Tag Archives: SDG&E

Energy

Supervisor Dianne Jacob Defends Rooftop Solar

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By Roy L Hales

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Many hoped California’s net-metering war was ending two years ago, when Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 327. The state’s Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) was given to the end of this year to create a new tariff that will kick in once the state’s big three investor owned utilities (PG&E, SCE and SDG&E) reach 5% nameplate generation capacity under net metering. With the deadline approaching,  the “big three” went on the offensive. One of the California Public Utilities Commission hearings was in San Diego, on Oct. 28, 2015. That was where County Supervisor Dianne Jacob Defends Rooftop Solar.

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Energy

California’s Solar storage scandal

SolarCity spokesperson Will Craven said that about 500 of their California customers have agreed to install batteries for power storage, but the state’s three biggest utilities have only connected 12 since 2011. He decided to go to the press after Southern California Edison (SCE) said they were going to charge $2,900 to install a meter,  whereas SolarCity has found that an adequate meter can be purchased for between $75-150. The situation has greatly improved since Craven was interviewed by Bloomberg and PV Tech.

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Energy

Boulder and the Spread of Community Choice Utilities

By Roy L Hales

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Boulder Colorado’s election results are being heralded as yet another “solar victory,” in a string that stretches back to the Louisiana and Idaho Public Utilities Commissions decisions earlier this year. The relevant questions on the ballot, however, pertain to Boulder’s attempt to join more than 1,300 American communities that have formed their own utility.

Question 310 would have required voter approval before the city issued bonds to pay for Xcel’s equipment and run its own utility, was defeated by a 2:1 margin (21,100 to 9,543).

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Energy

Ocotillo Wind farm: Four months and still VERY little Wind

By Roy L Hales

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Four Months after supposedly going “online,” there seems to be very little probability  Ocotillo Wind Farm will ever live up to its promise of carrying “1,000 MW of additional power into San Diego, or enough energy to serve 650,000 homes.”

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Energy

Despite lack of wind, Phase two of construction begins at Ocotillo

By Roy L Hales

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In his March 5 video log, Jim Pelley recorded the arrival some of of the last 18 wind turbines at Ocotillo. Phase one of the project has now been online four months, during which he has recorded very little wind.

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