ENERGY PROTECTION RACKET?

This is why legislation is necessary REQUIRING utilities to provide a certain amount of electricity from renewable sources. Otherwise, it is not in the economic interest of a utility to do so. It loses money if the homeowner produces electricity. A similarly contentious situation is threatening to erupt in California, where new laws ostensibly aimed at encouraging solar installations actually contain stipulations increasing utility rates to solar array owners. See Clouds Over Million Solar Roofs

Hong Kong power company attacked over green energy charges
April 7, 2007 (AFP via Yahoo News)

WHO
China Light and Power (CLP) versus a dozen or more independent business entities (ex: Airline Cathay Pacific), who have invested in renewable power sources such as wind turbines and solar panel systems and seek to link to the CLP grid

WHAT
CLP is requiring the independent entities pay for an insurance policy which the independent entities see as a pay-off to CLP for using the grid.
Ex: Airline Cathay Pacific: 10,000 Hong Kong dollars (1,300 US) per month + 19,000 dollar technical assessment fee for a wind turbine on its headquarters building


WHEN
“Insurance premiums” presently being assessed.

WHERE
Hong Kong

WHY
If independent entities produce power themselves, their utility bills go down. This means CLP is making less money.

QUOTES
Edwin Lau, acting Hong Kong director of Friends of the Earth: "What if I want to install a wind turbine on top of my village house and yet I have to pay an annual insurance fee of far more than I save?"
“…CLP would not comment but admitted the charge could be a deterrent to individuals and non-profit organisations.”