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So what I got from all that is:
* The proposed solar fees HELCO states in their paperwork is "just for illustration" purposes only and won't really be that much. Trust us. :-)
* HELCO has a certain amount of revenue ($ brought in by customers paying for elec)
* HELCO states they want to lower electricity costs
* Folks who are using solar are cutting their HELCO supplied electricity use
* HELCO doesn't feel people still using their electricity should pay more to make up that revenue deficit so...
* HELCO will charge solar users more (a penalty, in essence) for trying to lower their bill
That about right? Only reason I'm interested (one of those mainlanders) is my quest to land on the BI someday includes adding solar to my home in some capacity, so I'm watching with keen interest.
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I think Helco would have done well to encourage solar and net metering but now it seems like net metering is all smoke and mirrors when there is a power outage. Why pay a fee and be chained to a grid ?
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In their long discussion, HECO failed to mention that customers with net metering that produce more electricity than they use, lose those credits at the end of their 12 month cycle. I'm not sure how many customers fall in to this group, but it does amount to HECO getting free electricity from those PV users.
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My wondering mind question...
Puna grid has just been extensively updated...will we see a break in this grid maintenance update, as this is a hypothetical future cost request... This really is a more tongue in cheek observation...but I really doubt any other area covered by HEICO has been as extensively updated as our HWY130 widening/Iseelle caused line replacing/updating....
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Tesla is inking a deal right now to build a $5 Billion battery giga factory in the Reno Tahoe area that will create 6500 jobs.
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/...ctory-Site
Battery technology is about to get a big shot in the arm and they should become, cheaper, smaller and lighter. Elon Musk also owns SolarCity so this will benefit both electric cars and future off-the-grid homes. Electric car batteries will be interchangeable with your home battery system.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/201...rcity-deal
Having your own micro-grid in the next decade will be mainstream and HellCo's days will be numbered. How many people still have a landline telephone?
http://www.teslamotors.com/sites/default...actory.pdf
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Large commercial customers can get an "interruptable" rate where you pay less per kwh but power on that meter is fed through an automatic circuit breaker that HECO has control over so if they need to dump load they can cut you off at the press of a button. There is a version of this for residential customers who have sufficiently large electric water heaters. The water heater is powered through a controller that HECO cat shut off. If they can do that for a water heater, can you put in a modest off-grid system that will keep your reefer and lights on in the event of a power failure but that is itself "backed-up" by the grid in such a way that both the customer and HECO like the deal? I bet that somewhere someone is doing just that by tapping off of their water heater to charge batteries (electric car or house). If you have an electric car, does HECO already have a program for that?
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Electricity is different than any other product in that it's completely demand-driven.
Turn on a light, the grid has to have more power available to you right then.
Rest assured HELCO will continue to exist, simply because they have adequate funding to purchase laws which protect their antiquated business model.
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I have difficulty reconciling the wailing that goes up when the power goes out with the concept that HECO/HELCO is screwing you by making you pay for them being there when you need them. If you want to disconnect by all means do so. Go it alone. Many people already do.
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Hey SBH, email me, I'd like to see what you did for ground mounting your panels. Looks interesting. I saw a guy make his with 4x4's mounted on 2x6's ... And used heavy duty door hinges so he could adjust the angle for the winter. Another reason to ground mount besides not putting any holes in the roof, is it's much easier to clean the panels for max wattage production.
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To email me click on Link
http://is.gd/QMfVEX
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This is what I got from helco's message -
Everybody going solar has made it really expensive for us to sell our old fashioned power. Rates will stay about the same for people without power (because they already pay a fortune) and people who grid tie will pay us a lot if money for the luxury of using our power at night. Our rates will never really come down, even by 2030, so expect to pay us for a really long time. BTW please don't go solar using your own $2000 battery bank cause then you'll never need our services again.
