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Run on Sun Monthly Newsletter

As EVs Roll Out, Los Angeles Gears Up

The Solar Home & Business Journal is reporting that Los Angeles is gearing up for the new wave of EVs and PHEVs that are set to start arriving this month. Already home to more plug-in vehicles than any other metropolitan area in the U.S., now the LADWP has announced that it will "provide instant online approvals of home charging stations and expedited charger inspections and new meter installations." While LADWP has historically been a source of great permitting frustrations, this change is intended to greatly shorten and simplify the process.

“Our expedited approvals will set the standard for cutting bureaucratic red tape that can otherwise frustrate drivers making the change to an EV,” the website says. “Permit approvals and inspections that in other areas can take weeks for new and prospective EV owners have been cut to hours and days in the City of Los Angeles.”

The story also reports that the City already has some 350 charging sites on city property or at publicly accessible private locations with more to come. New chargers were recently added at the LA Convention Center and LAX where "plug-in rental cars may become available soon." You can read the entire article, titled, "Citing 'L.A. Advantage,' Utility Prepares for a New Wave of Plug-in Vehicles," here.

This is very exciting news and should help ease the "range anxiety" of the public. Indeed, I heard a supposedly knowledgeable source on the radio the other day, talking about the LA Auto Show, repeating all sorts of misleading nonsense about how EVs work, how reliable they are or what they cost to operate. Let's be clear - EVs will save you money over a comparable ICE vehicle. If you combine that with solar power to fuel your EV, your savings will be even greater.

But talking about the wonders of EVs won't convince people - they need to start driving these vehicles - like we did - so they can discover that not only are they practical, but they are a heck of a lot of fun, too! That can't happen too soon, and these actions by LA will help hasten the day when we can all Run on Sun!

Pasadena Adopts AB 920 Compensation Rules - Sorta

On Monday, November 8, 2010, the Pasadena City Council unanimously adopted PWP's staff recommendation for surplus solar energy compensation rules in response to AB 920. That's the good news. The bad news is that the rules that were adopted are clearly inconsistent with the mandates of AB 920. Moreover, they do not provide fair compensation for surplus solar energy producers since the compensation paid - even at its most generous - does not equal the true cost of energy for most PWP customers.

Run on Sun attended the City Council meeting (as did two of our Pasadena customers) and addressed the Council over what we saw as the deficiencies in the staff's recommendation. You can read our full report and critique of Pasadena's actions regarding AB 920 here (warning - it is long!).

So what is a PWP customer to do? That depends on how much surplus energy you are producing, and how frequently you are doing so. If your system produces surplus energy every month, so that there is no chance that in a subsequent month you will be a net energy consumer, then you should opt for the higher payment made on each billing cycle. You won't be paid a true market value for your surplus energy, but you will do better than holding it to the end of the year given PWP's approach.

On the other hand, if in some months you are a net producer and in other months you are a net consumer, you should carry your credits forward to the end of the year. That way you will save money by offsetting your future consumption since that offset is worth more than the 17.8¢/kWh that PWP is willing to pay you. Moreover, if you anticipate that your energy needs could increase in the next year - say because you are going to purchase an electric vehicle - then you should demand that PWP allow you to carry your energy surplus into the next year, as expressly provided for by AB 920. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Click this link to read our full article.

What Will You Be? A Post from the Solar Kid

Originally published October 30, 2010

Yesterday was the Harvest Festival. It is a small fair at my school that is put on every year by the eighth graders. I was one of them this year! I was a parade co-chair with two other girls. We organized younger kids into parades to be judged by teachers (harder than it sounds). There is a lot of work that goes into a Harvest Festival, and our teachers don't let up on homework at all!

Every eighth grader was required to wear a costume. I was an electrician. I own a blue CBS shirt, courtesy of our chief electrician Velvet. I borrowed my dad's tool belt and a few tools of the trade: needle nose pliers, a voltmeter, a distance reader, and a flashlight. I also borrowed a hard hat from my grandmother (kept in the trunk of her car in case of emergencies). It was fun and easier to move around in than other people's floor length dresses or tutus. I got to wear jeans (so comfy!).

Yesterday, Harvest Festival.
Tomorrow, Halloween.
What will you be?

Yesterday, energy from oil.
Tomorrow, energy from solar panels.
What will you choose?