The Jamaica Public Service has connected its first official net-billing customer to the grid.

The customer, Gordon Lawrence of a Corporate Area address, was officially commissioned after rigorous preparation and testing of the solar system at his home, supplied and installed by Alternative Power Sources.

Any excess energy from the solar system, not used by Lawrence, will be sold to JPS.

Lawrence was one of 11 JPS customers who received net-billing licences from Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell earlier this year. Net-billing customers will be paid the avoided cost of generation for the electricity JPS purchases, as well as up to a 15 per cent premium on that price.

(The customer) said the process of getting on to the JPS grid - from application, to obtaining a licence, to dealing with the Office of Utilities Regulation, JPS, Alternative Power Sources and the government electrical inspector - was relatively smooth.

"The system is superior to that of a standby generator, as the changeover is seamless and silent," he added. "It is also better than a generator in terms of cost as generators require fuel after purchase of the equipment."

"Unlike some solar systems that will not operate once there is no sunlight, Mr Lawrence's system can operate when it's cloudy, as well as at night...This is because his system also has backup batteries which are charged by the solar system."
--Volton Campbell (JPS Project Manager for Net Billing)

Gleaner::Read More @:
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20121126/lead/lead5.html

Renewable Energy...Net metering and Net Billing
It is conceivable that many guest house/villa operators in TB, who might have planned to install Solar PV or wind turbines to supply their electrical needs, were hoping for a fully implemented Net Metering regime to be approved by OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation).
Under Net Metering tariff protocols, as adopted in US jurisdictions, if your alternative energy system, grid-tied to the utility company, generated a a large credit balance due to net metering credits, the utility company sends you a check for units at the prevailing rate.
Imagine a vacant villa/guesthouse, not utilizing much energy produced by its solar system, pumping all that energy back to the utility company and receiving back stipends to maintain your property and to pay your staff until your next guests arrive.

But alas...Jamrock settled on Net Billing!

Net Metering
• A system which would permit a customer with a renewable source, such as a solar panel to connect its supply to the Jamaica Public Service Company's ("JPS's") grid.
•The customer-generated energy may then be used to offset energy provided by JPS to the customer.
• Pursuant to the draft policy, customers would be credited at retail prices for any energy produced and supplied to the grid.

Under a Net Metering policy, the customer would enjoy one-to-one savings for each unit of energy produced

Net Billing
• The energy generated by the customer is measured (using an additional meter) and fed into the grid.

• The customer is charged for its consumption at prevailing retail rates (approximately 35 US cents per kilowatt hour (kWh)) and is credited for the amount that it has supplied to the grid at the "long run avoided cost of generation to the JPS Grid".

• The avoided cost is published by the OUR and is approximately 10 US cents per kWh.
Whereas a customer might anticipate saving 35 cent per kWh generated under net metering, that customer would save 10 cent per kWh generated under net billing.

Industry commentators have argued that the choice of the net billing mechanism as well as the calculated avoided cost will diminish the economic feasibility of customer generation of renewable energy.

Observer:: Read More @:
www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/Renewable-energy--net-metering-and-net-billing_ 8820507

Considerations: Economics & Practicality of Home-Produced Solar Energy in the Current J'can Environment...Doing Your Own Math!

Observer: Read More @:
www.jamaicaobserver.com/pfversion/Does-going-solar-make-sense-_13123566

Observer: Putting Legs Under Renewable Energy in Jamaic
www.jamaicaobserver.com/pfversion/Putting-legs-under-renewable-energy-in-Jamaica _11348454