Ron Jackson of South GA Solar Power of Valdosta installed these solar panels for Alton Burns of Coolidge, in Thomas County, GA.

Last I heard, Grady Electric Membership Corporation had still not done the grid connect, 8 weeks later. Something about wanting insurance. Colquitt EMC never asked for that when they connected my panels.

And there’s this interesting part in O.C.G.A. § 46-3-50 The Georgia Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act of 2001, esp. § 46-3-56. Requirement to purchase energy from customer generator; safety standards and regulations,

(a) An electric service provider will only be required to purchase energy as specified in Code Section 46-3-55 from an eligible customer generator on a first-come, first-served basis until the cumulative generating capacity of all renewable energy sources equals 0.2 percent of the utility’s annual peak demand in the previous year; provided, however, that no electric service provider will be required to purchase such energy at a price above avoided energy cost unless that amount of energy has been subscribed under any renewable energy program.

(b) Once the capacity is subscribed, an electric service provider may purchase energy from an eligible customer generator at a cost of energy as defined for a utility by the commission, in the case of an electric utility, or by the appropriate governing body, in the case of any other electric service provider or electric supplier.

(c) A distributed generation facility used by a customer generator shall include, at the customer’s own expense, all equipment necessary to meet applicable safety, power quality, and interconnection requirements established by the National Electrical Code, National Electrical Safety Code, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and Underwriters Laboratories.

(d) The commission, in the case of an electric utility, or the appropriate governing body, in the case of other electric service providers or electric suppliers, after appropriate notice and opportunity for comment, may adopt by regulation additional safety, power quality, and interconnection requirements for customer generator that the commission or governing body determines are necessary to protect public safety and system reliability.

(e) An electric service provider may not require a customer generator whose distributed generation facility meets the standards in subsections (a) and (b) of this Code section, to comply with additional safety or performance standards, perform or pay for additional tests, or purchase additional liability insurance.

(f) No electric service provider or electric supplier shall be liable to any person, directly or indirectly, for loss of property, injury, or death resulting from the interconnection of a cogenerator or distributed generation facility to its electrical system.

Especially given (e) and (f), I have to wonder how such a demand by an EMC for insurance can even be legal. It’s not like (a) Grady EMC has a ton of solar generators or (b) the local generator has any choice about what they get paid for the solar power they sell to the EMC.

-jsq

Short Link: