Condo Media - June 2017 - 47

(D), maintains the full financial net metering incentives while offering rebates
(estimated at $70/ month) to motivate
both small businesses and homeowners
to generate more energy with solar systems. This bill has been backed by many
conservation groups.
The second solar energy bill on the
legislature's agenda has been sponsored
by Sen.Tom Saviello (R). His bill attempts to maintain all the financial
incentives of net-metering while the
PUC determines how to use smart
electric meters to find out the true value
of solar energy during different times of
the day and year. Attempts by both sides
of this debate to estimate this value has
resulted, in the past, widely different
assumptions and conclusions.
The passage of one of these bills and
the future of solar power is important to
Maine's condominium communities as
an organized "village" such as a condo
complex can take advantage of economies
of scale while earning the benefits netmetering incentives can bring to a condominium while helping the environment.

These types of PV solar arrays can
provide electricity to fuel common elements such as the clubhouse, street lights,
and hallway light fixtures. Unit owners
could opt into becoming a member of a
solar farm and own a portion of the panel
array (called a share) or they could opt out.
Those owners who become members of
the array can then improve their current
old heating system by converting to an
electric, ductless mini-split system producing both heating and cooling, which they
never had before and adds value to their
unit. With inexpensive electrical power
available, condominiums can consider
adding fueling stations for battery-driven
automobiles, further reducing fossil-based
fuel consumption and fostering cleaner air.
With these benefits for increasing the
use of solar power, it would be reasonable
to ask why the state's governor and his energy experts are against small-scale solar
energy generation growth. The answer
is their belief that the financial benefit

to solar power users outweighs the cost
burden placed on other electrical energy
consumers that bear the full burden of
the cost to maintain the total energy grid
infrastructure. The problem with this
form of logic is the analysis is based on
unmeasured solar generation costs.
History has shown that when government attempts to interfere with freemarket forces and technology advancement, the ordinary consumer suffers. The
future of solar power generation and other
non-polluting energy sources should be of
concern to all Maine citizens. We would be
well served to pay attention to our legislature as it deliberates this important issue.

n JACK CARR, P.E., RS, LEED-AP,
IS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT WITH
CRITERIUM-ENGINEERS SERVING
ALL OF NEW ENGLAND.

SOLAR PANELS AND
CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATIONS
Not only has the price for these PV solar
panels been dropping rapidly over the past
few years, the methods of maximizing their
usefulness in a community environment
is becoming more viable with the newest
technology, allowing both direct and scattered sunlight to create electricity and by
use of power inverters so electric power
can be directed into batteries or the utility
grid to sell back excess electricity. These
PV panels can be grouped into arrays
called micro-grids that can collect electricity and distribute to a community of users.
These micro-grids can exist in a wide
range of locations. They do not have to
be on top of roofs, which is objectionable
to many. Instead, they can be in empty
areas around the condo complex. As an
example, one of these "solar farms" can
feed two buildings with four units in
each. Buildings such as these are fueled
today by shared propane tanks in the
backyard, so why not solar arrays?
June 2017

Condo Media - June 2017

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