Hi Stephen
On (31 Jul 97) Stephen Richardson wrote to All...
 SR> I've understood that utility companies are required by law to buy back
 SR> any excess power generated by a home producer.  Does anyone know whether
 SR> or not this would be at the same rate that they sell it, and if there
 SR> are limitations to the amount that they are required to buy?
This is an International echo, and you can't expect us down under to know 
uch
about US laws. But I can talk about the problem, as your utility Co would see
it:
When customers feed energy back into the grid, this can be Good News or Bad
News for the utility:
At peak load periods it is Good News because that is the time of day when the
utility own costs are highest- they are running at above the load for maximum
generating and transmission efficiency, and they are running their oldest 
ost
ineffective plant. Your KWHr meter going backward, is then Good News.
At off- peak periods eg 3am, they don't need your input because their
generating capacity is way above demand, their most efficient plant is on
line, and their transmission efficiency is very high. The transformer cooling
fans and circulating oil pumps at substations are off [energy saved] at this
long part of the day.
If you were a big- time exporter of energy to the grid, then you would get
your credit payments according to the time of day, the day of the week
perhaps- as well as the KWHr delivered.
If you were a biggish exporter located in a rural or other low density 
egion,
your contribution could be Bad News because as you stop and start exporting
energy, you may cause voltage fluctuations that irritate neighbours. Your
ability to do this, would not have been forseen by the utility system
designer. You might even cause line relaying to trip causing blackouts. This
might get you suit from angry neighbours [eg a gas station] who lose trade
because of supply interruptions that *you* caused.
In NSW the concept of consumers feeding back into the mains has quite a long
and exciting history, the 1940s- 1950s period seeing large scale 
evelopments.
I don't think any laws were enacted, but the utility companies compelled
adherence to *their* requirements. This seems to have been a good outcome, as
we have enjoyed constantly reducing power bills, and a very high standard of
service reliability.
But then WE don't have hurricanes or dynamited power pylons here!!
Cheers......ALEC
... Marriage is a ghastly public confession of a strictly private intention
--- PPoint 1.92
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