UCAN Lower Rates For Energy Hogs
According to the Union-Tribune, under the proposal, an inland SDG&E customer using 500 kilowatt-hours would see their monthly bills go up $2.66 to about $75.41; a neighbor using twice as much power would see a decrease of $4 to about $230, but still would have a bill more than three times as expensive.

Read UCAN's Analysis

Excerpted from NCT, by DON CHRISTIANSEN:

Germany receives 50 percent of the sunshine that California does, yet leads the world in the installation of solar electric. This is because Germany (and more than 40 other countries and Vermont) requires its electric utilities to purchase surplus renewable energy from its citizens. This is called a feed-in tariff because it feeds electricity into the local grid for a fee, or tariff.

In California, we can do no better than break even. Any surplus power generated is simply a gift to the IOU monopoly.

AB 1106 is California feed-in tariff legislation that has passed the Assembly and the Senate Energy Committee. If passed by the full Senate and signed by the governor, it would require IOUs to pay citizens for surplus renewable energy they produce.

Encinitas Assemblyman Garrick voted against AB 1106.

See Also:
ETA Opening the Market to Homeowners
Jerome Stocks Goes Solar

Back in April the ETA held a forum on the Sunrise Powerlink.

Since that time I have been trying to get the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) to help me understand the playing field.

It is very curious that the CPUC originally directed me to have SDG&E address my questions. My questions were about the CPUC's role and authority, not about the specifics of the Powerlink. I eventually went back to the CPUC with my questions and they still remain substantially unanswered. I don't think I will make more progress without great effort.

Given what I can only cautiously piece together, here are a few of my recommendations for public policy related to power infrastructure:

Comparative Analysis
The decision to endorse or oppose the Powerlink should be based on a comparative analysis among many different alternatives. Alternatives should be placed side-by-side and each given serious consideration.

No Guaranteed Profits for Utility Monopolies
Many promises are being made by SDG&E. Their early promises have already been rolled back after they were scrutinized. The Powerlink's purported financial benefits have repeatedly been revised downward on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Read more »

The first ETA forum will be held next Monday. The topic is a proposed project to expand the region's power infrastructure. For more information click here.