The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. board approved yesterday a net metering program for residential consumers that would allow homeowners to install solar panels in their houses and get paid for any excess power it returns to the CUC grid. <\/p>\n
The CUC board approved the implementation of the net metering program for residential customers only at 12:30pm. It will only apply to any applicant requesting up to 10 kilowatt per hour and not to exceed 70 percent of its consumption. <\/p>\n
CUC executive director Alan Fletcher told board members that CUC has about 10,000 residential consumers.<\/p>\n
Net metering is a low-cost type of renewable energy technology that allows customers to bank their energy and use it at their convenience.<\/p>\n
Fletcher said that having net metering is a great concept that will allow customers to sell back power they produce to CUC.<\/p>\n
One example the CUC board brought up was that if a residential customer were to install solar panels and self-generate more power than they can use, customers will be able to sell back power to CUC.<\/p>\n
CUC may also benefit from net metering because when customers are self-generating electricity during peak periods, CUC\u2019s system load factor will also improve.<\/p>\n
Section 8634 of Public Law 15-23, which establishes the requirements for the use of renewable energy, energy efficiency and for other energy and cost-saving measures, states that \u201cthe electric utility shall develop a standard contract or tariff providing for net energy metering and shall make this contract or tariff available to eligible customer-generators, upon request, on a first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total available capacity produced by eligible customer-generators equals 30 percent of the electric utility\u2019s system peak demand; provided that, on good cause shown, the regulator may increase, by rule or order, this percentage amount.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fletcher said that back in 2013 they have been on hold for net metering and have been processing quite a lot of applications. He said the reason for this is that the board can approve the residential part and in the process will give CUC enough time to devise a proper way of putting \u201clight\u201d commercial customers under net metering.<\/p>\n
The Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission approved the proposed net metering tariff at its Jan. 27 public hearing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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