APS Asks To Raise Grid Access Charges For Residential PV, Launches Pilot Home Energy Storage
Arizona’s largest utility APS proposed that regulator Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) increase its grid access charge from 70cents/kW to $3/kW, or about $21 per month for future residential storage customers.
The Commission had initially decided on this $3/kW charge in 2013 but set it at 70cents instead with the acknowledgement that it could be changed in the future. APS and Arizona’s regulators have long held the belief that grid-tied solar customers must pay for the grid services they use.
Under this proposal, future solar customers would still save about 10cents/kWh on solar they produce, and have the option of choosing a demand-based rate and avoid grid access charge.
APS has also agreed to provide $1billion in upfront rebate incentive funding for a solar-plus-storage system pilot project. Under this project, 75 homes will be test-beds for solar-plus-storage and “all-in” sites for new technologies while another 100 homes will get solar-plus-storage at a single rate with a demand charge.
Results of the pilot will help APS determine future investment in residential energy storage.
If you want to know more about this and other topics directly from end users of energy storage technologies join us at one of these annual events: The Energy Storage World Forum (Grid Scale Applications), or The Residential Energy Storage Forum, or one of our Training Courses.
