MORGANTOWN – State Public Service Commission employees are baffled by a criticism filed by Coalfield Development Corp. which they are saying will have an effect on the way forward for solar energy throughout the state.
Its suggestion to the PSC was due on Friday, nevertheless it mentioned earlier within the week that it could take 60 extra days – till June 24.
“Staff is actively investigating this criticism. This case entails complicated points that might have a major impression on utility ratepayers and the roll out of photo voltaic in West Virginia. Staff continues to be making an attempt to get extra information to higher perceive the information of this specific criticism. … Until the Staff obtains extra information, the Staff can’t make an inexpensive suggestion.
The plaintiff is Huntington-based Coalfield Development Corp., a nonprofit incubator devoted to revitalizing the coal group by means of renewable vitality workforce improvement initiatives.
It put in 120 kilowatts value of photo voltaic panels on the roof of the West Edge Factory warehouse and needed to begin net-metering service with its energy utility, Appalachian Power (APCo), however APCo wouldn’t cooperate.
Coalfield filed the criticism in January, telling the Public Service Commission APCo wouldn’t “add” the brand new service to current on-site accounts as a result of the photo voltaic generator’s meter didn’t carry a load delivered by APCo accessible to web metering utility. -Metering credit. Coalfield makes use of a one-way meter that solely measures output to the grid (net-metering clients ship any extra electrical energy they can not use to the grid). APCo needs Coalfield to attach by means of one other on-site meter.
Coalfield informed the PSC it was not in compliance with the state’s net-metering legislation.
“Meter aggregation is a vital device designed to make renewable vitality extra financially accessible to residential, business and agricultural clients,” Coalfield mentioned. “This permits a generator to get well extra meters, thereby decreasing the necessity for added gear and related prices. Not solely is APCo’s interpretation of the net-metering tariff opposite to the plain language contained in tariff, it’s opposite to frequent observe inside the photo voltaic business and can negatively impression entry to renewable vitality for West Virginia residents and companies.
Connecting to an current meter could be sophisticated and costly, Coalfield mentioned. It mentions a few Solar Holler initiatives: Connecting by means of an current meter prices a church an additional $12,000, and a highschool mission prices an additional $75,000 if they’ve to make use of the a present meter.
Solar Holler is planning initiatives for 21 Wayne County colleges, and one other for Mingo County High School, which may save the colleges thousands and thousands of {dollars}, Coalfield mentioned. But the meters aren’t all the time situated the place the panels ought to go, resulting in elevated prices and decreased financial savings.
And Coalfield denied APCo’s declare in regards to the lack of load on the meter it needed to make use of. Solar inverters and communication gear will take much less load. “Coalfield is even ready to put in a lightweight bulb within the meter if that satisfies APCo’s insistence on loading the meter.”
APCo needs to dismiss the criticism, which it mentioned in February that Coalfield’s meter setup didn’t adjust to the PSC’s net-metering guidelines. Net metering is a technique of measuring the distinction between the electrical energy offered by an electrical utility and the electrical energy generated from a customer-generator that’s used to offset half or the entire electrical energy wants.
“The Coalfield is just not capable of offset any electrical energy wants; as an alternative, it solely acts as a generator that provides electrical energy on to the grid,” mentioned APCo. “Therefore, beneath the Net Metering Rules, Coalfield is just not eligible for web metering.”
However, APCo mentioned, Coalfield can qualify as a small energy generator and acquire certification by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; APCo will then work with Coalfield on service choices.
APCo factors out that Coalfield has repeatedly mentioned the Solar Holler initiatives. [Solar Holler is the state’s largest solar development company.] “This reality, mixed with Solar Holler’s earlier criticism towards APCo, gives the look that the driving pressure behind the moment Complaint is Solar Holler’s want to extend gross sales of its merchandise.”
Among the paperwork which have poured in from either side since then, Coalfield has despatched a collection of emails and different gadgets, saying that Solar Holler can verify that it has put in no less than six mission authorized for web metering utilizing the identical interconnection methodology because the West Edge Coalfield mission with two extra initiatives pending. Two of the six accomplished initiatives are situated in Huntington – APCo territory.
In addition, based on Coalfield, it is able to change the present meter with a two-way meter and put a load on it in order that it’s authorized for web metering.
Email: [email protected]
