Introduction:
Since 2005 the solar industry has grown over 500%. This has been an exponential growth fueled by the high cost of energy in both dollars and environmental pollution caused by conventional methods of generating electricity. The LADWP solar rebate program has been very popular. Many systems have been installed as the solar industry and the consumer have adopted the new technologies. LADWP has done the best that they can to incorporate the emergence of solar energy into their infrastructure.
Many of LADWP employees involved with solar have been with the department for twenty to thirty years and the requirements for cogeneration were written in the 1970’s. It has been difficult for the department to adapt. Within the solar department there have been many staff changes, many interdepartmental procedural changes and many changes to the paperwork process. LADWP has not had the financial resources to hire staff to run their solar program. People have retired and been furloughed, overtime has been disallowed and staff has been reassigned. One woman said point blank, “I am not qualified for my job since the man that was doing it before me was an engineer, but I am doing the best I can.”
The staff means well at LADWP, they are handicapped by the outdated requirements and procedures. At one point there were three site visits and five departments involved with each solar installation. Given the acceleration of the solar industry it has been very difficult for LADWP to keep up.
Given that there is still interdepartmental confusion at LADWP concerning solar and they are quite under staffed we don’t believe LADWP will be able to keep up with the goals of Governor Jerry Brown to aggressively add solar capacity to the state of California. Local solar power makes economic and environmental sense since local power prevents a 10% line loss when power is transmitted from out of state and prevents coal form being burned. It is ironic that when you Google “success LADWP solar” what comes up is articles on how the solar program has been suspended.
For some reason at LADWP there is a lack of understanding or a lack of acceptance when it comes to UL 1741 and the design of modern inverters.
1. All modern inverters meet and exceed the requirements of UL 1741. This prevents and inverter from going on line in the event of a power outage. Solar Forward has installed over 500 inverters and observes the following:
a. We have witnessed the LADWP grid at 277 volts (high) and two of our SMA inverters went off line until the grid returned to normal levels.
b. We have witnessed the Edison grid at 205 volts (low) and our inverter went off line until the grid returned to a normal level.
c. We have witnessed a 120 volt leg that fell to 107 volts due to a client having a short in a lamp and our inverter went off line.
d. We have tried to “trick” our inverters on line with a generator and they would not come on line.
e. We have a client that had two TV’s, a computer and a SMA inverter receive damage after a huge voltage spike in the LADWP grid.
f. We have had a total of seven inverters fail. All have failed OFF, unable to feed the grid.
We concluded that modern inverters are not a risk to a lineman or any electrical worker.
We make the following observations of the Edison and PG&E Solar Programs:
1. Edison and PG&E have had safe and efficient solar program.
2. There have been no untimely terminations of their solar programs for any period of time.
3. All paperwork with Edison and PG&E is handled in a timely manner and solar contractors may submit and observe the process on–line. A rebate reservation takes an average of two weeks.
4. Building and Safety inspectors have verified the integrity of solar installations. About 12% of solar systems are inspected by a third party on a random basis – no injuries have resulted from an improperly inspected or improperly installed solar systems.
5. All PG&E and Edison solar installations have been interconnected and turned on after passing building and safety inspection within 48 hours.
6. All modern inverters meet and exceed the requirements of UL 1741. This prevents and inverter from going on line in the event of a power outage. Solar Forward has installed over 500 inverters and observes the following:
a. We have witnessed the LADWP grid at 277 volts (high) and two of our SMA inverters went off line until the grid returned to normal levels.
b. We have witnessed the Edison grid at 205 volts (low) and our inverter went off line until the grid returned to a normal level.
c. We have witnessed a 120 volt leg that fell to 107 volts due to a client having a short in a lamp and our inverter went off line.
d. We have tried to “trick” our inverters on line with a generator and they would not come on line.
e. We have a client that had two TV’s, a computer and a SMA inverter receive damage after a huge voltage spike in the LADWP grid.
f. We have had a total of seven inverters fail. All have failed OFF, unable to feed the grid.
7. Edison does not require an open blade AC disconnect unless the solar system is over 10 Kw. No additional performance meter is needed.
8. Staff at Edison and PG&E have been trained and in sufficient numbers to run the solar program. There are a total of two departments to work with for systems under 10 Kw. These two departments talk to each other. There are three departments for systems over 10 Kw. There are currently few problems with paperwork.
We make the following observations of the LADWP program:
1. LADWP has had a safe but unstable solar program.
2. The LADWP solar program has been put on hold without warning at least three times over three years. This has caused the solar contractor and the consumer to try and adapt to a market place that as been turned on and off. The rules for the program have changes many times without warning. Rebates were delayed for up to a year without notice. Currently it is impossible to process paperwork with LADWP for the installation of a solar system in the city of Los Angeles.
3. All rebate paperwork is submitted through the mail to LADWP. There is no method to track the paperwork other than making a phone call or sending an email. Most email requests for status are not returned. A typical rebate reservation takes six to ten weeks.
4. LADWP requires their own personal to inspect every solar system. LADWP has not had a consistent staff of trained inspectors. All LADWP solar inspectors have been reassigned as of May of this year. Inspections are scheduled six to ten weeks after passing building and safety inspections.
5. All LADWP solar installations take six to ten weeks to be interconnected. After building and safety inspection the solar system is off until the meter is replaced by an LADWP inspector. This costs the consumer an average of $50 per week, burning 250 pounds of coal a week for an average total of one ton of coal being burned while waiting for inspection.
6. LADWP has consistently ignored the safety value of UL 1741 and has sent safety notices to their clients telling them LADWP employees could be injured by their solar system. LADWP solar requirements were written in the 1970’s and have not been updated to reflect the technology that has been available for the past five years.
7. LADWP requires an open blade AC disconnect and an old fashioned analog meter for all solar systems. For systems over 10 Kw LADWP requires an open blade disconnect with a window and a commercial grade electrical panel with test sockets. This adds $3000 to the cost of a 10 Kw system. No other utility in the country requires an open blade disconnect.
8. The LADWP solar program has been consistently under staffed and they have consistently put untrained personal in jobs that they are not qualified for. There are three departments for systems under 10 Kw. They do not work seamlessly. For systems over 10 kw there are more than five departments. Paperwork is consistently lost for months at a time.