NVenergy vs Solar power (Las Vegas: power lines, appliances, credit)

[macgeek]

Nevada Power proposes trimming credit for net metering | Las Vegas Review-Journal


The war continues, my one thought is, If we generate power during the day, and use it at night there should be NO PRICE DIFFERENCE, if we produce excess energy, and they want to pay us 5.4kw or whatever they can buy it for, I see no problem with that.

Isn't that just a common sense solution, or is common sense no longer so common?

Jonathan

[Tek_Freek]

Lawmakers balked at raising the existing net metering cap and instead passed a measure asking the PUC to set a new rate structure for net metering customers that ensures regular customers of Nevada Power do not subsidize those who install rooftop solar system

This

[macgeek]

why not just charge us a 'line charge' or say $10-20 a month, to pay for the infrastructure maintenance?
Us as in people with solar.

Jonathan

[Tek_Freek]

You are assuming logic in conjunction with a large corporation. Ha ha ha ha ha!

[WestieJeff]

I don't think $10-$20 a month is quite going to cut it for the infrastructure. There is billions of dollars in delivery infrastructure and it needs maintenance in addition to the pure capital costs of installing it.

It will be interesting though, what happens when a home on the old net metering rate structure gets sold? Do the new buyers keep the old rate structure? Does that now increase the value of that home?

I was seriously considering solar, but after switching to time of use, it's dropped my bill way down to the point where solar is back at a 20+ year payback.

Originally Posted by macgeek

why not just charge us a 'line charge' or say $10-20 a month, to pay for the infrastructure maintenance?
Us as in people with solar.

Jonathan

[Cold Warrior]

Why should NV Energy pay you more than its other electricity providers? For example:

NV Energy, a Nevada-based utility owned by Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, has agreed to pay just $0.0387/kWh for solar electricity from the 100 MW Playa Solar 2 project being developed by U.S. thin film company First Solar.

[lvoc]

The computation is in no way simple. NV power pays a wide range of costs for its power. And its sources differ in both capital cost and operating costs. Wind, Solar and Hydro have very low operating costs. Gas turbine have a very low capital cost but very high operating cost.

And when you charge for the power you include both amortization and operating costs. But when you decide what to use you of course go off operating costs only.

So there is a range of operating sources put into play as the demand grows. You start out with the least expensive operating cost sources and then add the more expensive sources as the demand grows. At the afternoon peak you may have lots oas turbine running

So what should you pay for the solar? on a cool day you may be down in the 4 or 5 cent per kwh range. But at peak on a July day it may be 25 cent a kwh gas turbines.

And then the solar output does not align with the daily peak which occurs well after the solar has dropped to a low level. So the utility must be able to replace the solar draw as the day wears on.

And then time of use plans. Why should NV Energy ever sell S&M power for half what it is charging me? And likewise why should they sell me peak power at half what S&M would pay?

Note as well the capital structure of utilities is highly convoluted. The actually depreciate their generation assets over a long life. It seems though that in return the government back door guarantees the return of capital. So we have the capitalist making a profit without actually putting any capital at risk.

The only real solution to all this is a PUC with great technical and financial skills and the wisdom of Solomon.

[momofvegasgirls]

Pardon my ignorance, but buying, selling and charging for alternative energy is not some new idea. Why does it sound like trying to structure this, is reinventing the wheel? Aren't there any stable models in use anywhere that we can adopt? I don't have solar, but making a decision to get it sounds a bit complicated.
Are there factors here that make this trickier?

[AA702]

How do people completely go off the grid? Just say you disconnect your power from NV energy and you just use what you produce running your solar etc... (just saying if you produce enough power for yourself). Could you actually do this?

[WestieJeff]

Well, you'd need to store power in some form of battery for night time use, which would likely cost a lot unless you designed your whole house for off-grid use (low power appliances, etc.). The only reason net metering of solar is cost effective is because you are allowed to use power from the grid at night. The cost of going fully off grid only makes sense when you're in the sticks and the cost of running power lines to your location is expensive.

I've been told that here in Clark County, it's not an option to go fully off grid. In order to get a certificate of occupancy and legally be able to live in the building, you need to be connected to the power grid.

Originally Posted by AA702

How do people completely go off the grid? Just say you disconnect your power from NV energy and you just use what you produce running your solar etc... (just saying if you produce enough power for yourself). Could you actually do this?