A Sunflower Grows by Raymond A. Foss
Day by day
the seed grows
taller and taller
climbing toward the sun
ants and beetles
nibble, shred the leaves
but it grows, it still grows
bright green, vibrant green
needing the sky, the sun
four feet and more still
a single head, ready to unfurl
to burst forth, in glory
triumphant in blooming
vivid yellow
like the sun
One hundred fifty years after the Colorado Gold Rush drew an estimated 100,000 gold seekers to a mining camp later known as Denver, a new land grab building Colorado Community Solar Gardens begins. But what is a solar garden and how do you sow one?
First, let's consider why more people haven't put in solar panels on their homes. It's usually an issue of land or money; some folks lack suitable sunny property, and others can't afford the installation cost. If you're a renter or poor, you may suffer both problems. Inequity occurs when all ratepayers (e.g. Xcel Energy's controversial SolarRewards program) contribute to photovoltaic rebates used primarily by more wealthier homeowners. The Colorado Community Solar Gardens Act seeks to provide access to previously disenfranchised condo owners, renters, and other ratepayers with unsuitable sunny property.
Signed last summer, the new law is still undergoing PUC rule review. Final rule hearings begin March 18, 2011 in Denver with standard offers from Xcel Energy and Black Hills Energy arriving soon afterwards, opening the door for 10 or more investor owned utility (IOU) subscribers to share a common photovoltaic array (legislatively known as a Solar Garden) within a County (or adjacent for sparsely populated counties). A rush of Solar Garden applications (to the IOU) is expected until a cap on the number of Solar Gardens is lifted in 2014.
As ratepayer accessibility is a major reason for this solar legislation, it is worth asking if whether poor people will actually participate - the free market doesn't work for those without money. The current draft PUC rule requires that each Solar Garden have a minimum 5% low income participation. As I was unable to get poor people to the recent PUC workshops, I interviewed a few rural residents on a visit to the San Luis Valley.
Kate Vasha, Saguache Town Trustee, 63, described her community. "Saguache County is the second poorest county in Colorado. In our little town of 550 people, we have a lot of low income people and a lot of elders who are also low income. And to me, this is an important pivot point for solar - that is solar going to be an industrial model or is solar going to be a community model? And if it's going to be a community model, we have to take low income equity into account."
Kathy Geddes, Saguache Planning Commission and retired 16-year resident, emphasized "we are looking at Solar Gardens as a way to allow every citizen to participate in solar...I think one of the challenges is a lot of times people who are lower income have felt marginalized and not part of what is going on."
Marge Hoglin, Saguache Planning Commission, 62, spoke thoughtfully "I think equal access to solar technology and to what is currently available is really critical...and I hate to see solar be something that is more [for] the elite...the people who can afford it and have these big sprawling homes...that's pretty much who has taken advantage of it at this point." Hoglin drew an analogy. "Libraries are critical because they provide equal access to the information. And this is equal access to the technology and the ability to contribute to a green environment. I think this is of the utmost importance."
When I asked about the proposed 5% low-income PUC rule, Vasha commented, "I would say 5% sounds a little bit of tokenism...20%, 25% that starts to really...work with our low income people." Added Hoglin, "Things like solar have been kind of a luxury only the more well to do have even had the leisure to think about...if you're struggling to survive and pay the bills...you don't have time to think about it."
The actual details for building a Solar Garden won't be known for at least a month or two. Interested Solar Gardeners can contact The Solar Gardens Institute as details and public seminars emerge. Some of the seeds required to plant a solar garden include:
- Land - in addition to a long term lease, zoning issues need to be considered. Several Denver surrounding communities including Aurora and Boulder County are reviewing their Land Use Codes to specifically allow Solar Gardens.
- Subscriber development - organizers can't use the "build it and they will come" model because the size of the Solar Garden is limited to 120% of the sum of the subscribers' annual electrical usage. Subscribers may be mixed residential or commercial but no one subscriber may own more than 40% of the Solar Garden output.
- IOU Application - queue expected to fill very quickly due to 3-year cap.
- Funding - the organizer can be for profit or non-profit. SEC scrutiny may be a problem for some ownership models. The capital stack may be complex.
- Vendor selection - selection of the builder while weighing moving technology, dropping solar panel prices, and diminishing IOU rebates.
- Subscriber management - on-going billing, moves, and transfers.
The first Solar Gardeners face many uncertain issues including likely county or municipal zoning changes, low-income participation, property tax calculations, possible ownership securitization scrutiny, and distributed energy granularity (bigger versus smaller projects) controversy. The Colorado legislature is expected to take up some clean-up language for Solar Gardens - addressing only part of these implementation concerns. Colorado solar installers fear suspended solar rebates. Still, like the Sunflower, the real possibility of Solar Gardens can be described as "a single head, ready to unfurl."
Next month's column offers some insight on selected tax credits related to energy efficiency - get some ideas for reducing your 2011 taxes and carbon footprint simultaneously. Learn how you might not have to pay Federal income taxes for 2011 if you invest enough in energy improvements!
If any of you are in Boulder on March 7, I'll be part of a Sierra Club and CU Environmental Center panel discussing Solar Gardens - see denvergreenstreets.com Event Calendar for more details.
About Greg Ching - Street Scene Columnist
Greg Ching, Chief Sustainability Officer of The Solar Gardens Institute, was given credit by Representative Claire Levy as the inspiration for the Colorado Community Solar Gardens Act.
As a Community Sustainability Services Consultant he led projects from high tech to high touch. Greg is a former software engineer & sales executive now Colorado Licensed Massage Therapist specializing in Phenomenal Touch ® and Watsu ®. You can learn more about his diverse consulting background on LinkedIn.
Comments
Brandon
Tuesday, March 1, 2011 4:25pm
5% Low Income involvement is too low, especially considering the tremendous economic impact these projects can have on a local community.