ByDennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Cully Judd shows the photovoltaic system he
installed on his roof 8 years ago.
It was the first photovoltaic system installed at an Oahu house, and used expensive batteries to store power until it was needed.
Now, Judd, who owns Inter-Island Solar Co., wants to install another photovoltaic system at a nearby home, but this time hooking it up to Hawaiian Electric Co's. grid system.
Photovoltaic systems produce an abundance of power in midday, when the sun at its peak, and this extra energy could be used to offset power needs from the utility.
The installation would be a historic event and bring Hawaii closer to what is being done in Germany, Switzerland and Japan where thousands of photovoltaic systems sit on residential rooftops.
Whether Hawaii homeowners can follow the lead of these countries - and U.S. cities such as Sacramento, Calif.- depends on economics and environmental enthusiasm.
"We've been able to reduce to a minimum our billing (for electricity)," says Judd. "We rarely even use Hawaiian Electric."
Judd has a relatively large system with 56 silicon modules, sized for a family of five.
Judd understands the long-term implications of the United States' dependency on imported oil. Energy Information Administration experts predict that the price of oil will skyrocket as the world's population increases 50 percent by the year 2010. At that point, many people will be rushing around looking for a cheaper way to get power.
Renewable energy advocates believe the economic viability is very close right now, under certain conditions which include the ex-
isting 35 percent state solar tax credit and long-term financing such as with 30-year home mortgage.
An issue coming before the state Legislature this year is whether homeowners should have the ability to produce power at their homes, and sell back any excess power to the electric company at the same rate the company is charging them.
The issue is known as "net-metering." When the meter spins one way, you pay the utility company; when the meter spins the other way, the utility pays you.
Net metering is used in 16 states, but has not resulted in a rush to install photovoltaic systems. One reason may be that photovoltaic systems remain expensive, about $20,000 for a typical two-kilowatt (2,000 watts) system.
However, backers of renewable energy say that net metering would help make the systems more affordable.
Lynne Ebisui, energy utilities analyst for the state consumer advocate, had another view: "It's one strategy for encouraging renewable energy and we support it."
She suggested that the utility company could approve net-metering and then add a monthly charge to offset its concerns.
In Sacramento, 400 "Roof Top Pioneers" point with pride at their photovoltaic systems and pay an extra $4 a month on their utility bills for the system.
"You have 'Joe Sixpack' pointing to his home and telling his neighbor 'look what I have on my roof'," said Tom Starrs, an energy consultant from Washington who spoke at the workshop attended by energy and utility company officials.
Residents don't pay for these PV systems. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District pays an average of $28,000 for the three- and four-kilowatt systems. Electricity goes straight into the SMUD grid, and is not used directly for the homes. SMUD essentially is using the rooftops as power plant sites.
Heco is moving to more use of solar systems, and in November chose Kaimuki High School for a small photovoltaic system tied to the grid system. As a part of that "Sun Power for Schools" pilot program Heco also asked for donations of support.
That's in keeping what many mainland cities are doing: "green pricing", or paying a little more to support environmentally friendly sources of power to replace oil.
The Legislature started dealing with the issue last year when it passed a bill to allow hooking up photovoltaic systems to the Heco grid. But the bill called for two meters and the payback rate was lower than Heco's retail price.
Solar advocates say Hawaii has the best economic viability for photovoltaic use because of our abundant sunlight and relatively high electric rates. Once the home-building economy improves, builders may use the PV technology built as part of the roof system. Architects Jo Paul Rognstad and Stephen Meder both have proposals with builders. If you consider the longer life of the roof, and the better insulation, the economics begins to make more sense, says Meder.
In Japan, photovoltaic is a "blue roof" status-symbol, says Steve Burns, the PV program manager at the Hawaii Electric Light Co. on the Big Island. "In Japan, the government is buying down (subsidizing) the cost of the PV system but it really is the environmental values and the social statement that is making it work."
Last year, there were 11,192 applications for residential PV systems in Japan, six times the approved allocation of 1,866. Germany and Switzerland have some 5,000 home systems due to economic incentives, says Starrs.
American government has been working with a group of utilities at a slower pace. Many utility companies still don't see PV as a primary source of energy to meet peak evening demands since PV power would come to them mostly in midday. But with better battery and photovoltaic technology, and much higher oil prices, those attitudes could change.
Here are a few of the available photovoltaic products:
Siemens, supplies energy collectors to Inter-Island Solar Co. in Honolulu which can be designed for various home needs. For example, a three-kilowatt system with a 12-kilowatt battery and four-kilowatt inverter (to change direct current into alternating current) would carry a material price of $25,000. A six-kilowatt system would be about $45,000. Installation costs by an electrician would be extra. This system would allow for a daily cycle of recharging the battery in the morning, getting power from the sun from noon to sunset, and then using the sun power stored in the battery in the evening. The homeowner can also sell excess power to the electric company for a three-hour period in the evening.