Re: [RE-wrenches] Battery backup under attack in CA

[Allan Sindelar]

Phil and Wrenches, I agree that SCE's position is not suppportable. SCE has a long history of obstructing PV while professing to support it; that's my opinion based on following online PV newsletters and Wrenches posts over the years. If SCE gets away with this, other utilities are likely to follow. I don't know what action if any we should take, as we're not in California. Should installers outside of California weigh in on this? If so, how? I am also of the opinion that utilities in general are gathering resources to fight back against this disruptive technology - PV, not batteries - that will fundamentally alter their regulated-monopoly-with-guaranteed-rate-of-return business structure. New Mexico is no exception, as we have already seen on multiple occasions. Simple reality: buying power at nighttime off peak rates to charge batteries in order to sell power back at peak day rates is not cost effective when the amortized cost of battery replacement due to heavy cycling is factored in. So independent of the legality of SCE's position, it simply doesn't make financial sense. Allan Allan Sindelar al...@positiveenergysolar.com NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional NABCEP Certified Technical Sales Professional New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician Founder and Chief Technology Officer Positive Energy, Inc., a Certified B CorporationTM 3209 Richards Lane Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507 505 424-1112 office 780-2738 cell www.positiveenergysolar.com   On 8/8/2013 3:02 PM, Phil Undercuffler wrote: Wrenches, Unfortunately, this is affecting all battery-based systems -- it's not limited to OutBack.  SCE recently issued an External Memorandum stating their position.  I've read the memorandum, but I've also read SCE's Rule 21 and their NEM tariff, and the utility's position is not supported by their own rules.  These systems fully meet the requirements of the SCE Rule 21 and NEM Tariff.  The new RPS Guidebook, which the SCE NEM Tariff uses to define permissible systems, allows for two classes of energy storage -- Integrated, and Directly Connected.  With Directly Connected energy storage, the system can be charged by any number of sources.  The customer is allowed to have onsite loads.  Maintaining a battery is an onsite load.  The only energy exported is from the renewable source, the PV array.   SCE's position that the battery can never charge from the grid is simply not supported by their own rules, However, their current position has put a substantial barrier in place to homeowners that desire grid-tie with battery backup, and to businesses like your own that support this market.  We need to push back against this position, and help people move forward with their renewable energy systems.   I would ask any of you affected by this issue to press the CPUC to give SCE and the other utilities clear and specific guidance on this issue as soon as possible. Explain how this current impasse affects your business and your customers. Telephone: 866-849-8390 or 415-703-2074 Email: public.advi...@cpuc.ca.gov. Better yet, file a complaint with the CPUC, either as an informal complaint or as a formal complaint.  Formal complaints carry far more weight, but take more work.  More info on the process is available at http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/aboutus/Divisions/CSID/Public+Advisor/ Best regards, Philip Undercuffler Director, Product Management and Strategy OutBack Power Technologies 17825 59th Ave NE, Suite B, Arlington, WA 98223 360.618.4306 office  |  425.319.2821 mobile www.outbackpower.com On Thu, Aug 8, 2013 at 7:45 AM, August Goers <aug...@luminalt.com> wrote: Hi Wrenches,   I bumped into this article about an Outback battery backup system being rejected by a utility in Southern CA: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/08/solar-battery-backup-under-attack-in-california?cmpid=SolarNL-2013-08-08 It sounds like the utility is rejecting the system because the batteries have the capability of feeding back to the grid. I'm not familiar enough with the Outback system to know how this would work. We are installing a pretty good amount of Sunny Island based battery backups these days but they don't have the capability of sending battery power to the grid.   Thoughts?   -August     August Goers Luminalt Energy Corporation o: 415.641.4000 m: 415.559.1525   _______________________________________________ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Change email address & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List rules & etiquette: www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm Check out participant bios: www.members.re-wrenches.org _______________________________________________ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Change email address & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List rules & etiquette: www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm Check out participant bios: www.members.re-wrenches.org

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