Power Company Wants to Rent Your Roof

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  • pleppik
    Solar Fanatic
    • Feb 2014
    • 508
    #1

    Power Company Wants to Rent Your Roof

    Interesting little tidbit I saw in this article: Apparently Arizona Public Service (the same utility which has been trying to impose hefty fees on consumers who install solar) recently got approval for a plan to rent customers' roofs for solar panels.

    The deal is that APS will give the consumer a $30/month credit for the right to install and operate a solar array on the customer's roof. The customer would continue to pay regular rates and would not see any other direct benefit from the solar panels. APS wants to offer this to up to 2,000 customers in the initial phase.

    In my mind, this reinforces my general conclusion that the utilities fighting against solar don't have any problems with solar power itself, but instead just want to preserve their monopoly on power generation.

    On the other hand, as long as APS pursues this in a way that doesn't otherwise prevent anyone from putting up solar panels, I think this is not a bad idea. The power company gets a site for solar exactly where they think they need it, and a consumer who might not be able to afford their own panels can at least get some small benefit.
    16x TenK 410W modules + 14x TenK 500W inverters
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    • J.P.M.
      Solar Fanatic
      • Aug 2013
      • 14939
      #2
      Originally posted by pleppik
      Interesting little tidbit I saw in this article: Apparently Arizona Public Service (the same utility which has been trying to impose hefty fees on consumers who install solar) recently got approval for a plan to rent customers' roofs for solar panels.

      The deal is that APS will give the consumer a $30/month credit for the right to install and operate a solar array on the customer's roof. The customer would continue to pay regular rates and would not see any other direct benefit from the solar panels. APS wants to offer this to up to 2,000 customers in the initial phase.

      In my mind, this reinforces my general conclusion that the utilities fighting against solar don't have any problems with solar power itself, but instead just want to preserve their monopoly on power generation.

      On the other hand, as long as APS pursues this in a way that doesn't otherwise prevent anyone from putting up solar panels, I think this is not a bad idea. The power company gets a site for solar exactly where they think they need it, and a consumer who might not be able to afford their own panels can at least get some small benefit.
      That may have possibilities, but the price seems a bit low. Maybe something like $30/mo. per installed D.C. kW or some such size related criteria, leveraged to increases in rates.

        Comment

        • russ
          Solar Fanatic
          • Jul 2009
          • 10360
          #3
          Any utility with roof top solar is trying in a backhand way to pacify the loonies in their customer base. It makes no real sense what so ever!

          Especially where real estate is cheap.
          [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

            Comment

            • pleppik
              Solar Fanatic
              • Feb 2014
              • 508
              #4
              Originally posted by J.P.M.
              That may have possibilities, but the price seems a bit low. Maybe something like $30/mo. per installed D.C. kW or some such size related criteria, leveraged to increases in rates.
              That was my initial thought, too. But then I thought about it a bit more...the goal should be to have a deal where both the power company and the customer come out ahead. $30/month, or $360/year, is not likely to tempt a homeowner who can afford to buy his own solar panels and realize a much larger benefit over time.

              But for a less-wealthy homeowner, that's maybe not a huge amount but it is meaningful for something which (once installed) isn't disruptive and doesn't detract from the house's usefulness.

              And the utility gets a ready-made site already connected to the grid.

              If the typical roof is going to have 5kw of solar installed, in Arizona that's going to be (ballpark) 10,000kWh/year of production per roof, which means APS will pay around 3.6 cents per kWh in rent to the homeowner. That actually seems very fair, considering the utility is paying all the costs.
              16x TenK 410W modules + 14x TenK 500W inverters

                Comment

                • J.P.M.
                  Solar Fanatic
                  • Aug 2013
                  • 14939
                  #5
                  Originally posted by pleppik
                  That was my initial thought, too. But then I thought about it a bit more...the goal should be to have a deal where both the power company and the customer come out ahead. $30/month, or $360/year, is not likely to tempt a homeowner who can afford to buy his own solar panels and realize a much larger benefit over time.

                  But for a less-wealthy homeowner, that's maybe not a huge amount but it is meaningful for something which (once installed) isn't disruptive and doesn't detract from the house's usefulness.

                  And the utility gets a ready-made site already connected to the grid.

                  If the typical roof is going to have 5kw of solar installed, in Arizona that's going to be (ballpark) 10,000kWh/year of production per roof, which means APS will pay around 3.6 cents per kWh in rent to the homeowner. That actually seems very fair, considering the utility is paying all the costs.
                  Opinions vary. For $360/yr., I'd tell the POCO to put their system where the sun don't shine. For $1,800/yr. I'd be more inclined to take a sniff at the deal, but probably still treat it like a fire hydrant.

                    Comment

                    • pleppik
                      Solar Fanatic
                      • Feb 2014
                      • 508
                      #6
                      Originally posted by J.P.M.
                      Opinions vary. For $360/yr., I'd tell the POCO to put their system where the sun don't shine. For $1,800/yr. I'd be more inclined to take a sniff at the deal, but probably still treat it like a fire hydrant.
                      That's why I said it probably wouldn't tempt someone who could afford their own panels.

                      If APS' goal is to install 2,000 roofs, they don't need to convince you to take the deal. They only need to convince some small fraction of their customer base that $30/month is worth whatever inconvenience comes with having someone else's solar panels on the roof.
                      16x TenK 410W modules + 14x TenK 500W inverters

                        Comment

                        • russ
                          Solar Fanatic
                          • Jul 2009
                          • 10360
                          #7
                          Originally posted by pleppik
                          That's why I said it probably wouldn't tempt someone who could afford their own panels.

                          If APS' goal is to install 2,000 roofs, they don't need to convince you to take the deal. They only need to convince some small fraction of their customer base that $30/month is worth whatever inconvenience comes with having someone else's solar panels on the roof.
                          Greenwashing and nothing more.
                          [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

                            Comment

                            • emartin00
                              Solar Fanatic
                              • Aug 2013
                              • 511
                              #8
                              I've been saying they should do this for 2 years now. It's about time. Rather than try to pass laws and rate changes that prevent people from going solar, why not just get in the market yourself?
                              If it's zero down, and zero liability, why wouldn't people sign up for this?

                                Comment

                                • pleppik
                                  Solar Fanatic
                                  • Feb 2014
                                  • 508
                                  #9
                                  Originally posted by emartin00
                                  I've been saying they should do this for 2 years now. It's about time. Rather than try to pass laws and rate changes that prevent people from going solar, why not just get in the market yourself?
                                  If it's zero down, and zero liability, why wouldn't people sign up for this?
                                  Not speaking for myself here, but there are some people who really dislike or distrust their power companies.

                                  Occasionally someone hates the power company so badly they're willing to pay significantly more to go off-grid. You'll see a question about that posted to this forum every few months. In most cases they give up when they realize just how much more expensive it is to get rid of the power company, but there are exceptions.
                                  16x TenK 410W modules + 14x TenK 500W inverters

                                    Comment

                                    • russ
                                      Solar Fanatic
                                      • Jul 2009
                                      • 10360
                                      #10
                                      Originally posted by pleppik
                                      Not speaking for myself here, but there are some people who really dislike or distrust their power companies.
                                      Power companies are just a business though one run with political interference.

                                      Most people hating the power company are just chattering about a topic where they know next to nothing.
                                      [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

                                        Comment

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