There are many ways to do solar right

Xcel Energy has been talking a lot about solar energy this year. Advertising proclaiming the need to "Do Solar Right" was ubiquitous before the utility proposed a new solar program of 50MW of centralized power that it wants to sell the public. It's encouraging that Xcel believes there is a market for lots more solar energy. It shows that the utility is realizing all the benefits: solar energy emits no harmful air pollution, it uses no water, and it harvests the abundant free fuel that Colorado is blessed with 300 days a year. Solar is starting to compete favorably with other energy sources in price, and the economics keep improving. As the solar industry has proven over the last three decades, there is more than one way to do solar right. The thousands of Coloradans who have chosen to go solar by putting panels on their roofs and contributing clean energy to their neighbors are doing solar right. The hundreds of entrepreneurial installers who have built a strong solar industry that has contributed $1.42 billion to Colorado's economy since 2007 are doing solar right. The national players who have introduced zero-down leases to make solar affordable to nearly everyone are doing solar right. The pioneering community solar developers who have shown how to bring the benefits of solar to renters and condo-dwellers are also doing solar right. So are the innovative non-profits and government agencies who are bringing solar to low-income and disabled people. Just since 2007, Colorado's solar industry has brought Coloradans more than $44.4 million in environmental benefits through avoiding emissions of pollutants tied to conventional electricity production, and saved nearly 400 million gallons of water, which would have otherwise been used generating electricity. The roughly 20,000 Coloradans who have made their own investments in generating rooftop power are a big part of solar's growing success. Not only are they exercising their freedom of choice, but they are also creating real benefits for everyone else. The benefits of rooftop solar — distributed rather than centralized power generation — are many. Our aging power supply system is increasingly vulnerable to equipment malfunctions, wildfires in beetle-killed forests where huge transmission lines run, and other natural and man-made threats. Solar generated in neighborhoods and backed up with energy storage (a coming trend) will become increasingly important for our energy security and independence. Rooftop solar also helps lower electric bills for the rest of us. A recent study by national experts Crossborder Energy found that in Colorado, the value of rooftop solar is 18.2 cents per kilowatt hour -- with avoided energy, avoided emissions and avoided generation capacity the biggest of nine different contributing factors. This value is much higher than the credit solar customers receive. Rooftop solar benefits all Xcel ratepayers to the tune of $13.6 million a year, Crossborder has found. Independent studies in other states have confirmed that rooftop solar brings net benefits to all ratepayers. Coloradans who are installing solar energy on rooftops are lowering monthly electric bills for the rest of us. That is doing solar right. While discrediting the value of power produced by rooftop solar using flawed math, Xcel is pushing for its new Solar Connect proposal for 50 MW of centralized solar. The monopoly utility seeks to sell shares to the public, in competition with the solar industry's community solar gardens and rooftop offerings. Large solar projects have an important role to play in our state's energy future. But we hope that our state regulators and policy makers will realize the state's solar industry has been doing solar right for years to help Colorado grow into a solar leader. Giving Xcel an unfair advantage in the marketplace would not be doing solar right. Rebecca Cantwell is executive director of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association.

Colorado Green School Conference

More than 400 K-12 and Higher Education stakeholders, policy makers, students, parents and green building industry professionals are expected to attend USGBC Colorado’s Green Schools Summit for a discussion on the future of education and how it is shifting, to be held at the University of Denver on Friday, November 14. Now in its eighth year, the focus of the Summit will be how to design, build and maintain 21st-century schools, with the ultimate goal of greening Colorado’s schools within one generation. “It’s not just about efficiency. It’s about healthy spaces and initiatives that evoke students’ imagination and remove obstacles to learning. We know that where we learn matters,” said Margaret Pauls, past chair of USGBC Colorado’s Green Schools Initiative. Attendees of the Green Schools Summit learn about emerging trends and best practices from experts in the field. “Our vision of ‘green schools in Colorado within this generation’ is widely shared,” said Patti Mason, Associate Director of the U.S. Green Building Council Colorado Chapter. “The challenge for school districts is how to get from that shared vision to a reality. This year’s summit focuses on best practices, finding resources, and innovative strategies to fund green school projects, bring sustainable learning in the classroom, and get the whole community involved.” The Summit will feature three education tracks organized around the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Three Pillars: reduce environmental impact and costs; improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff; and provide environmental education. The technical track is designed with industry practitioners in mind and dives deeper into the topic identified. Two prominent researchers and educators will deliver keynote addresses at the event. They are Dr. John Medina, author of the New York Times bestseller Brain Rules and the national bestseller Brain Rules for Baby and Karl Fisch, creator of Shift Happens. Dr. Medina is a developmental molecular biologist and private research consultant. He holds joint affiliate faculty appointments at the University of Washington School of Medicine, in its Department of Bioengineering, and at Seattle Pacific University, where he is the director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research. Fisch has been teaching for over 25 years; he now serves as Director of Technology at Arapahoe High School in Centennial. He also runs an education blog, The Fischbowl. Medina and Fisch will be joined by representatives of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado Department of Education, Colorado Energy Office and Colorado Department of Revenue, who will share updates. Teachers can attend the Green Schools Summit for a discounted rate of $25. USGBC Colorado member rate is $150. Registration can be accessed at http://usgbccolorado.org/content.php?page=Green_Schools_Summit. For more information about sponsorship opportunities please contact Patti Mason at patti@usgbccolorado.org or 303-292-6181.

Battle lines drawn over Colorado net metering dispute

US utility, Xcel Energy (XE), has said it is hoping to prove a “hidden” solar subsidy in a series of hearings discussing net metering (NM) in the state of Colorado. Meanwhile solar advocacy group, The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC) has accused XE of using “flawed methodology” in its argument and of protecting a “monopoly”. Back in July, XE filed its renewable energy plan for 2014 with the Colorado Public Utilities’ Commission (PUC). In response to XE’s plan the PUC called for an examination into net metering rates, resulting in four hearings, one last July, one 1 October, and two to follow. For the following two sessions, senior media representative for XE, Mark Stutz said to PV Tech via e-mail the utility is “seeking verification that there is a hidden NM subsidy”. Stutz described the apparent hidden subsidy for solar NM customers as “the benefits of the grid and other costs”. Stutz said this benefit is delivered to NM users “essentially, through another mechanism on customer bills. Our non-rooftop solar customers don’t even really know they’re paying this subsidy each month.” Stutz said once the PUC hearings reveal the “hidden subsidy”, the cost “needs to be transparent so that all non-solar customers know they are paying it”, and would also need to be recorded through the state’s Renewable Energy Standard Adjustment (RESA). Stutz said XE proposed examining NM “for a number of reasons”, one of which is to “keep up” with exponential new installations of solar power, stating installation rates increased by 64% in 2013. Susan Glick, senior manager for public policy at residential solar provider, Sunrun, and spokesperson for TASC, said XE's “attack” on rooftop solar “starts as trying to roll back net metering” and if the PUC did decide to change NM, the decision “would be a devastating blow to the solar industry”. “It is a corner stone policy. It is critical to continue solar growth. If you want to continue solar growth you can’t get rid of net metering,” Glick said. Stutz stressed XE had not proposed a NM reduction but the issue is “strictly” policy only, and about “fairness”. Glick argued that there are hidden benefits of rooftop solar for utilities, rather than hidden costs, citing the Cross Border Energy report. The report concludes NM delivers financial benefits to all rate payers, not just solar customers. Strutz said the same societal benefits such as jobs, health and environment, come from large, central solar installations – the same as from rooftop solar, but central installations get “more generation for our customers’ dollars”. Responding to the allegation of flawed methodology, Stutz responded that “one can certainly disagree on the numbers in terms of dollar and cents, but at the end of the day there’s a hidden subsidy”. Stutz said solar NM customers also benefit XE by offsetting the cost of fuel, and some generation costs, offsetting approximately US$0.046 per kWh put on XE’s grid. However, this does not offset all generation, distribution or transmission costs, added Stutz. Stutz claimed solar NM customers therefore “double-use” the grid, “75% of the time”, by putting out excess power generated, or to bring in power when systems are not generating. This “double-use” costs all XE non-rooftop solar customers US$0.059 per kWh produced, estimated Stutz. Stutz said if the rooftop solar industry in Colorado “truly was compensated for its contribution to cost of service, and otherwise paid for its fair share of the grid, then [the rooftop solar industry] would have an extremely difficult time making their business models work”. Stutz added the RESA bills add to all customers 2% extra each month, to support renewable energy. Stutz said XE “believes the actual system benefit for rooftop solar is significantly less than the full retail rate, in a true, utility cost-of-service model.” But Glick said XE raising NM as an issue to the PUC is a “red herring” to protect profits. Glick said XE “see rooftop solar as a threat to their growth”, and are therefore “attacking” solar to protect its “monopoly”. Stutz countered that 76% of new solar installations are handled by one solar company, and one solar company accounts for 98% of all new solar kWh. “We might need to consider who is protecting profits, and who is the monopoly here?” TASC claimed that XE put in solar programmes and set the rates, recovering all costs of deploying solar systems. “That makes rooftop solar part of the monopoly. The competitive market can’t do that” explains Glick. “[XE] have never seen competition before” and are “anti-competitive”. “Utilities say they are totally fine with rooftop solar, as long as they are the ones who can own it,” said Glick. XE does not own solar, put does have power purchase agreements for large central solar projects with independent power producers in Colorado. Stutz said this was cheaper for all rate payers, and there “remains a place for some rooftop solar as long as our customers want it”. One thing that is “undeniable”, said Glick, is the overwhelming public support for rooftop solar. “If an election were held today, 74% of voters would vote ‘yes’ on a pro solar net metering ballot measure,” said Glick. “That speaks magnitudes.”

Colorado PUC Deliberates the Benefits of Net Metering

Solar supporters once again packed the house at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission yesterday as Xcel Energy and solar advocates debated the benefits of net metering. A diverse range of supporters showed up to the panel, including the President of the NAACP Colorado State Conference. Bryan Hannegan from the National Renewable Energy Lab first framed the conversation by referencing “Methods for Analyzing the Benefits and Costs of Distributed Photovoltaic Generation to the U.S. Electric Utility System“. The remaining three hours of the panel centered around deliberation on the calculation methods and economic values of the benefits of net metering in Colorado. On one side, the utility cited assumptions from their last Electric Resource Plan (including a zero value for the cost of carbon), coming up with a value of 8 cents per kilowatt-hour. Representing the solar industry, Vote Solar’s own Rick Gilliam along with Tom Beach of Crossborder Energy calculated a benefit of 18 cents a kilowatt-hour, more than double that of Xcel. The solar industry analysis included environmental and societal benefits, such as reducing pollution and creating jobs. The Commission was able to narrow points of disagreement to a few key areas: The value of pollution emission reductions The value of generation Savings for distribution and transmission systems Societal value This was the second of three workshops that the PUC is holding to take a close look at this successful crediting arrangement for rooftop solar. The 3rd panel, which is expected to take place before the end of the year, will review net metering policies in other states. Chairman Epel indicated that a 4th panel may be necessary to address any outstanding issues from the first three panels. This is important stuff for the future of rooftop solar in the Centennial State!

Reserve Your Spot at 2015 Solar Power Colorado Exposition

Please join us to launch the next quarter century of growth and opportunity in solar energy! We are pleased to invite you to a limited time special offer to sign up now for 2015 Solar Power Colorado. The premier annual solar energy conference and product exposition in the Rocky Mountain Region, Solar Power Colorado is presented by the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA) . As we mark 25 years of leading the industry's growth, join with us to discover what's on the horizon and how you can capitalize on emerging trends in the marketplace. Solar Power Colorado will bring hundreds of executives and professionals from across America as we explore policy, financing, technology and marketing. Learn, collaborate and cultivate relationships as you network with national experts at panel discussions and investigate how to drive growth for your business in the exhibit hall. Catch up with old friends, colleagues, and develop new relationships to grow and enhance your bottom line. Register For the 2015 Solar Power Colorado Expo Free admission to the VIP reception on Monday evening and the annual COSEIA luncheon on Wednesday Network with leading solar industry executives from across the nation Identify new and emerging market opportunities important for solid business growth Gain insight into the latest policy initiatives and programs Most meals provided and discounted premium accommodations available Learn about exciting new solar products in the Expo Hall Earn educational credits for continuing NABCEP certification Increase market penetration and effectiveness Solar Power Colorado offers a tremendous opportunity to reach 500+ solar business leaders and influencers. The exhibit hall and nearly all the sponsorship tiers sell out year after year due to high levels of interest - the 2015 conference will likely sell out too. This is the solar event by which others are measured. Network with solar business leaders and build the professional connections you need to succeed. There's no better way to develop long-term relationships with solar business leaders than by attending Solar Power Colorado - solar leaders comprise about 80% of attendees. Business owners and managers represent the largest category of attendees (53% in past years ) with sales and marketing professionals close behind (28% of attendees). In addition to business leaders, you'll have a chance to meet installers, engineers, educators, influential government officials and supply chain professionals. Colorado is widely recognized as a national leader in solar. With more than 400 solar businesses and a 30% Renewable Energy Standard, Colorado's solar market is one of the most robust in the nation. Plan to grow your revenues as you connect with influential solar leaders. Space is limited, so be sure to register and reserve your sponsorship & booth before this event sells out. Download the Sponsorship Details Interested in promoting your products and services? Please feel free to contact me directly for sponsorship-exhibit opportunities to learn about how our conference is the best business investment for growth in 2015. Invest in solar energy and your organizations future by joining us in 2015. Contact the Colorado Solar Industries Association (303) 333-7342 coseia.org