Opinion: Utility companies need to relinquish chokehold on personal ... - Traverse City Record Eagle

Opinion: Utility companies need to relinquish chokehold on personal solar power generation | Opinion | record-eagle.com

In Michigan, utility companies dictate how much solar energy you can produce on your property. This stops consumers from maximizing their individual solar power generation and selling back excess power to the grid. This process is called distributed solar generation: producing energy, through mainly solar and wind generation, at or near where it will be used.

Distributed solar generation creates a resilient power grid by utilizing solar technology to produce energy hyper-locally. It empowers consumers to lower their utility bill by selling their excess power to their neighbors.

Utility companies determine your average energy use and then only allow you to install the minimum number of panels. This is short-sighted. Solar is increasingly becoming the cheapest and most abundant option for energy production. A distributed solar generation approach could help create energy independence in our community. It is energy produced locally and used locally.

An additional impediment is the statewide 1% cap on distributed solar generation buyback. This means only 1% of our power need as a state can be supplemented through distributed solar buyback programs. This legislation is because of annual meetings that happen with the Michigan Public Service Commission that consists of the major utility providers. They meet annually to negotiate their contracts with the state.

Unfortunately, they hold all the power in these negotiations because they can decide not to produce power and the state would need to figure out an alternative. This legislation is short-sighted. The solar energy industry exists — and is growing fast.

Solar will not completely replace other methods for energy production due to our Northern climate and latitude. It would supplement a large portion of our demand. We currently use 80% or more of our current energy production capacity in our region.

We have plans to grow as a region, but there is little consideration for the added energy demand on our infrastructure. This has led to discussions of strategic blackouts throughout our area. We can utilize distributed generation to help address both the issues of growth and high demand periods throughout the year.

We have seen how fragile our infrastructure can be over the last few years. There are only three energy grids in this country: East, West and Texas. In 2003 we saw what happens when a small error in Ohio can knock out power in Michigan and seven other Eastern states, affecting 45 million people.

As a property owner rights advocate, I don’t want anyone telling me what I can do with my property unless it endangers the public.

As an architectural designer, that is frustrating when trying to encourage my clients to invest in this technology. It cannot be sold as a way to gain energy independence themselves and/or reduce their utility bills through an energy buyback program like it should.

As a citizen of the earth, we need to do better. We have the tools available to create a healthier world for future generations, but the system currently works against the implementation of this system to its fullest potential.

As Traverse City residents, we need to increase the method of energy production to create a diverse and resilient power grid. Distributed solar production can empower the individual citizen and benefits the entire community. These impediments need to change.

About the author: Sam LaSusa is an architectural designer who specializes in sustainable design. He has seven years of experience in commercial and residential architecture. He is a member of the Michigan chapter of the American Institute of Architects and founded Untethered Enterprises LLC, an architectural and landscape design firm.