December 2011 Connecting to the Grid Newsletter
WHAT’S NEW AS OF DECEMBER 2011? Note from the Editor Net Metering for $200? If you were to pit a smart meter against an electro-mechanical meter in a game of Jeopardy, I imagine the smart meter would probably win the game. But would it win in every category? Since there has been so much…
WHAT’S NEW AS OF DECEMBER 2011?
Note from the Editor
Net Metering for $200?
If you were to pit a smart meter against an electro-mechanical meter in a game of Jeopardy, I imagine the smart meter would probably win the game. But would it win in every category? Since there has been so much in the news about smart meters in the last few years, I decided to do a little reading on the topic and see what studies have been done on “smart” net metering.
First, I started with a quick refresher on how meters work. Electricity meters measure the instantaneous voltage and current (in amps, or I) and use the product of these to provide readings of instantaneous electrical power (watts). Remember Ohm’s Law from high school physics class (V x I = W)? Electro-mechanical meters operate by counting the revolutions of an aluminum disc, designed to rotate at a speed proportional to the power being pulled from (or pushed to) the grid. (Aside: I also discovered that Samuel Gardiner was the first person to take out a patent on an electricity meter, a DC lamp-hour meter, in 1872.)
State News in Detail
Northeast States
Massachusetts DPU plans for interconnection updates
Mid-Atlantic States
New Jersey BPU to vote on revenue-grade meter requirement
Virginia SCC approves controversial net metering standby fee
West Virginia PSC decides the fate of PURPA renewable energy credits
Midwestern States
Advanced Renewables Tariff now available to some Michigan customers
Indiana utility-advocacy partnership proves successful for feed-in tariff improvements
Southern States
Gainesville, FL gets recognized for per capita solar
Western States
California Energy Commission seeks comments on Energy Policy Report
Other States
Hawaii PUC decision a victory for interconnection
Upcoming Events
Miscellaneous News
DOE announces Solar Roof Challenge recipients
Spain allows net metering for small solar facilities
DOE Launches Initiative To Advance Clean Energy Development On Tribal Lands
Industrial DG expected to grow 46-85% in the coming years
Download the full newsletter as a PDF: December 2011 Connecting to the Grid Newsletter
FORMAT
While customer-sited net metering and interconnection policies are primarily addressed at the state level, they are also becoming important on a regional basis. This newsletter has been designed to provide state-level policy updates and capture emerging regional trends. Connecting to the Grid is a free, electronic newsletter published each month by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC). Click here to subscribe.
Editor: Laurel Varnado
