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All the more reason to get consumer /residential solar with storage rolled out Utilities have probably gotten very used and to the regulatory capture that they
by AtlasBarfed 2y ago
All the more reason to get consumer /residential solar with storage rolled out
Utilities have probably gotten very used and to the regulatory capture that they possess, which is quite strong
The only real competition against utility power is home solar
But at least it's competition
- sidewndr46 2y agoAt least where I live, you don't own the power you generate via solar. The public utility does. You have to sell it to them at a discounted rate and then buy it back at the full rate.
- celdon25 2y agoSounds like a great policy if you want to discourage proliferation of solar.
- idiotsecant 2y agoThat's not true anywhere unless you're grid tied. In which case if you don't like it why not go off-grid?
- euroderf 2y agoI can see where utilities would get laws passed to require connection to the grid.
- sidewndr46 2y agoIt's not legal to have independent generation on your property here. It must be grid tied or interlocked. If it's interlocked, you only are allowed to use it temporarily.
- mindslight 2y agoAre you sure that independent generation is actually illegal itself, and not just constructively discouraged? Where is this, if you don't mind my asking? I've got a similar situation where the public utility will only pay for solar generation under a two meter "buy all sell all" arrangement. From what I've seen people just don't plan on selling anything back to the grid, and the overproducers get storage batteries. (As long as some grid tie is required for occupancy permit, this doesn't really address the original comment's point about bona fide competition with the grid. But on the other hand I'd rather have a public utility than be in a victim market of a "private" underregulated monopoly. My connection fee is like $10/mo. Also they built out gigabit fiber, which just works and doesn't require the yearly threaten to cancel dance of Ma Coax.)
- sidewndr46 2y agoI mean, you aren't going to be sent to jail for generating power. All the city can do is condemn your home & evict you from it using the police. If you resist the police, then you are going to jail.
- mindslight 2y agoI was not asking the seriousness of the illegality (civil vs criminal), but rather whether independent generation is itself specifically directly illegal or not. For example, I've heard of places where not being connected to the grid is illegal (revocation of your occupancy permit), with the local utility monopoly then demanding you sign their contract with onerous terms (effectively making those terms de facto private law). Someone could sum up that state of affairs as being "independent generation is prohibited", meanwhile the actual details give much more room for sidestepping.
- exe34 2y agosurely that has to depend on who paid for the panels?
- yurishimo 2y agoIt applies if you want to be connected to the grid for backup power for any reason. If you're connected to the grid, then the grid gets to dictate the terms of that connection. A workaround is to go fully off grid. A larger workaround is to get a small electrical box hookup on your property for emergency power (thus paying the monthly connection fee), but your home can run off-grid. In the event of a situation where you need the grid power, you can run an extension cord and hopefully plug in the few items you require. For convenience, most people obviously don't go this route and instead abide by the terms of the power company.
- rasz 2y agoBatteries got so cheap recently off-grid is looking better and better.
- sidewndr46 2y ago> It applies if you want to be connected to the grid for backup power for any reason This is not accurate. You cannot legally reside in a home here without a grid connection. It is a mandatory utility.
- sidewndr46 2y agoIt's a government monopoly