HomeMy WebLinkAbout08262019 City Council Laydown - Kaluza Letter on PACAB RECEIVED
Philip Kaluza AUG 22 2019
PO Box 3234
Seward, AK 99664 8/22/2019 OFFICE OF THE
CITY CLERK
TO: Christy Terry, Chair & PACAB members:
Re: PACAB Resolution 2019-003 (Alternative Energy Interconnect Policy)
It has come to my attention the PACAB Resolution 2019-003 approved this spring is being
reconsidered per the request of the utility manager. Once again the can gets kicked down the
road.
A brief history:
I began my approval process over a year ago. The interconnect policy roadblocks became
clear and well defined, both from a technical and financial aspect. There was no reason to
complete an application for an interconnect that was essentially impossible to meet. To my
knowledge no one in Seward has been able to successfully navigate our city electric utility
minefield of the unique interconnect requirements for a simple solar rooftop system. I know of
one homeowner that has been trying for 4 years.
A year ago the utility manager stated he would work on revising the interconnect policy over the
winter. This spring arrived, nada. Just BS. With a little persuasion, I was able to get the City
Council to request the PACAB review the policy and make a recommendation. That task was
accomplished in relatively short order and I believe corrected the insurmountable roadblocks
intentionally laid to dissuade any such systems from coming on line. Unfortunately, the utility
manager apparently convinced PACAB he was in the process of having an engineering review
done to assure the changes were not detrimental to the city electric utility. The PACAB
recommendation to the City Council was delayed till this fall to allow for this review. Another
kick of the can.
Now, it is my understanding the utility manager never did proceed with any engineering review.
Claiming nearly out of work engineering firms in Alaska were too busy to address the issue in a
timely manner. A summer of solar was essentially wasted as my panels remain in my shed.
One thousand pounds of CO2 emissions could have been avoided with my solar panels. Not
huge, but certainly a step in the right direction. Instead the utility manager now recommends a
revised resolution that would remove one obstacle but leave the other. You may have seen that
beat up can roll down your street.
It was nice he provided the PACAB members an example of a piece of hardware that would
meet the manual reconnect requirements. Of course I asked for that piece of information over a
year ago, with nothing more than a shrug in response. I'm not sure that particular switch would
work on my system, nor does the wiring diagram he provided appear to be for that switch. Had
the utility manager provided you with a complete engineer's drawing of a "pre-approved" switch
assembly that any general electrician could install we would have had something to work from.
I have no idea the cost estimate of that manual reconnect switch hardware properly engineered
and installed. Nor any technical explanation of why that switch is even required. Only that
Seward is "special". Yes we are special in deed. I have yet to find another utility in Alaska or
the country or the world for that matter that requires such equipment for a simple rooftop solar
installation. (There are currently millions of photovoltaic (pv) rooftop solar systems in the US
operating just fine without it, even real islands like Kodiak manage fine) I doubt the utility
manager can provide you a list of utilities with our special requirements but it would be worth
asking for. Does the value of that disconnect switch justify increasing the cost of my
installation 30% to possibly over 300%? Will the utility require an engineer certify that each
switch installation complies with our code? Better double my cost estimate. We have national
codes that cover all aspects of rooftop solar systems, though you will find no reference to the
switching hardware we require.
Regarding the requirement for a dedicated transformer the utility manager suggests the City
"suppress the code ordinance" whatever that means. Seems he suggests we ignore the law
regarding the transformer but still require the yet to be understood reconnect switch
requirement. (Sounds like a little of the "good ole boys club" policy in play.) Why not just get it
right? Remember the bottom line of any interconnected system is it WILL be disconnected if it
is found to cause a problem. Where's the risk to the utility?
My next move:
In order to receive the full federal solar tax credit available I will be installing my pv solar system
this fall without the interconnect enabled. The system will be installed and inspected to all
current electrical code, sans the bogus manual reconnect switch and redundant dedicated
transformer. My options are limited. But nothing says I can't winterize my home and turn the
power off, including two electric heat pumps and join the snow bird club. Batteries next spring
and stay off the grid completely for the summers?
Our forests burn and the air is choked with smoke such that I can hardly breathe. Our oceans
rising, warming, and acidifying from climate change..... we kick the renewable can down the
road. NICE.
Respectfully submitted
/71a-77' /271 ---''
Phil Kaluza
Seward Resident
Cc: Seward City Council