- Against state mandate on power companies to reimburse: as cooperative, East River gets power from its members, already keeping costs as cheap as possible. East River would buy back at wholesale, just as it does now.
- Against state mandate; knows co-ops often willing to bring that extra power into supply already
- "possibilities for solar are endless"
- tax breaks are good idea
- Sioux Valley offers some rebates for conservation
- would have a problem mandating buy-back
Russell Olson:
- against mandate; power companies already have goal of producing reliable power
- "coal is the most reliable source"; folks don't want to gamble when flipping the switch
- forced buy-back would be "scheduling nightmare" for utilities
Wow, these folks are really behind the times. They should look at how requiring buy back has helped homeowners produce their own renewable energy in states such as Arizona. This could be done in South Dakota too. Come on, join the 21st century!
ReplyDeletekelly:
ReplyDeleteBuy back is not the impediment here. The alternative energy technologies just aren't cost effective especially at bulk rates. Solar is most definitely not cost effective in SD, but wind might be if you build industrial scale turbines and are given plenty of incentives. Solar thermal in the south west is most definitely cost effective.
Even in the best areas with the most abundant sun have 20+ year time periods before residential solar systems pay for themselves.
Besides, our real problem is portable fuel. We have plenty of grid capacity. The problem is our dependence on gasoline/diesel for our cars.