Bruce Barney is the Manager of Dispatchable Generation for Portland General Electric (PGE).   He oversees PGE’s net-metering interconnections, which allow electric utility customers to install photovoltaic systems on their homes and businesses to produce electricity in a way that interacts safely and reliably with the electric utility grid. 

Like many, Bruce has had a long-standing interest in solar energy.  He would have installed a solar water heating system long ago if he had a suitable location for the collector, but his 20 year old, all electric house is shaded year-round by trees.  Over the years, he has made his home more energy efficient by adding 14 inches of insulation in the attic, replacing all the windows with insulating double-paned glass, and to save electricity he heats primarily with a wood stove in the winter.

In 2003, the Energy Trust of Oregon began offering substantial incentives to PGE and Pacific Power customers to install net-metered photovoltaic systems.  Bruce seized the opportunity and became the 10th PGE customer to reserve a photovoltaic incentive.  In 2004, Bruce installed a grid-connected system at his home in Hillsboro, making him one of PGE’s very first net-metered customers. 

Designing the Solar System

Bruce’s 3 kW photovoltaic system was installed by Inland Electric of Hillsboro in a relatively unshaded area on his forested five-acre lot 130 feet from the house.  They designed the solar array - 20 Kyocera 157 watt modules - to be mounted upon three 14-foot poles to minimize shading.  Being a licensed mechanical engineer, Bruce designed and fabricated the steel poles and array support structures, which include a manual adjustable tilt mechanism that can be controlled easily by a person on the ground at the base of each pole.  He adjusts the array tilt every month, increasing the system’s annual output by about 5% compared to Portland’s optimal tilt angle of 32 degrees.  

The photovoltaic system provides nearly all his electricity needs during the summer, reducing his PGE bills to $10 per month - equivalent to the basic service charge.   His wintertime electric bills are only about $60 per month.  In the first year of operation, the photovoltaic system generated 2,250 kilowatt-hours, saving Bruce $180 on his PGE bill.  After recovering Energy Trust incentives and State tax credits, his investment in the photovoltaic system was $4,500. 

How does the net-metering process work? 

Customers planning to install a photovoltaic system at their home must request a net-metering interconnection from their utility.  As a PGE customer, Bruce did this by printing two copies of PGE’s net-metering interconnection agreement (available at PGE’s website, www.portlandgeneral.com), signing both copies, keeping one for his records, and mailing the other to PGE.  Once the request was received the contractor proceeded to install the photovoltaic system.

When the installation was complete, the contractor called for the electrical code inspection, and Bruce called PGE to schedule a utility interconnection inspection.  A PGE meter technician visited Bruce’s home to view and approve the installation, and to replace the old spinning dial meter with a new digital display “net-meter” unit.  From that point forward Bruce’s PGE account was “net-metered”, giving him credit for the electricity he produces locally from his own solar electric power plant.

The digital net-meter separately measures (i) the electricity Bruce’s home receives from PGE when the photovoltaic system is producing less electricity than needed in the home (in winter, after dark, or when in shadow, for example); and (ii) the electricity that leaves Bruce’s house and enters the grid whenever his photovoltaic system is producing more electricity than needed in the house. 

At the end of the billing cycle, PGE reads Bruce’s meter and compares the amount of electricity his home received from PGE to the amount his home delivered to the grid.   If he used more electricity from PGE than his solar system produced, which is normally the case, he pays PGE only for the net amount of electricity he used.  In this case,  Bruce’s PGE net-metering bill looks the same as previous bills, except the total kilowatt hours he is charged for is reduced by the amount generated by his photovoltaic system.  Therefore, he receives the full retail value from PGE for all the energy produced by his photovoltaic system during months that he uses more electricity than he generates.

If Bruce’s system generates more electricity than his house uses during a billing period, PGE will measure the net amount delivered from his home to the grid, and will credit Bruce for those excess kilowatt-hours at the utility’s “avoided cost” rate, which is less than the full retail rate,  specified in the net metering tariff.   

In order to show a credit balance on his PGE bill, Bruce’s system must generate enough excess electricity to earn more credit than the amount owed for his basic monthly service charge.  If he earns a credit balance greater than $10.00, PGE will either send him a check, or carry the credit forward to the next month’s bill. 

How does Bruce feel about his photovoltaic system?  “I’m tickled with its performance and the lack of maintenance required.  I’ve had no problems at all with the system.  I rinse the dust off the modules once in the summer, and adjust the tilt throughout the year because I want to get as much electricity out of the system as possible.”  Now is a great time for PGE customers like Bruce Barney to invest in a photovoltaic system for their home or business.  New federal and state tax credits became effective in January  2006, and the Energy Trust (www.energytrust.org) is currently offering a bonus incentive for PGE customers.