©Annie Parker, Deseret News Friday, April 30, 2021 Photo of solar panels on the roof of the Nexus Arch in Salt Lake City .It all started with the best of environmental intentions: solar energy to generate electricity for the home. Then there are disputes and even threats of court.
However, as we began to explore our full range of options, we realized that there could be a solar solution that many Utahns could embrace, if only more of them knew about it.
Of course, we must all do what we can to stop climate change, which is particularly harmful to our people. Renewable solar energy can be a valuable weapon in this battle.
Family membersBut to start this story from the beginning: St. We both live in the Stone Cliff community in George. Clay Wilkes, a dedicated environmentalist, wanted to install solar panels on his roof. Ladell Laub, a Stone Cliff Homeowners Association board member, followed the HOA's guidelines and judged them on aesthetic grounds.
After being rejected by the HOA, a frustrated Wilkes decided he could sue the homeowners association. But after discussing the matter further, we decided that there might be a way to resolve the conflict in a win-win situation.
By the way, Lapp St. He is the CEO of utility company Dixie Power in George. He also serves on the board of directors of the company that operates Deseret Power Transmission Lines and Coal Power Plants in eastern Utah.
Since 2008, Dixie has owned the Wilkes House and other 200 St. He manages a community solar farm that supplies George with solar energy. This was new to Wilkes, despite his environmental awareness and activism.
Family membersThe more Wilkes learned, the more he realized that letting an expert energy company supply the solar electricity and letting Dixie handle all the logistics made more sense for his shallow vision.
As we continued to gather our ideas, we realized that in order for solar power to take off among Utah homeowners, we needed to spread the word. What is the meaning of this text?
Of course, it is possible to install solar panels on the roof or install solar panels in the yard. In sunny Utah, you can generate as much electricity as your home needs. But the sun always sets. A cloudy day doesn't help much either.
Therefore, if a person does not want to live completely off the grid, it is very common to connect home installations to the utility company's network. So you will always have strength. And when you produce your own electricity, the electricity company credits you on your monthly bill.
Family membersBut managing the transition between energy sources and the monitoring required to keep accurate records involves complex hardware and software that can overwhelm many homeowners. Even Wilkes, who owns and runs a large technology patent holder, decided that it would be better to hand over local electricity to local utilities, as long as they were guaranteed equal power. Solar energy that can be generated by a local system.
Dixie's public solar service, which can be provided by utility facilities, works like this. The consumer subscribes to a plan that ensures that his house gets as much electricity as possible from the solar panels. The rest of the time, power comes from traditional Dixie power plants, most of which run on coal. Dixie controls the transition between energy sources, monitors the credits accumulated each month and adjusts the bill correctly.
Today, solar electricity is about 2 cents per kilowatt hour. But as the cost of solar technology continues to drop and more consumers sign up for plans, Dixie expects prices to drop and eventually become cheaper than conventional electricity.
St. In addition to the solar community in George, Dixie also operates in Burrell, Utah. The third, and largest to date, is being built next to a coal-fired power plant in Vernal, Utah. Even with the Vernal Solar plant up and running, Dixie alone can offer its solar plan to about 2,500 of the 25,000 residential customers it serves in Utah.
Family membersA vicious cycle then ensues: If more families don't sign up for Dixie's solar plans, the agency will have no interest or financial incentive to continue building and expanding solar installations.
A similar problem exists for other major utilities in Utah, including Rocky Mountain Power, Intermountain Power Agency and Provo Power. All offer community solar plans, but none can meet the demand if a residential customer suddenly wants to switch to solar. Now, most of the solar energy generated in Utah is sent to California and other states.
It's in everyone's best interest that Utah gets some sunshine soon. So consumers who are considering doing their part to mitigate climate change—and who can't handle the stress right now—would do well to explore environmental options.
And if their utility company still can't provide solar power, they should ask their supplier to build solar power. The more households that use such schemes, the more willing and financially able utility companies will be to invest in solar energy. That request, with perhaps a little political persuasion, could help save more solar energy in Utah.
We can continue to disagree that there must be an aesthetic reason not to go solar when it is the homeowner's only option. But before you sue someone, take the time to see if your local utilities can offer the climate option you want. And if not, find out why you can't and when you can.
Clay Wilkes is the founder of the environmental organization Red Crow, a benefactor of the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy at the University of Utah, and the founder and CEO of Galileo Financial Technologies, which was acquired by SOPHIE. Ladell Laub is Dixie Power's chief financial officer.
