Solar Is Here

29 May 2014 Good morning, Commissioners, In yesterday's ACC Workshop on Emerging Technologies, one of the presenters mentioned government subsidies for non-renewable energy sources. Commissioner Bob Burns said he was interested in learning more about these, and Brenda Burns echoed that sentiment. For those unfamiliar with fossil-fuel subsidies, the numbers can seem implausible at first. But both massive tax breaks and cash incentives have driven nearly all sectors of our economy for over a century. The attached DBL Investors report has some excellent graphs and charts depicting all US energy subsidies over their first 30 years. Its executive summary states, "the federal commitment to [oil and gas] was five times greater than the federal commitment to renewables during the first 15 years of each subsidies’ life, and it was more than 10 times greater for nuclear." What exactly are these fossil fuel subsidies? The OECD lists many of them in its compreh...

22 April 2014 Dear Representatives, I am an Arizona native, resident of Tempe, proud of our state sustaining its smart energy leadership on the national stage, and concerned about the broad implications of haphazardly altering a few words in very wisely crafted A.R.S. Sec. 12. of SB1301 , regarding A.R.S. Section 42-11054 C-2 and C-3(c) , is a poorly veiled attempt to eliminate 3rd-party solar installation leases from Arizona's renewable energy development. These leases (like car leases, mortgages and all other financing vehicles) have been the market-driven solution for the average Arizonan to be able to afford rooftop solar. Be aware: this proposed replacement of the term "on-site consumption" with "self-consumption" not only segregates rooftop solar customers by their choice in financing (read: income level), it sets a deleterious precedent of adjusting property values based on the property's (easily changed) owner, rather than any in...

21 April 2014   Link to Project Management presentation for ASU Nano PSM from Jamie Kern

06 February 2014 Click Read More below for transcript.

05 February 2014 Dear commissioners, Policy certainty is key to sound development in all arenas, particularly in energy development. Bonbright's Principles of Public Utility Rates (1961) notes that the key revenue-related attribute to rate-making is "stability and predictability of the rates themselves, with a minimum of unexpected changes seriously adverse to ratepayers and with a sense of historical continuity." It also mentions the key practical-related attributes of "understandability, public acceptability, and feasibility of application" and "freedom from controversies as to proper interpretation". Historically, hasty decisions have resulted in more regret, shortsightedness and net loss to all parties than well-deliberated ones. In this vein, I urge you all to avoid altering the current REST plan , avoid providing any waivers to the current or future DG carve-outs for regulated utilities, and - in general - avoid the imme...

14 November 2013 Dear commissioners, In this email, I present 5 strong reasons to oppose any current proposal regarding the APS request to alter net metering in Arizona (Docket # E-01345A-13-0248). 1) APS’ OWN FILING SHOWS SOLAR CUSTOMERS SUBSIDIZE THE GRID Attachment CAM_3 (pp 7-12) of the original July APS net-metering filing , E-01345A-13-0248,  includes 6 APS-cherry-picked sample bills from residential customers before and after installing solar. In all of these “illustrative examples”, the solar arrays generate more on-peak electricity than the house consumes - both in winter and summer. That means the house is sending net on-peak electricity to the grid. And in all of these “illustrative examples”, the house is generating less off-peak electricity than it consumes. That means the house is receiving net off-peak electricity. All 6 of these example solar customers are trading, one-for-one, their own valuable on-peak hours for APS’ less-valuable off-p...

13 November 2013 Click Read More for the transcript.

08 November 2013 Arizona Ratepayers’ Primary Interests A summary of findings from 5 different public surveys by Jamie Michael Kern In the recent APS Technical Conferences, the idea of “cross-subsidization” seems to have been assigned a default negative bias. Such a bias may be true in other markets but is not so in Arizona. According to multiple surveys of Arizonans, ratepayers overwhelmingly support the idea of cross-subsidization – in the form of increased rates – in order to develop renewable energy sources. Their explicit interests are summarized below. It must be noted that accommodating ratepayer interests is more than just adding a “societal benefit” in electricity valuations; it is and should be the primary driver of utilities. The Arizona Corporation Commission’s current Strategic Plan lists its primary mission as:  “exercise exclusive state regulatory authority over public service corporations (public utilities) in the public interest ”. As suc...

13 May 2013 Arizona Master Energy Plan (MEP) Task Force comments submitted following May 8th 2013 resource working group meeting Questions to consider after the meeting: What are the ratepayer’s explicitly voiced primary interests ( source 1 , source 2 , source 3 , source 4 ) in Arizona’s energy development? And how are those explicit interests being considered in the MEP? How does coal plant longevity appropriately factor into energy planning? All generation plants are continually upgraded, and the cost of upgrades increases as plants age (substantially more so for coal generators than other energy sources). So which coal plants serving AZ are well below a marginal cost equaling a marginal benefit, and which are close? Ideally, an answer in terms of years or decades would be of value in an analysis. Comments on specific topics discussed at the meeting: The true causes of solar growth in Arizona in last 2-3 years Net metering Financial incentives Availability of 3rd pa...

09 May 2013 Shared at the APS Renewables Stakeholder Series Solar Gastronomy: Would you like fries with your electricity , or what happens when your server orders for you. "Let's imagine that 10 Arizonans decide to dine out and go Dutch. They all have different appetites, but at this restaurant they will all be served exactly the same meal..." Read more...

05 December 2012 Governor’s Office of Energy Policy Re: Solar Decathlon, Capitol Exhibit Proposal Dear Travis Ekenberg, As you are aware, Arizona State University is competing in the United States Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013. The competition requires participating collegiate schools to design and build a net-zero home incorporating solar energy and new technologies while educating the public and local community. Team ASUNM, collaboration between Arizona State University and The University of New Mexico, is building a campaign to educate our communities and stimulate a new direction for adaptable, solar-powered homes that root themselves in our suburban landscape, fostering sustainable growth of both family and ecosystem. A display at the State Capitol could provide educational opportunities for many demographics, from regularly visiting schools to our state legislators and business executives. Since the Capitol is a place visited by many, it is a great site for all to...

10 Oct 2012 Transcription of Building and Strengthening the Narrative presentation: We are here today because the cacophony of voices praising or criticizing solar energy generally confuses interested parties and immobilizes progress towards adoption of the technology. Polarization of opinions across political party lines further impedes the development of solar power – an essentially neutral, non-partisan, valuable and contributing source for Arizona’s energy portfolio. Even among like-minded solar industry participants and proponents, a multitude of opinions conflict. The Solar Narrative Working Group recommends unifying these voices under an umbrella organization that promotes their common ideas, interests and needs. As Jeff said, this presentation is designed to illuminate how the Narrative, with the unilateral public-private support of industry, may approach, inform and engage key audiences.  The Narrative’s goal: [see slide]

December 2011 Sky Harbor Airport Renewable Powerplant Project from Jamie Kern A 17 MW distributed solar PV plant designed for the City of Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport in response to an APS RFP for RE Small Generation Resources. Modeled all financial and energy components with SAM and HOMER. Proposal would generate ~$750,000 annual savings for the City of Phoenix.