"The PUC Commission is examining long-term financial mechanisms and buy-down arrangements that could allow distributed generation project sponsors to voluntarily exit existing NEB arrangements."
It seems the Maine Government has found itself in a pickled mess regarding Net Energy Billing and is asking for a remedy that would entice all these solar projects to exit NEB arrangements. What a joke. These project sponsors are making money, hand over fist. Only a moron would think they would give up the golden goose.
Nevertheless, A few have responded to the PUC's plea:
CMP wants them to know " CMP is a transmission and distribution utility. CMP does not own or sell generation..."
In other words, This is your mess, you fix it.
The fact is when CMP was allowed to own generation, the Maine lawmakers during the 1980s commanded they include overpriced distributed generation in the resource mix, mainly small scale wind, biomass and solar.
CMP realized that this was a stupid and costly idea and finally bought out all this garbage electricity and saved the ratepayers years of high costs. So, it isn't surprising to hear CMP throwing this NEB stuff right back into the PUC's face.
THe OPA response: "If the Commission chooses to pursue a new voluntary opt-in program under Section 3209-E, the OPA recommends that the Commission adopt a strict ratepayerbenefits test to ensure that ratepayers do not end up worse off under the program."
Lots of help from the OPA, huh.
And, of course the solar sponsors chimed in, saying just keep allowing us to reap in massive profits from the ratepayers.
The truth is, by the sponsors own admission, is that these solar projects receive their return on investment (ROI) at seven years of the twenty year contracts. In fact, when a project sponsor asked during a public hearing at a recent session of a EUT Committe Hearing if NEB projects obtained ROI after 7 years by a lawmaker, the sponsor quickly responded with a sales pitch saying ROI was actually 5 years.
It would seem, if the PUC had any balls, they would call off all NEB benefits to these projects after 5 years and tell them to go find willing customers to buy their product or request the ISO-NE to pay wholesale prices for their output. It is up to the PUC to stop the fleecing.
The Ball Less Maine PUC Seeks Courage to End NEB Corruption and Proves It Has None.
by Dan McKay
53 minutes ago
"The PUC Commission is examining long-term financial mechanisms and buy-down arrangements that could allow distributed generation project sponsors to voluntarily exit existing NEB arrangements."
It seems the Maine Government has found itself in a pickled mess regarding Net Energy Billing and is asking for a remedy that would entice all these solar projects to exit NEB arrangements. What a joke. These project sponsors are making money, hand over fist. Only a moron would think they would give up the golden goose.
Nevertheless, A few have responded to the PUC's plea:
CMP wants them to know " CMP is a transmission and distribution utility. CMP does not own or sell generation..."
In other words, This is your mess, you fix it.
The fact is when CMP was allowed to own generation, the Maine lawmakers during the 1980s commanded they include overpriced distributed generation in the resource mix, mainly small scale wind, biomass and solar.
CMP realized that this was a stupid and costly idea and finally bought out all this garbage electricity and saved the ratepayers years of high costs. So, it isn't surprising to hear CMP throwing this NEB stuff right back into the PUC's face.
THe OPA response: "If the Commission chooses to pursue a new voluntary opt-in program under Section 3209-E, the OPA recommends that the Commission adopt a strict ratepayerbenefits test to ensure that ratepayers do not end up worse off under the program."
Lots of help from the OPA, huh.
And, of course the solar sponsors chimed in, saying just keep allowing us to reap in massive profits from the ratepayers.
The truth is, by the sponsors own admission, is that these solar projects receive their return on investment (ROI) at seven years of the twenty year contracts. In fact, when a project sponsor asked during a public hearing at a recent session of a EUT Committe Hearing if NEB projects obtained ROI after 7 years by a lawmaker, the sponsor quickly responded with a sales pitch saying ROI was actually 5 years.
It would seem, if the PUC had any balls, they would call off all NEB benefits to these projects after 5 years and tell them to go find willing customers to buy their product or request the ISO-NE to pay wholesale prices for their output. It is up to the PUC to stop the fleecing.