Roots •
Feb. 17-23, 2017
News
Page 5
POWER, from page 4
(LIHEAP), funded with $35 million from the
federal government annually, and Oregon
Energy Assistance Program (OEAP). State
funded at $20 million a year, OEAP offers
more flexibility than the federal program.
There are also a host of funds used for home
weatherization.
Not only is the state facing across-the-board
cuts of 10 percent with a looming $1.8 billion
state budget deficit and uncertainty about
future federal funding, but demand from new
assistance recipients is also up statewide.
During this past fiscal year, OEAP
prevented more than 47,000 energy
disconnections, with 34 percent of the people
asking for assistance being first-time energy
subsidy recipients. That is up from just 12
percent the year before.
Elliot said he agrees with Bryant that
programs are “over-subscribed with need,
under subscribed with funding.”
He said if the money to incentivize low-
income participants in the community solar
program came out of LIHEAP, then “7,500
households wouldn’t get assistance, but then
an unknown amount would get solar panels.”
Households receiving energy assistance get
about $380 taken off their utility bills
annually.
“That $380 from LIHEAP?” Elliot said,
“That’s food, that’s medicine.”
Among speakers and participants who were
all brainstorming on how to pay for this
requirement, there appeared to be consensus
that the 10 percent for low-income ratepayers
provision Would n o t m ake m uch o f an im pact
u n le s s i t w a s c o m p le te ly s u b s id iz e d to th e , ■
r e c ip ie n t.
There was also a consensus that kicking
people off of energy assistance to meet the
low-income solar requirement was not ideal,
but neither, were other ideas on the table.
For example: Developers in attendance
said if they footed the bill by including solar
projects in affordable housing complexes, and
it ended up not economically viable, they just
wouldn’t participate.
But the commission is looking to Colorado
and Minnesota programs for ideas as they
draw up their plans.
In Colorado there is a requirement that 5
percent of the output benefit go to low-
income ratepayers, but the state has hit road
bumps trying to fulfill that goal and it’s
unclear how beneficial it’s been to low-income
ratepayers.
There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes
to solar. When we asked if it was safe to tell
our readers that an upfront investment in
solar would lead to long-term savings, Michael
Breish, a senior utility analyst for the Oregon
Public Utility Commission, replied, “It’s not
safe to say that - there’s potential that it
could but that depends on a number of
factors, including the resource value of solar
(the bill credit utilities will pay participants),
the cost to participate (which will vary with
each project) and the cost of existing electric
service. What is safe to say is that customers
will be participating in and consuming
renewable power.”
Oregon Department of Energy
spokesperson Rachel Wray said that changes
in the cost of solar will continue to influence
the market.
“Commercial solar is now priced below $3
per watt, or about two-thirds less than cost-
per-watt in 2006,” she said.
She also said that while solar continues to
make up a small portion of the state’s energy
mix, the state has added several commercial
solar projects in recent years. “We also are
seeing proposals for utility-scale soiar
generation, with two projects under
consideration for the Oregon Energy Facility
Siting Council, which has jurisdiction for solar
facilities above a certain threshold,” she said.
How-to define low-income for participation
in t h e s u b s id iz e d p o r tio n o f fu tu re c o m m u n ity
so la r p ro g ra m s in O r e g o n is a ls o still u p ( o r
TOw m u d i a n d h o w o fte n
proof of income should be provided to utility
companies. Some stakeholders argued that
repeatedly vetting participants would be
expensive, while others argued that someone
who is no longer low-income should no longer
get a credit.
Sherrie Pelsma, program director at
Community Energy Project in Portland
argued that sometimes income can be hard to
prove.
She said studies show many low-income
ratepayers are more concerned about climate
change than those in higher income brackets,
and they want to do what they can to mitigate
its effects.
For this reason, she said it will be
important that low-income participants feel
like they are really engaging in the
community solar project, not just checking a
box for a subsidy. She said her agency will
take the opportunity to teach its clients about
solar energy when they connect them with
the community solar resource.
If the community solar program is
successful, it could also provide a real
economic boost to Eastern Oregon, where
the sun shines more frequently and many
projects would likely be built, explained
Jaimes Valdez, a policy manager Northwest
SEED.
“We need to see solar as a tool for
empowerment,” he said during his
presentation.
Stakeholders all seemed to agree -
whatever the rules are, they need to be
flexible because they will likely need to be
adjusted.
But Breish reminded the room, “Once
rules are in place, it’s hard to go back and fix
them. And we have a time stamp on this -
July.”
He said the Public Utility Commission is
interested in hearing about innovative ideas
on low-income inclusion from organizations
that provide services to low-income
Oregonians. It also wants to know if service
providers have any concerns about how the
program may rollout, as the commission
wants to avoid negative, unintended
con seq u en ces.
A d d i t i o n a l l y , i t ’s i n t e r e s t e d i n h e a r i n g
view points fronulow incom exatepayersxabout
why they m ight w ant to participate in a
com m unity solar program .
The commission is encouraging that
comments be submitted before it releases a
draft of its draft rales in March.
To provide feedback, ideas and comments
at this stage in the planning process, email
Michael Breish at michael.breish@state.or.us.
Once the draft rales are opened to public
comment, there will be community outreach
and more opportunities to give feedback
through more formal channels.
At Health Share, we
believe good health is
more than what happens
inside your doctor’s office.
Good health starts in your
community and includes
staying active, eating
healthy food and getting
regular check-ups.
Share your healthy habits
with family and friends. We
can all have better health
when we share it together.
health
Better health
together.
www.healthsh3reoregon.org
emily@streetroots. org