Events
KCC Legislative Summit & 2022 Annual Meeting
Sunday, January 23rd from 1:00-4:30PM, virtual conference on Zoom.
REGISTER HERE!
The American Solar Energy Society has just hosted its annual National Solar Tour and we have locations in Kentucky that participated. The Kentucky Solar Energy Society (https://www.kyses.org/) encourages you to look at the sites in Lexington, Wilmore or Louisville that were featured during this annual event on Saturday, October 2. You can see them via the national Solar Tour links shown, or check out the SOLAR STORIES, just below.
Lexington Tours:
Synergy Home organized a tour of homes in the Landsdowne Subdivision in Lexington - details at https://www.nationalsolartour.org/map/
Host Barbara Szubinska featured her 28 solar panels and electric car with a level 2 charging station and Tesla battery (104 Wabash Drive, Lexington.
Wilmore Tour:
Dale Shunk hosted in Wilmore. His contact info: 814-599-1506. Start site for the tour was Shunk's Rooftop Array, 120 Combs Ln, Wilmore, KY 40390, and included seven sites.
https://www.nationalsolartour.org/map/
Louisville: "Perkins Home" Tour,
George Perkins
3411 Goose Creek Rd.
Louisville, KY
For more info, contact Lane Boldman, 859-552-1173.
PAST WEBINARS
Thursday October 28, 2021
Net Metering Update: Review of KY PSC Order Adopting New Net Metering Rates For LG&E and Kentucky Utilities Co.
Presenters: Tom FitzGerald, Kentucky Resources Council
Joshua Bills, Mountain Association
Andy McDonald, Apogee-Climate & Energy Transitions and Kentucky Solar Energy Society
On September 24, 2021, the Kentucky Public Service Commission issued an Order setting new net metering rates for LG&E and Kentucky Utilities Co. In its Order, the PSC has again recognized the value of local, customer-owned renewable energy in Kentucky. The Order rejected LG&E and KU’s proposal to drastically reduce the value of solar energy exported back to the utility, which would have ended net metering and slashed the value of fed-back solar power by 75% to 2.3 cents/kWh. Instead, the Commission set the new compensation rate for net exported energy at 6.9 cents/kWh for LG&E and 7.4 cents/kWh for KU.
This ruling builds on a previous decision issued in May 2021 in the Kentucky Power Co. rate case and reinforces the precedent set in that case. The Commission reaffirmed principles and best practices to be used by utilities for determining the value of distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar. The Commission identified multiple ways in which distributed solar resources help the utilities avoid costs and directed that these savings be credited to customers for the excess energy they supply to the grid.
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Advances in Battery Storage Technologies
Presenters: John Cotten, Wilderness Trace Solar
Matt Partymiller, Solar Energy Solutions
This webinar will address the following topics:
- Current battery storage options for residential and commercial grid-tie and off-grid solar PV systems.
- Overview of battery storage at the industrial and utility scale.
- Emerging technologies.
View RECORDING HEREThursday, June 3, 2021
Net Metering Update - Review of Ky PSC Order Adopting New Net Metering Rates for Kentucky Power Co.
Presenters: Tom FitzGerald, Kentucky Resources Council
Joshua Bills, Mountain Association
Andy McDonald, Apogee-Climate & Energy Transitions and Kentucky Solar Energy Society
On May 14, 2021, the Kentucky Public Service Commission issued a final order in the first case to address changes to net metering since the passage of the controversial Net Metering Act of 2019 (SB100). In its order, the Commission rejected Kentucky Power Company’s proposed changes to net metering, which would have reduced the value of excess solar generation by 75%. Instead, the Commission set the new compensation rate at about 9.7 cents/kWh or 12% below the retail rate. The Commission acknowledged multiple benefits provided by distributed solar generation and adopted principles and best practices to be used for determining the value of distributed energy resources.
Attorney Tom FitzGerald, Joshua Bills, and Andy McDonald have worked together for more than a decade supporting net metering and customer access to solar energy and were intervenors in the recent KPC rate case.
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Local Solar, Local Savings: How to Cut Electricity Costs in Half for Public Schools and Local Governments in Frankfort with 20 MW of Solar PV
Presenters: Andy McDonald & Walt Baldwin, authors of “Local Solar, Local Savings”
Local governments and public schools in Frankfort, Kentucky, could cut their electricity costs in half and dramatically reduce carbon emissions by developing a collaborative solar project within Franklin County, according to a study by Apogee-Climate & Energy Transitions. With the cooperation of their local municipal utility, the Frankfort Plant Board (FPB), a 20 megawatt (MW) solar facility on about 150 acres could supply 100% of the net annual electricity needs of these four public agencies, providing combined savings to local taxpayers exceeding $1.2 million per year.
To download the full report, Local Solar, Local Savings, visit www.ApogeeClimate.org.
Recording unavailable.
May 19, 2021
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, KYSES will not hold an in-person Annual Meeting this year. Instead, we are hosting the following series of free webinars, beginning May 26th. We look forward to resuming in-person gatherings, hopefully later this year.
Wednesday, May 26th - 7:00pm EST: Local Solar, Local Savings: How to Cut Electricity Costs in Half for Public Schools and Local Governments in Frankfort with 20 MW of Solar PV
Thursday, June 3rd - 7:00pm EST: Net Metering Update - Review of Ky PSC Order Adopting Changes to Net Metering for Kentucky Power Co.
Wednesday, June 9th - 6:00pm EST: Advances in Battery Storage Technologies
Friday, August 28, 2020
Status of Net Metering & Rooftop Solar in Kentucky: How Kentucky’s Solar Industry is Handling the Pandemic, Economic Crisis, & Net Metering Uncertainty
Presenters: Matt Partymiller, Solar Energy Solutions
John Cotton, Wilderness Trace Solar
Moderator: Andy McDonald, Apogee - Climate & Energy Transitions
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Cincinnati’s 100% Renewables Commitment & the Green Cincinnati Plan
Presenter: Oliver Kroner, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Cincinnati
In 2018 the City of Cincinnati committed to a community-wide transition to renewable energy by 2035. Last year they announced plans to build a 100 MW solar facility to supply the City’s electricity needs, the nation’s largest City-led solar project. Oliver Kroner, the City’s Sustainability Coordinator, will discuss these efforts and their Green Cincinnati Plan.
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Louisville’s 100% Renewable Energy Resolution
Presenters: Nancy Givens, Sam Avery, and Wallace McMullen of the 100% Renewable Energy Alliance of Louisville.
In February 2020 Louisville Metro Council voted in support of a resolution to meet 100% of Louisville’s energy needs with renewable energy. What are the details of the Resolution? How did local citizens get it passed? How will it be implemented? What lessons were learned to help other cities move to 100% renewable energy?
National Solar Tour
Each year in October KySES members organize local Solar Tours in conjunction with the American Solar Energy Society's National Solar Tour. Recent years have seen Solar Tours in Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Berea, and other places. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the KySES board is currently evaluating how to proceed with Solar Tours this year. We will post updates as more information becomes available.
Click here to learn more about the National Solar Tour.
