city, the utility company is telling solar owners they will need to manually track solar generation, entering thousands of lines of data each month, and potentially costing thousands of dollars. ... Community solar is a way that renters and residents in multi-unit buildings can reap the benefits of solar energy, without having to install panels themselves. Subscribing to a solar facility should mean big savings on your energy bills. ... But in D.C., those savings could be wiped out with community solar facilities potentially spending more money on updating spreadsheets than theyre saving on electric bills.
Its the latest in an ongoing spat over Pepcos handling of community solar in the District. The D.C. Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities in the city, ruled earlier this year that Pepco had violated the law in its implementation of community solar, undercounting solar energy generation and failing to provide solar credits in an accurate and timely fashion. ... Pepcos proposed solution will only make matters worse, according to solar subscribers, advocates, and D.C. officials, making solar owners pay for Pepcos mistake.
Its taken us hours of meetings, time gathering information, and speaking to professionals that can guide us, tracking people down, getting bids, says Nathalie Lawrence, manager of a 110 unit co-op building in Lanier Heights. A few years ago, residents voted to put solar panels on the roof of the building, the Ontario. It operates as a community renewable energy facility, or CREF, and residents can choose to subscribe. ... At issue are generation meters that Pepco installed at community solar facilities throughout the District. According to the Public Service Commission, those meters were illegally installed under D.C. law, Pepco must rely on meters owned by the solar facilities.
The commission ordered Pepco to remove its meters, and to reimburse ratepayers for the money the company spent installing them. This ruling came in response to a formal complaint by the D.C. Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Peoples Counsel. The complaint alleged a pattern of systemic violations in Pepcos handling of community solar in the District. In the complaint, solar owners said Pepcos meters sometimes showed zero electricity generated in a month, while the CREF owners meters recorded continued generation. ... Community solar owners already have their own meters, but for a variety of reasons Pepco says those meters cannot be automatically integrated into the companys network. One concern, Pepco says, is the possibility that hackers could find their way into unsecured CREF meter software. ... So, as Pepco begins removing its meters, the utility company wants solar owners to manually compile generation data in 15-minute intervals using spreadsheets, and email the data to Pepco. It might sound simple enough, but it would be a massive and menial job, requiring roughly 2,880 data entries per month per solar facility.
{snip}
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
0 replies, 808 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (1)
ReplyReply to this post