Netmetering in UK?
Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 4:47 pm
When the sun shines bright on their home in New York's
Hudson Valley, John and Anna Bagnall live out a homeowner's
fantasy. Their electricity meter runs backward.
Solar panels on their barn roof can often provide enough for
all their electricity needs. Sometimes - and this is the
best part - their solar setup actually pushes power back
into the system. The Bagnalls "net meter," a state-sanctioned
setup that allows homeowners to adopt renewable energy with-
out taking the more radical step of disconnecting from their
local electric utility, Central Hudson Gas & Electric.
Net metering essentially allows people to become mini-power
producers. Programs vary state to state, but they are
typically coupled with financial incentives that make it
easier to invest thousands of dollars for photovoltaic
panels, windmills or fuel cells. Since sun and wind are
intermittent, customers still rely on the grid for steady
service. The meter runs backward when more energy is pro-
duced than a customer consumes.
"When they first put this in, it ran backward more than for-
ward," said John Bagnall, standing by a meter on a winter
morning. "Even with a hazy sun... we're producing electricity."
Federal legislation requires states to consider adopting net
metering standards by 2008, though programs are already in
place in more than 40 states, according to the Interstate
Renewable Energy Council. California is king when it comes
to net metering, accounting for 86 percent of the 15,200
customers tallied nationwide in 2004 by the Network for New
Energy Choices, a New York City-based renewable energy
advocacy group.
The biggest obstacle for most would-be net meterers is the
startup cost.
Prices vary depending on how big a system is installed, but
prices in the $8,000 range are common. New York offers re-
bates based on wattage that shave thousands off the costs,
and there are tax credits from the state and the federal
government, according to John Wright of Hudson Valley Clean
Energy, which installs the systems.
Wright said systems can provide 80 to 90 percent of a home's
electricity, so they are able to pay for themselves usually
in 10 to 12 years.
Would the same happen in the UK? I saw the bloke from Friends of the Earth has a similar setup in london. Anyone know about anywhere else in the UK?
Hudson Valley, John and Anna Bagnall live out a homeowner's
fantasy. Their electricity meter runs backward.
Solar panels on their barn roof can often provide enough for
all their electricity needs. Sometimes - and this is the
best part - their solar setup actually pushes power back
into the system. The Bagnalls "net meter," a state-sanctioned
setup that allows homeowners to adopt renewable energy with-
out taking the more radical step of disconnecting from their
local electric utility, Central Hudson Gas & Electric.
Net metering essentially allows people to become mini-power
producers. Programs vary state to state, but they are
typically coupled with financial incentives that make it
easier to invest thousands of dollars for photovoltaic
panels, windmills or fuel cells. Since sun and wind are
intermittent, customers still rely on the grid for steady
service. The meter runs backward when more energy is pro-
duced than a customer consumes.
"When they first put this in, it ran backward more than for-
ward," said John Bagnall, standing by a meter on a winter
morning. "Even with a hazy sun... we're producing electricity."
Federal legislation requires states to consider adopting net
metering standards by 2008, though programs are already in
place in more than 40 states, according to the Interstate
Renewable Energy Council. California is king when it comes
to net metering, accounting for 86 percent of the 15,200
customers tallied nationwide in 2004 by the Network for New
Energy Choices, a New York City-based renewable energy
advocacy group.
The biggest obstacle for most would-be net meterers is the
startup cost.
Prices vary depending on how big a system is installed, but
prices in the $8,000 range are common. New York offers re-
bates based on wattage that shave thousands off the costs,
and there are tax credits from the state and the federal
government, according to John Wright of Hudson Valley Clean
Energy, which installs the systems.
Wright said systems can provide 80 to 90 percent of a home's
electricity, so they are able to pay for themselves usually
in 10 to 12 years.
Would the same happen in the UK? I saw the bloke from Friends of the Earth has a similar setup in london. Anyone know about anywhere else in the UK?
