PSE Customers Make Solar Power Shine in
Cloudy Economy
BELLEVUE, Wash., Dec 28, 2009 -- BUSINESS WIRE
A year of cloudy economic news proved to have a bright spot: the rapid
growth of Puget Sound Energy customers connecting their home or small
business solar systems to the utility grid.
In 2009, nearly 200 PSE customers installed solar systems, making it the
fastest-growing year ever for local renewable energy from the sun. The
growth raises the total number of grid-connected solar systems to 516 --
up from only 100 solar power systems that were online with PSE in early
2007. The generating capacity of the customer solar systems also
increased dramatically, rising to 2 megawatts (MW). The combined network
of PSE customer solar arrays is the largest producer of renewable energy
from the sun in Washington.
"Two things made this amazing increase possible: our customer's great
enthusiasm and commitment to renewable energy and our elected official's
leadership in boosting the federal and state incentives for solar
power," said Cal Shirley, vice president of Energy Efficiency Services
for PSE. "Solar works in Washington, and our customers are proving that
each time a new array goes online."
Shirley cites two key examples of the positive impact of targeted
incentives for renewable energy. In October 2008, Congress, led by Sen.
Maria Cantwell and Rep. Jay Inslee of Washington, removed a previous cap
of $2000 on federal tax credits for home solar installations, with
homeowners now being eligible to receive a full 30 percent credit for
their investment in solar power. This change means that a resident
installing a $25,000 solar array (which would meet from 25 to 50 percent
of the energy needs of the average home) is now eligible for a credit of
approximately $8,300 -- rather than a maximum $2,000 credit under the
previous limit.
A second key incentive is the State of Washington production payment
program, which is administered by PSE. The state's program pays
residential customers for the solar power they produce, with payments
based on a sliding scale that rewards customers for buying
Washington-made solar modules (also known as solar panels) and power
inverters (which convert the DC power from the solar panel to AC power
for use in the home). The scale ranges from a base rate of $.15 per
kilowatt-hour to $.54 per kilowatt hour for systems incorporating
made-in-Washington solar modules and inverters. In August, PSE served as
launch customer for the first locally manufactured solar modules,
produced by Silicon Energy of Arlington, Wash., installing the modules
at the utility's Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility in Kittitas County.
The impact of the state incentives was seen in the cash payments
distributed by PSE, with payments reaching $170,000 this year, a
substantial gain from the $86,000 distributed in 2008, when PSE
customers had approximately 325 home and small business solar systems.
In addition to the state incentive payments administered by the utility,
PSE provided customers with more than $37,000 in rebates to offset the
cost of the two-way electric meter that enables customers to receive
credit from the utility for the energy they produce.
PSE's incentive, called "net metering," is separate from the cash
payments administered on behalf of the state, and most customers take
advantage of both incentives. Net-metering, or what is sometimes called
"making the meter spin backwards," allows customers to be credited for
any electricity they are producing that is in excess of the electricity
they are consuming. When electricity usage exceeds solar energy
production, such as during the winter months, the customer can draw on
those credits to help offset the normal per kilowatt hour cost of
electricity. In addition to solar power systems, another 33 PSE
customers have home wind or micro-hydro renewable energy systems
connected to the utility grid.
The surge in interest in solar among PSE customers has now gained
recognition for the utility by the Northwest Solar Center, a joint
project of Washington State University and Shoreline Community College,
which this October named PSE the region's "Best Large Utility" for 2009.
The growth in residential and small business renewable energy systems
(including solar, wind and micro-hydro) is seen across PSE's service
area:
* Island County -- 54
* Jefferson County -- 78
* King County -- 138
* Kitsap County -- 64
* Kittitas County -- 15
* Pierce County -- 16
* Skagit County -- 66
* Thurston County -- 50
* Whatcom County -- 68
For more information about Customer Generated Renewable programs for
home and business installations visit www.PSE.com.
About Puget Sound Energy
Washington state's oldest local energy utility, Puget Sound Energy
serves more than 1 million electric customers and nearly 750,000 natural
gas customers in 11 counties. A subsidiary of Puget Energy, PSE meets
the energy needs of its growing customer base through incremental,
cost-effective energy conservation, procurement of sustainable energy
resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery
infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer
service and delivering energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced,
and environmentally responsible. For more information, visit www.PSE.com.
SOURCE: Puget Sound Energy
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