Solar PV Beyond Net Metering
Solar PV Beyond Net Metering
The ending of net energy metering (NEM) in many states including potentially next month in Arizona, leaves utility customers with two options grid-supply or self-supply. Neither is favorable as NEM and these changes could reduce the roof top solar market and negatively effecting low and middle-income customers. Grid connected solar compensation currently ranges between and average of $0.09 -$0.28 per kilowatt-hour (KWh) in different markets, making solar a smart investment. However, with these new changes becoming inevitable for most markets in the near future with their increasing tariffs and fees, will open up new technologies and business models leveraging demand flexibility and battery storage. When customers add all three components-solar, storage and flexibility together, its combination can maintain and potentially increase the value of Solar PV. Through increasing onsite consumption of rooftop solar, allowing home to changing grid conditions and adding resiliency.
Queued power access (software) manages peak demand automatically and can save up to 33% on electricity cost of which is 80% of savings from the old NEM arrangement. These flexible load devices further increase consumption of Solar PV:
Smart thermostats and controls that leverage thermal mass to pre-cool homes and pre-heat water when the sun is shining and rooftop PV energy is abundant.
Smart electric vehicle chargers—if an electric vehicle is parked at home during the day, it can be charged with rooftop PV energy instead of at night.
Electric dryers equipped with timers that only run when PV energy is available.
Batteries that charge when the sun is out and discharge when it sets, further increasing on-site consumption of rooftop PV energy.
These changes leave the future of homes and buildings to become dis-patchable electric grid assets by responding to additional price signals from utilities and deliver key services to the grid maintaining interconnectivity but managing electric bills effectively favorable to utility clients. Demand flexibility and Battery Storage can preserve the value proposition and they are products customer want, because customers would like to monitor and control the energy they use in their homes and buildings. The flexibility enhances comfort and convenience automatically while the storage adds resiliency to the home. The value of back up power does vary but do like that its there. For more information about how you can get started Call Eco Kong, Inc– 480-788-7718 or email: info@ecokong.org or visit us at our website at https://ecokong.org