There are several websites that contain up to date information on legislative efforts in 2019. Visit the Kentucky Conservation Committee site or the Kentuckians for the Commonwealth bill tracker for more information.
SB 100 allows the PSC to change the rate for electricity generated by an eligible customer-generator (homeowner with solar) that is fed back to the electric grid.
Some benefits of net metering are excluded in SB100. The bill could also subject customer generators to multiple rate cases, one for each utility any time a utility would apply to change the net metering rate.
House Floor Amendment 1 fixed most of the worst effects of SB100, and deferred all implementation until 2024. The Senate refused to accept the amendment.
We had good participation on Solar Lobby Day in February this year. But it didn't stop SB100.
If you are considering a solar system for your home, installing during 2019 will allow you to be grandfathered in with the better policies passed in 2008. Act fast!
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Another problem with Kentucky's law: The 30 kilowatt limit on net metering restricts the ability of businesses, farms, schools, and local governments to produce their own power. For many commercial customers, a 30 kilowatt generator would produce only a small fraction of their power needs, thereby limiting their ability to become energy independent. 17 states allow net metering up to 2 megawatts or more. Scotty's Transportation in Bowling Green has two one megawatt PV arrays producing energy.
- Creates job opportunities in every county of Kentucky
- Lessens administartive burdens and paperwork
- Cuts energy costs for new schools using renewable energy (ie - Locust Trace,
Richardsville Elementary and Turkey Foot Middle School
- Gives Kentucky's people, businesses, governments and schools more freedom to
produce their own energy
- Diversifies Kentucky's energy supply and increases security
- Protects Kentucky's environment
- Supports Kentucky's energy independence
However, our proposal was overwhelmed by the big-bucks lobbying of the monopoly utilities this year.
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Clean Energy Opportunity Act
Renewable and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (RPS) Background
Ever since 2009, KySES has remained joined with like-minded organizations to form the Kentucky Sustainable Energy Alliance ("KYSEA"). We continue to seek a renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS) and other provisions to encourage efficiency and renewables.
The proposed RPS would have Kentucky obtain 12.5% of its electricity from renewables over a 25 year period. A majority of states have some sort of RPS.
What does it cost? Other states' experience indicates no more than 2% or so on the monthly bill as a "renewables" surcharge. Utilities pool the money and use it as incentives to customers to install renewable energy, or to themselves build large solar arrays, wind farms or other resource.
The pooled money lowers the high initial costs of systems. Renewable power hits the grid.
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An RPS is the foundation for a transition to renewable energy.
Some Kentucky utilities claim "it's too hard" or "it's too expensive." It's neither. Other states are way ahead of us. Ohio, for instance, has an RPS and is busy building a cadre of trained solar professionals and scaled-up companies that now come to Kentucky and do work that Kentuckians should be doing.
Our nation's security, prosperity and health demand that we start transitioning to clean renewable energy.
Large utilities in other states encourage renewables. These utilities include (but are certainly not limited to) North Carolina-based Duke Energy and Minnesota-based Xcel Energy.
Xcel has voluntarily set a "30% by 2020" RPS for itself in Minnesota. Duke participates in and promotes large renewable projects in a number of states.
It's neither too hard nor too expensive, and we can do it.
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