A dispute between PG&E and a Corralitos resident could affect solar generators in state

By Chuck Carroll
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

source: http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/california/stories/sjsolardis_20010826.htm

SAN JOSE -- Ken Adelman's battle to sell solar-generated electricity to the power grid without first paying for hundreds of thousands of dollars in upgrades and studies may be headed to a courtroom.

The Corralitos resident's joy at finally hooking his $400,000 system to the grid on Aug. 2 -- with a PG&E safety inspector's blessing, he says -- lasted only five days.

On Aug. 7, the utility company disconnected his 31-kilowatt solar system from the grid, citing safety concerns.

Now Adelman, owner of one of the largest solar arrays in the state, can't get PG&E power for the outlets and lights in his house, four miles outside Watsonville, because most of it has been rewired to his solar system. He has been forced to use his expensive solar batteries at night and on overcast days, but they contain limited power and will wear out fast.

After he was tossed off the grid, Adelman quickly filed a complaint with state regulators.

PG&E has until Wednesday to respond, and a pre-hearing conference has been set for Friday, barring a settlement. The outcome of Adelman's battle could affect the pace of solar power development in energy-hungry California.

PG&E said Adelman must pay for studies to learn how his system can feed power to the grid safely. The primary concern, the company said, is the safety of its linemen. If the grid goes down and Adelman's solar system continues to feed the power lines, utility workers in his neighborhood could be injured by falsely assuming the line is dead.

The company has estimated the cost at $605,000. Only after the studies are completed -- again at Adelman's expense -- will the cost be known. And PG&E says it's only fair for Adelman to pay those costs rather than pass them on to ratepayers.

Adelman insists there is no problem. He said the equipment that feeds his power to the grid is the best available, certified as complying with national standards accepted by the utility industry. That equipment is designed with several layers of protection to ensure that no power will flow to the power lines when there is a disruption on the grid.

Moreover, since he put his excess power on the grid for several days without damaging any PG&E equipment, he said that proves there's no other safety issue.

Even if significant upgrades are needed, Adelman said, a new law designed to encourage the development of solar power means he doesn't have to pay for it.

Despite the new law, PG&E says it can't change its practice of billing customer-generators such as Adelman unless the Public Utilities Commission changes state regulations.

"The reality is that PG&E has disconnected me to send a clear message to Californians that they will not tolerate competition from their own customers," Adelman said, "and that those who try to exercise their rights under the law to produce their own electricity will be dealt with harshly."

Grid-connected solar systems allow their owners to get credit from the utility on their power bills for the electricity they feed to the grid. During the day, a solar system often generates more electricity than the owner needs at home and feeds the excess to the grid at a time when power-hungry businesses need kilowatts most. But at night and on gloomy days, solar-equipped customers like to use the utility's power rather than wear out their batteries.