You and Me and Net Metering

Newsflash concerning the subject of last week's Tip of the Week - Convergence and Cross-Ownership

New York Times -- December 18, 2007

WASHINGTON -- By the narrowest of margins, the Federal Communications Commission adopted proposals by its chairman to tighten the reins on the cable television industry while loosening 32-year-old restrictions that have prevented a company from owning both a newspaper and a television or radio station in the same city.

Read all about it at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/business/18cnd-fcc.html?ref=business

So, it seems that the inevitable has finally happened. Where to from here?

Anyway, this week, I've got another example from my "It really is a small world Department" that I'd like to share with you.

By now, I hope that you all have taken the time to watch the video of my dearly departed friend, Jim Salzman. http://www.boomerbikeronline.com/public/171.cfm His life was an inspiration to all of us who were fortunate to know him. And I'm sure all who air the tape will themselves come away better people for doing so.

Anyway, the wife and I were fortunate to share dinner with two of Jim's good friends, Gordy Kopke and Michelle Burghaus, at a restaurant on Clearwater Beach, prior to their return to Wisconsin.

During dinner conversation, I was able to learn more about the lives of these two seasonal friends and what I learned about Gordy had a profound impact on me and directly relates to current events this week right here in Florida.

You see, it seems that one of the ways that Gordy earned his living earlier in life was by selling solar electric generating systems to farmers in this country. He had a partner and their business was doing very well --that is until Ronald Reagan became President.

This was the period of time in the late 70's in America in which financial support for solar energy was growing and a "windfall tax" on the profits of the oil industry was imposed. Big oil faught back through the use of well-financed Political action committees (PACs). From 1977 to 1979, they contributed over $2.6 million to House and Senate candidates. A report by Alan Berlow and Laura Weiss in Congressional Quarterly concluded that most of the money went to candidates "with strong pro-industry voting."

Support for alternative energy took a downward spiral when Ronald Reagan (a former spokesperson for General Electric) took his Oath of Office as President of the United State. He immediately became a staunch ally of corporate America.

Furthermore, by the late 1970s, oil companies had bought out many of the patents for photovoltaic cells, and corporate giants like Atlantic Richfield, Amoco, Exxon, and Mobil took control of solar power companies. This trend would lead Alfred Dougherty, former director of the Federal Trade Commission's bureau of competition to warn, "If the oil companies control substantial amounts of substitute fuels ... they may slow the pace of production of alternative fuels in order to protect the value of their oil and gas reserves." Edwin Rothschild, a spokesperson for the Citizen Energy Labor Coalition, was concerned that the big oil companies "see solar power as a competing source of energy, and they want to control it and slow it down." However, ownership of solar technology by big oil was only the first step in the methodical dismantling of the alternative energy renaissance.

The Reagan administration would continue the squeeze on alternative energy as tax credits for residential investment in solar and wind power became "obsolete," as it was deemed to be "the responsibility of the private sector to develop and introduce new solar technologies." The $684 million requested by Carter for alternative energy in fiscal 1982 was slashed to $83 million in Reagan's 1983 proposal. What was transpiring in the realm of solar technology development didn't go unnoticed by the science community. In the November 1981 New Scientist article "Big Oil Reaches for the Sun," Ralph Flood reports that the "energy policy under the Reagan administration seems designed to accelerate the oil companies' control." The solar panels on the White House were discarded.

The potential of Solar as a viable alternative form of energy had thus been relegated to the task of heating water through the use of some expensive ugly black pipes coiled atop residential roofs sprinkled across the US.

This week's Tip of the Week revolves around the concept of "Net Metering" which, it my personal opinion, is a giant step in reviving interest in solar as well as other emerging forms of renewable energy in this state and across the country.

And for those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, here's the Wikipedia definition:

Net metering is a electricity policy for consumers who own, generally small, renewable energy facilities, such as wind or solar power, or uses vehicle-to-grid systems. "Net", in this context, is used in the sense of meaning "what remains after deductions" -- in this case, the deduction of any energy outflows from metered energy inflows. Under net metering, a system owner receives retail credit for at least a portion of the electricity they generate. The ideal has your existing electricity meter spinning backwards, effectively banking excess electricity production for future credit. In reality, the rules vary significantly by country and possibly state/province; if net metering is available, if and how long you can keep your banked credits, how much the credits are worth (retail/wholesale), etc.

Net Metering is generally a consumer-based renewable energy incentive. While it is important to have Net Metering available for any consumer that interconnects their renewable generator to the grid, this form of renewable incentive places the burdens of pioneering renewable energy primarily upon fragmented consumers. Often over-burdened energy agencies are not providing incentives on a consistent basis and it is difficult for individuals to negotiate with large institutions to recover their Net Metering credits and/or rebates for using renewable energy.

In the U.S.A., as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, under Sec. 1251, all public electric utilities are now required to offer net metering on request to their customers. [1]:

In the simplist of terms, Net Metering allows consumers to connect alternative energy sources to their power grid and receive credit from their electric utility supplier for the the energy they produce.

On Monday, when I started researching and writing about Net Metering, Florida was one of a number if states in this country that did not have a universal state Net Metering poliicy.

What a differnece a day makes

The Florida Public Service Commission on Tuesday approved rule changes for "net metering." That's when your electric meter rolls backward to reflect power you produce at home.

The commission expedited interconnection, expanded eligible power to any type of renewable instead of just solar photovoltaic systems and increased the size of eligible systems from 2 kilowatts to 10 megawatts, enough to power more than 6,000 homes.

This is good news and a financial incentive for anyone in the sunshine state who wants to place a solar array on the roof of their house or put a wind farm in the back yard.

If no comments or requests for hearing are received, the rule will be filed for adoption with the Secretary of State.

I'm fairly certain that those of you that regularly read my Tip of the Week have figured out by now that I am bullish on alternative energy and very concerned about Global Warming. Not to mention the National Security risk presented by this countries' reliance on fossil fuels and foreign oil.

The good news is the fact that a growing number of savvy politicians, like Florida's Governor Charlie Crist, now see the political advantages of promoting alternative energy. It's my hope that all the current hoopla revolving around "Green Energy" has come into vogue in time to save our planet. After all, this technology is not new. But what is new is the urgency and the incentive.

Now that crude oil has reached $100/barrel and a gallon of gas costs more than $3.00, the financial squeeze is finally starting to make American consumers squeal. And that's a good thing since this country is the number one consumer of petroleum products (by a long shot) in the world.

The current price of consumable energy is what's currently spurring increased research and fueling (pun intended) the urgency in developing new methods of developing renewable energy.

This new public consciousness in alternative energy seems like Déjà vu to me -- Remember -- we boomers were the ones who grew up reading Mother Earth News in the john and dreamed of the day when we could drop out, move to the woods and live off the land. We would build a geodesic dome, grow our own food, chop wood to fire our potbelly stove and thumb our collective noses at authority, big business and the power company.

So, its beginning to look to me like Gordy and I will be fortunate enough to witness some of the fundamental changes that are now just starting to take place - all over again - in the way people produce and consume power in our country.

Once relegated to an expensive way to heat water, Solar energy may finally be ready to assume its proper function as one of the most important, viable and greenest forms of renewable energy on the earth.

Wouldn't you covet the day when you could open your power bill and see that they actually owe you money? I know I would and that day is now just over the horizon in Florida now that the PSC has finally approved a universal set of rules for Net Metering.

So, this week's TOTW is: Get busy, educate your self and invest whatever you can personally afford in some form of renewable energy. At least now, you'll get an increased return on your investment through credits for the power you produce.

There are LOTS of sites and plenty of information on the Internet about renewable energy and the companies that sell the hardware and software. And, if you are interested in solar power, here's a site I like: http://www.solar4power.com/solar-power-basics.html

And if its wind power that blows your skirt, please check these people out: http://www.pacwind.net/ They are the guys that developed the wind generating systems that are currently mounted atop Jay Leno's Garage in Burbank, Ca.

And if it's good enough for Jay, it's certainly good enough for the rest of us.

Respectfully,

Bruce Hosking and the rest of the "Gang" @

BoomerBikerOnline.com

2174 Nursery Road, Suite 110

Clearwater, Fl. 33764

USA

727-729-4270

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