20121212Comments.pdf

December 12,2012
28170EC 12 AN 8:1 4 5
Idaho Public Utilites Commission
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, Idaho 83720-0074
PUC Commissioners and staff,

ID -.h U P U L.J.
iT LIT I OMMlS:...
I request a public hearing on case No. IPC-E-12-27 Net Metering Service. We need a
full airing of all the issues in this case.
Issue examples:
-Idaho Power's relationship to the atmosphere. Idaho Power's Jim Bridger coal-fired
plant burns 8 to 9 million tons of coal annually. Valmy, Boardman, Danskin, Bennett
Mountain, and Langley Gulch all add to the carbon dioxide concentration in our air. It
appears Idaho Power is part of the problem not part of the solution regarding CO2
concentrations.
-Idaho Power's relationship to renewable energy. They appear to be against it as
demonstrated by their opposition to further wind farms and the fact that they did not build
the 1 Mw photovoltaic array that was discussed in the last Integrated Resource Plan.
-Problems of burning fossil fuel, for example acidification of the Oceans, melting of the
ice packs, rising sea levels, warming oceans.
-The motives of net metering customers. Why do they sink thousands of dollars into a
rooftop photovoltaic array with little hope of recovering their costs?
-The expense of photovoltaic arrays. My 3.7 Kw photovoltaic array cost me $18,000.
Society benefits from the clean energy it generates; society should pay for it.
-Net metering as conservation motivation. The desire to achieve a zero power bill
motivates some of us to use less energy.
-Germany's feed-in tariff policies promote renewable energy. Germany has about 31,000
megawatts of photovoltaics.
-Idaho Power gets .a return on investment of about 8%; renewable energy producers.
should also get an attractive return on investment.
-Idaho Power's inadequate(non-existant) solar program What would an adequate
Photovoltaic program look like? Should it be paid for with the money generated from the
"Energy Efficiency Services" add-on to our power bills? Or perhaps we should adopt a
German-style feed-in tariff policy. Or perhaps simply increase the rate paid for
renewable energy.
-Net metering customers are part of the solution to our carbon dioxide concentration
problem. They should be encouraged; not punished with additional charges and fees.
-"If it ain't broke; don't fix it" The net metering program causes no fmancial suffering
for Idaho Power's regular service customers. What is the motive for Idaho Power
requesting the changes in IPC-E-12-27?
-The deep personal disappointed that these changes cause. It was fun to reduce my
family power consumption in order to get the "prize" of a zero power bill. Idaho Power
is taking away the fun of going solar.
Sincerely,
Reed Burkholder phone: [phone]
6105 Twin Springs Drive
Boise, Idaho 83709
Jean Jewell
From: [e-mail]
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 9:23 AM
To: Jean Jewell; Beverly Barker; Gene Fadness
Subject: PUG Comment Form
A Comment from Steve Smith follows:
Case Number: IPC-E-12-27
Name: Steve Smith
Address: P0 Box 2
City: Swan Lake
State: Idaho
Zip: 83281
Daytime Telephone: [phone]
Contact E-Mail: smithland8 (@hotmail.com
Name of Utility Company: Idaho Power
Acknowledge: acknowledge
Please describe your comment briefly:
Dear Commissioners:
Thank you for this forum to comment on Idaho Powers Proposal and Request. This is a two edge
sword that is more like blackmail than a Proposal. The doubling of the Generating Capacity of
Non Utility Power is, in my opinion, a small contribution to the Public Good. A non
competitive Public Power Company should be doing this type of thing all along to keep their
special status.
Net Metering in Idaho is just a window dressing to the PURPA law anyway and to interrupt this
proposal as a generous gift to customers is a fish hook for the request for more money for
the Power Company and another blow to Net Metering in Idaho.
What exactly are these â€Potential Inequalitya€ costs that a Net Metered Customer doesnã€TMt
recover? How is this going to help the Standard Service Customer (SSC) by adding 4 times the
Service charge and a new Basic Load Charge for only the Net Metering Customers? Here are 3
Real Inequalities that Net Metering Customers do not get credit for:
1)Avoided Costs of Transmission from out of state Power Plants including Construction
Costs.
2)Peak Power Rates that are not one KW for one KW.
3)Demand Side Management costs.
In summary: Power Companies that are not still in the Dark ages factor in Net Metered Power
for future demand and Distributed Generation. Our states neighbors have not only learned how
to utilize diverse power sources but are developing standards and technology to deal with
some of the problems that occur with putting consumer generated power in to the overall mix.
Idaho Power is having a tough time with non typical power sources but they are blaming all
their problems on 2 or 3% of the total power mix. The more one looks into the debate over the
PURPA laws one only sees Partisan Politics as the underlining issue.
This Request should be denied. Idaho Power may want to study how other Power Providers make
Net Metering work.
Steve Smith
The form submitted on http://www.puc.idaho.gov/forms/ipuci/ipuc.html
IP address is 69.20.182.226
1