LIPA must invest in solar power, not just wind
Rooftop solar panels add energy capacity and keep the savings and profits here. Credit: Veronique Louis
While I agree that deploying clean renewable wind energy is vital to our local energy needs and to our national and global responsibility to fight climate change, let’s be aware: Wind energy will not reduce our already too-high electric bills.
LIPA still controls all the power and will sell it at its retail cost to ratepayers. As per a recent Newsday article, $1.58 per month will be added to the average ratepayer's bill to cover the incremental cost of wind power from the South Fork Wind Farm when it comes on line late next year. For 1.1 million ratepayers, that equates to over $500 million over 25 years without any escalation.
The European investors are entitled to a profit for the risk; however, that money will leave Long Island. It will not get recirculated into our economy. Is this any different from sending our money overseas for oil? Granted, wind power will create jobs which will help our economy. However, there are other renewable-energy alternatives that keep the bulk of the invested money here.
Rooftop solar in most cases gets adequate sun to produce the same amount of capacity, and the savings and profits stay here. Local business investors can reinvest that to create more jobs and grow their businesses. Local homeowners can use their savings for other local needs. For some, saving a few thousand dollars a year can make a huge difference in their quality of life.
The problem is one of control. LIPA prefers to control the deployment of power and act as the middleman. In the grand scheme, we need this transition. We need to replace fossil fuel generation with renewable energy. We need to increase production capacity to meet our future needs as we transition to all-electric consumption for transportation, home heating, etc.
I suggest we invest equal amounts to allow smaller distributed generation with the added value it provides: more permanent local jobs, more local investment, faster deployment, and less maintenance with lower costs all around.
For nearly 20 years, LIPA has supported the local solar industry. I am not suggesting that LIPA not support offshore wind, rather that it make comparable investments in solar, from simple residential to complex utility-sized arrays. The utility is burdening all ratepayers with charges for wind; asking LIPA to do the same for solar seems fair.
Mike Bailis who retired as founder of solar energy contractor SUNation Solar and now works as a consultant in the industry. Credit: Mike Bailis
Recently, LIPA suggested that all new solar arrays pay an additional fee to recover costs lost for grid maintenance. This is essentially a solar tax, which will discourage deployment. All ratepayers benefit from a stronger grid, and large-scale deployment across the grid with solar improves resiliency. Solar investors should not have to pay extra when it benefits all ratepayers.
The grid overall is in mediocre shape, from local wiring on the poles to substation level. Many substations are near capacity, making additional solar deployment nearly impossible or at best so expensive as to make the investment unattractive to the local investor.
We need to invest in that infrastructure. Upgrading substation capacity and line capacity is essential for both wind and solar. That would lead to more good jobs, better grid resiliency, and more local savings at a lower investment.
Wind power will be part of our energy mix in the future, but solar and other innovative new technologies must be, too, if we are going to reach our goals of providing renewable energy at reasonable cost to Long Island.
This guest essay reflects the views of Mike Bailis, who retired as founder of solar energy contractor SUNation Solar and now works as a consultant in the industry.
