SGIP Webinar Q&A
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On March 14th, CivicSolar, CALSEIA, Geli, and UtilityAPI hosted a webinar to provide a well-rounded background of SGIP and an overview of resources available to you when pursuing solar + storage opportunities. Below are the questions asked during the webinar.
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Enphase storage is limited to 25% recharge from the grid. That negates a significant amount of net metering export. Doesn't seem to make sense for solar projects for 25 years, a 30% ITC will be outweighed by keeping my net metering in place in smaller projects on TOU!
Enphase doesn't seem to have a product in the price range that works for TOU shifting. The 25% from the grid rule, probably is so that it ensures that the product qualifies for the Federal ITC.
Have you seen any cost effective projects in Arizona?
A few, but you have to be careful since APS is moving to 5 min intervals.
Is there a minimum amount of energy from solar or the grid to recharge the batteries? In other words, do I have to bypass some of my net metering export to charge the batteries in all cases. Or can I charge 100% from the grid if I have solar?
For ITC to qualify you need to charge from at least 75% from solar.
Can these rebates be applied to storage, (batteries, invertery,) being adding to a existing solar system, if the invertery/batteries meet the rules for power energy consumed/power mitigation?
There's been no reported cases of the IRS saying that no it doesn't qualify adding storage as a retrofit. But the tax law is unclear.
Are Multifamily still considered Commercial under this program rather than Residential?
Depends on the kW size of the inverter being used, if 10kw or below then you are Resi.
In Terms of rebates and their relation to Kw rating, I understand it to refer to the continuous output of the system, not the stored kWh's. correct?
it's a relationship between kwh and kw, in that the first 2 hours of discharge you get 100% rebate money for that period, if the system has more kWh to discharge then the next 2 hours of discharge you get 50% of rebate money and finally the last 2 hours (5-6 hour system) you get 25% rebate money.
Can you comment on the California manufacturer adder and what manufacturers qualify?
No suppliers from CA have been approved yet under new guidelines, but we'll find out soon as applications get reviewed by the CPUC.
What's ITC and how do you sign up?
The ITC is the Federally administered "incentive tax credit" that applies to both residential and commercial solar and storage projects. There's no sign up, you just submit your receipts when you file your taxes.
Our area has a demand for 'off grid' systems...do these systems require a utility interconnection?
For SGIP to apply, the storage system needs to discharge on to the grid 52 times for residential or 130 times for commercial projects. If it's off grid then it wouldn't meet that requirement
What does IOU stand for?
Investor Owned Utility (as opposed to a public owned utility)
Do we have to register for each IOUs SGIP program, or is there a master registration?
No, just registering allows you to play in any of the markets
Is a facility charge different that a demand charge since it is base on demand?
yes, if the facility charge has a kW number attached to it then it's in the same boat, if it's a flat charge then no
Are there any convenient ways to evaluate solar and storage, while anticipating new loads? For example, if the client wants to add 10 vehicle charging stations, can Geli model this? Or it the building is going to reduce their load by 20% due to LED lighting upgrades, can this be modeled?
Well you can modify the CSV file to match the changes that you might see in the data. So if you think that you are going to add 1.2 to the load then you could add a multiplier in the excel sheet and add the modifier that way.
What does Geli do?
Geli can design AND control battery sizing and discharge. They do not yet have a residential offering.
Will Geli turn the batteries on for 2min then off for 13 min?
Yes they could, depending on how the power spike looks like
What is the difference between UtilityAPI and Green Button?
Utility API is a 1 stop spot to pull data from the CA IOUs, it pulls bills and interval data and Green Button Data is the CPUC mandated data to be provided to the IOU customer's but that process doesn't mean it's made easy to do so. UtilityAPI is a service that helps retrieve, keep track of, and continually pull updated customer consumption data.
Have there been many SGIP solar+storage applications for critical facilities, like police and fire stations, sewage treatment plants, etc? Are there any specific incentives in SGIP for critical facilities?
Yes, but no specific incentives for that.
Is there still an incentive for California content/businesses?
Yes, but the SGIP california supplier requirement is much harder to satisfied, and it currently looks like no lithium solution would qualify, but we'll see in the coming weeks as the CPUC starts approving suppliers.
How much does UtilityAPI cost per download?
$15 per meter for historical data collection, and subscriptions with discounts. See pricing here.
Enphase doesn't seem to have a product in the price range that works for TOU shifting. The 25% from the grid rule, probably is so that it ensures that the product qualifies for the Federal ITC.
Have you seen any cost effective projects in Arizona?
A few, but you have to be careful since APS is moving to 5 min intervals.
Is there a minimum amount of energy from solar or the grid to recharge the batteries? In other words, do I have to bypass some of my net metering export to charge the batteries in all cases. Or can I charge 100% from the grid if I have solar?
For ITC to qualify you need to charge from at least 75% from solar.
Can these rebates be applied to storage, (batteries, invertery,) being adding to a existing solar system, if the invertery/batteries meet the rules for power energy consumed/power mitigation?
There's been no reported cases of the IRS saying that no it doesn't qualify adding storage as a retrofit. But the tax law is unclear.
Are Multifamily still considered Commercial under this program rather than Residential?
Depends on the kW size of the inverter being used, if 10kw or below then you are Resi.
In Terms of rebates and their relation to Kw rating, I understand it to refer to the continuous output of the system, not the stored kWh's. correct?
it's a relationship between kwh and kw, in that the first 2 hours of discharge you get 100% rebate money for that period, if the system has more kWh to discharge then the next 2 hours of discharge you get 50% of rebate money and finally the last 2 hours (5-6 hour system) you get 25% rebate money.
Can you comment on the California manufacturer adder and what manufacturers qualify?
No suppliers from CA have been approved yet under new guidelines, but we'll find out soon as applications get reviewed by the CPUC.
What's ITC and how do you sign up?
The ITC is the Federally administered "incentive tax credit" that applies to both residential and commercial solar and storage projects. There's no sign up, you just submit your receipts when you file your taxes.
Our area has a demand for 'off grid' systems...do these systems require a utility interconnection?
For SGIP to apply, the storage system needs to discharge on to the grid 52 times for residential or 130 times for commercial projects. If it's off grid then it wouldn't meet that requirement
What does IOU stand for?
Investor Owned Utility (as opposed to a public owned utility)
Do we have to register for each IOUs SGIP program, or is there a master registration?
No, just registering allows you to play in any of the markets
Is a facility charge different that a demand charge since it is base on demand?
yes, if the facility charge has a kW number attached to it then it's in the same boat, if it's a flat charge then no
Are there any convenient ways to evaluate solar and storage, while anticipating new loads? For example, if the client wants to add 10 vehicle charging stations, can Geli model this? Or it the building is going to reduce their load by 20% due to LED lighting upgrades, can this be modeled?
Well you can modify the CSV file to match the changes that you might see in the data. So if you think that you are going to add 1.2 to the load then you could add a multiplier in the excel sheet and add the modifier that way.
What does Geli do?
Geli can design AND control battery sizing and discharge. They do not yet have a residential offering.
Will Geli turn the batteries on for 2min then off for 13 min?
Yes they could, depending on how the power spike looks like
What is the difference between UtilityAPI and Green Button?
Utility API is a 1 stop spot to pull data from the CA IOUs, it pulls bills and interval data and Green Button Data is the CPUC mandated data to be provided to the IOU customer's but that process doesn't mean it's made easy to do so. UtilityAPI is a service that helps retrieve, keep track of, and continually pull updated customer consumption data.
Have there been many SGIP solar+storage applications for critical facilities, like police and fire stations, sewage treatment plants, etc? Are there any specific incentives in SGIP for critical facilities?
Yes, but no specific incentives for that.
Is there still an incentive for California content/businesses?
Yes, but the SGIP california supplier requirement is much harder to satisfied, and it currently looks like no lithium solution would qualify, but we'll see in the coming weeks as the CPUC starts approving suppliers.
How much does UtilityAPI cost per download?
$15 per meter for historical data collection, and subscriptions with discounts. See pricing here.