utility obfuscation and obstruction [RE-wrenches]

[sunwise at cheqnet.net]

Joel Davidson wrote:
> 
> It is against the net metering law for a utility company to even ask a homeowner
> about insurance.

Sorry Joel, I think I'm going to have to disagree with you here.

WI is one of the net metering States without verbage written into it
that makes the insurance issue mute.  Right now most Utilities in WI
reguire at least 300K liability with written documentation.

The big deal I have seen with those who pursue liability insurance in WI
is that some insurance companies won't even carry the liability coverage
under the standard home-owner's policy.  They claim that "by entering
into this contractual agreement with Y-utility, you are no longer
operating as simply a home-owner and need to purchase a comercial
insurance policy".  Such an expense is usually the final nail in coffin
of the grid-tie PV system.

In part this is why you have periodically heard me speaking about the
efficiencies of grid/utility hybrid systems rather than utility
inter-tie systems.  You don't have to buy an insurance policy to power
your home's load fron the sun, and automatic transfer switches, staged
and based on solar gain and battery SOC, can make it pretty easy and
efficient.

An SW in LBX and use of the AUX relays (or Choice E-Meter) and a DT
power relay to take the home's loads on/off the solar/grid based on
battery SOC.  Interesting to note that an SW in LBX doesn't require
anthing from a utility and yet it is only a button push away from a
grid-tie.

So, such a system looks like this .... the sun comes up and the Frig
comes onto the solar.  As voltage/SOC comes up even farther, the freezer
comes on to solar, evening comes along and the freezer drops off to the
grig.  The grid power fails and these critical loads all come back to
solar/battery.

When I have "spoke" about this in the past, there was little interest. 
I wonder is this was because insurance isn't an issue in most States and
therefore using the utility as a battery is the best bet.

Most of the grid-ties I have installed had a battery component (they
want back-up power).  If this is the case, LBX and staged loads may be a
better deal than grid-tie.

Let me also say that one of the great things about Wisconsin is that
their renewable energy programs, funded through "Focus on Energy",
includes off-grid systems, even though they are funded through the
utilities.

Kurt Nelson

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