QUICK NEWS, October 15: A GUIDE TO THE NET METERING VALUE OF SOLAR; OKLAHOMA UTILITY IN BUYS WIND TO BEAT POWER PRICES; THE FATE OF UTILITIES

A GUIDE TO THE NET METERING VALUE OF SOLAR Guide Offers Regulators A Way To Put A Value On Distributed Solar

Michael Puttre, 9 October 2013 (Solar Industry)

“…Time and again, a utility approaches its state regulators with a proposed modification to the existing NEM program, and advocates in the solar sector rip into the studies and calculations underpinning the proposal…The most recent outbreak of charge and counter-charge occurred in California…Similar stories are playing out in Colorado and Arizona…[A new] IREC report outlines the experiences of 16 regional and utility-specific distributed solar generation studies…[and] proposes a standardized valuation methodology…” click here for more

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OKLAHOMA UTILITY IN BUYS WIND TO BEAT POWER PRICES Oklahoma Utility Signs Up For 600 MW Of Wind Power

October 11, 2013 (North American Windpower)

"Citing ‘extraordinary pricing opportunities,’ Public Service Co. of Oklahoma (PSO) has decided to enter deals for 600 MW of wind power, even though the utility had originally only sought 200 MW…PSO says it signed 20-year renewable energy purchase agreements (REPAs) for a total 598.7 MW from three wind projects currently under development in Oklahoma. If approved by regulators, the contracts would provide PSO with energy beginning Jan. 1, 2016…The utility says it decided to contract for an additional 400 MW because of low prices, and the company expects it could save an estimated $53 million…” click here for more

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THE FATE OF UTILITIES Are Utilities Doomed If Consumers Become More Self-Reliant?

Cristin Lyons, October 9, 2013 (Renew Grid)

"…Although utilities are faced with more distributed resources on the grid, the death of the electric utility has been greatly exaggerated. The industry may be facing profound changes to the manner in which electricity is produced and delivered, but there is an opportunity for utilities to begin to integrate new resources in a way that leverages existing infrastructure and ensures (and even improves) reliability…The principal self-supply energy resources include distributed generation, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and combined heat and power (CHP), demand response, and microgrids…Self-supply resources, when coupled with enabling technological innovation on the distribution grid, create the potential for disruptive change…” click here for more

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