Oklahoma will charge homeowners who generate their own power

hotair.com ^ | 4/20/2014 | Jazz Shaw

[rktman]

A disturbing story out of the Sooner State this week, noted by Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway. Under the terms of a recently passed bill, expected to be signed by Governor Mary Fallin, homeowners who install their own private solar or wind turbine energy resources and sell some of the juice back to energy companies will be paying a fee for the privilege.

[Rodd OB]

Could you recommend some Euro Mfgrs. or the website names so I can check them out. At the moment, I’m considering Renogy whose product is made in China.

Any Freepers have other suggestions for 100KW panels?

[RipSawyer]

This is followed shortly by calling you a racist, global warming denier. :)
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I’m warming to the idea of being a racist global denier. Either that or a denying global racist.

[Grams A]

You are assuming continued and reliable supplies of natural gas at affordable rates. That is probable but not certain.”

You may be right. Nothing is certain except for death and taxes, but we do live on the Texas Gulf and are subject to power outages, most certainly during a hurricane. When you look at our options we generally count on natural gas being available. Our gas rates would have to actually go through the roof in order to offset the expense of taking the family to a distant city and paying expensive hotel rates for food and housing plus the risk of leaving our home unoccupied.

Gas powered generator may not be the best answer but those in our neighborhood during Ike that didn’t have one sure wished they did and have either added one or are planning to. No one around us is even considering solar as an option for a power replacement source, maybe because hurricane preparedness is our primary objective.

[thackney]

Thank you. I said that backwards.

I meant to say: they could not buy power for the same price as they sell it, for they need to pay for the transmission & distribution equipment, among other costs.

[Psalm 144]

No one around us is even considering solar as an option for a power replacement source, maybe because hurricane preparedness is our primary objective.

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I understand. A hurricane would play merry hell with the roof too. No panels, no power. The tank of gas would look pretty good then.

[RegulatorCountry]

Good european mfg panels are currently at about $120.00 per 100watt panel and much more efficient than the chinese knockoffs.

Name a couple of manufacturers. I've been attempting to stay up to speed, have some interest, am thinking pump for secondary well, plus electrical usage for a two bay Morton building with small finished office. Power usage would be minimal, and it would create habitable shelter in the event that the power grid goes down. Got some open pasture with a good southern exposure, set back from a little-traveled dead end secondary road that ends just beyond at a river bottom. Seems as good a place as any near here, one way in, one way out, river creates a barrier on one side, clearing on a relatively concealed hill. Doing this on the house is impractical due to angle of exposure and trees, I just don't want those things on top of a fairly new architectural shingle roof facing the front. Ugly, imho. Not as noticeable on a standing seam metal roof.

[G Larry]

How dare you attempt INDEPENDENCE from gov’t control!

We want to herd you all back to the cities, where you are at our mercy.

[Grams A]

I think it would be higher to run per a month than the normal electricity/gas bills.”

I’m sure you are right about the cost of running a natural gas powered generator being higher than the total of our electricity and gas bill for the same period of time. But in our area we tend to only think about how best to prepare for the time during and two to three weeks after a hurricane.

When we left for Ike, our hotel costs were $425 per day plus meals for our family plus the hassle of a 250 mile trip which took 14 hours. And it was just for a Holiday Inn type place. Of course we were thankful that we were some inland and not in Galveston where they didn’t have to worry about power because so much was just totally gone.

I hope we don’t have a hurricane again but, if we do, it certainly will be interesting to watch all those new Yankees who have invaded our state cope.

[Flame Retardant]

Some guy has lots of solar or windmills. He wants to sell power to the grid at his retail rate, which of course denies the utility their profit.

Well, there's the problem right there. They do not have a right to make a profit. They have a right to seek a profit. If their customers choose a different option (e.g. install solar panels), well, bad day to be them.

[OneVike]

Let me get this right.

They make rules and regulations that increase the price of electricity and then tell you to put solar panels on your house to help reduce the need for more power plants.

Then they tell you that it will help because they will allow you to sell the unused electricity you generated to the power company, because they won’t let them build more power plants.

Next they tell you that you must pay a fee to the state when you sell your electricity to the power company they refuse to give permits to that are needed to build more power plants so you wont have to put solar panels on your house.

Is it just me, or have we entered the twilight zone? Scotty? Beam me up, because there is no intelligent life down here.

[Go_Raiders]

Since costs are declining on solar, it makes sense to wait a bit longer. The government will eventually coerce you into installing by mandating higher costs on your public utility. The only problem you may run into is that a sudden drastic rate increase may cause panel supply shortages, raising your cost.

I am assuming this is the house you are keeping for at least 20 years, otherwise it’s not worth considering.

[Oatka]

Your property deed may have them included but it didn’t say anything about wind or sun or rain rights!

Air is next.

[Arrowhead1952]

Heck, I think Austin is paying customers for the power from their rooftop solar power collectors.

[Neidermeyer]

The best return is when you net out your generation against full retail price ... excess power sold back is usually at the utilities lowest commercial rates ,, the 30% “investment tax credit” usually covers the down payment and makes the payback period short enough to be feasible... http://www.seia.org/sites/default/files/resources/The%20Case%20for%20the%20Section%201603%20Treasury%20Program_02%2003%202012%20%282%29.pdf

[Southack]

Good panels found where??