The demand for solar is up, but solar installers can't make sales when TVA is not buying.
Solar jobs in Tennessee are at jeopardy due to boom and bust policy changes. This year, TVA instituted a yearly cap on its program to purchase solar power from small-scale systems, Green Power Providers. In addition, each year the purchase price for solar power will be lowered.
The program reached its 2013 cap by April this year and has been closed for new applications since. Because some of the applications initially approved during the rush to make sales in the beginning of the year were not constructed by their deadline, TVA allowed for new applications up to 2.5 megawatts of more energy capacity on August 1st. We didn't expect that window to last for long and we were correct - the 2.5 megawatts were appropriated within the first couple hours. The program opened at 7 a.m. and within the first few minutes, TVA received over 200 emailed applications, crashing their autoreply system.
What this cap means is that solar sales and installation companies can't make sales except for a small window of time each year. What it means for homeowners who want to invest in solar for their homes is waiting and uncertainty. Tennessee has benefited from thousands of jobs in the solar industry, but unstable policy is going to change that.
Please ask the TVA Board to take solar energy seriously, and not to cap the Green Power Providers program. TVA is also beginning its strategic planning process, called the Integrated Resource Plan, soon and we need them to recognize solar as a priority for the benefit of the economy and the environment. When writing to the TVA Board, feel free to use the talking points below.
Send letters to:
TVA Board of Directors
Board Services
400 West Summit Hill Drive WT 6
Knoxville, TN 37914
Or Email:
board@tva.gov
On Thursday, August 22nd the TVA Board will meet at the TVA Towers, 400 West Summit Hill, Knoxville, TN. Members of the Green Collar Jobs Committee will be signing up to speak at the meeting.
If you would like to attend or speak at the TVA Board meeting on August 22nd, contact GCJ Organizer Katie Greer atkatie@socm.org or 865-249-7488. She is helping members prepare their statements.
SOCM Knoxville Chapter member and solar salesman, Stefan Partin has the sales lined up that he needs to make a living, but those sales depend on the whim of TVA to allow him to connect his proposed solar installations to the electrical grid.
"Starting and stopping the solar program makes it extremely difficult to grow a business. If [my] applications don't go through, I won't be able to make any money to pay my rent or buy food. TVA needs a stable solar program that supports people like me and my installers."
Why Should the TVA Board Make Solar a Priority?
Green Power Providers Has Been Mismanaged
- Green Power Providers has undergone frequent program changes, starts and stops, and a name change in the past few years. This instability inhibits growth of this important energy resource.
- Green Power Switch subscribers volunteer to pay for the solar power generated through Green Power Providers. Solar energy stakeholders, Green Power Switch subscribers, and the public deserve more transparency. TVA has not publicly released any calculated rationale behind its Green Power Providers program cap or solar purchase rates.
Solar Makes Cents
- Solar generates the most electricity during the middle of the day, close to TVA's peak usage times when power production is most expensive and dirtiest.
- Distributed solar energy's upfront cost is fronted by its owner, meaning there is no major capital cost to TVA, unlike other generation which pushes TVA against its debt ceiling.
- In 2012, Tennessee installed 27 megawatts of solar electric capacity, ranking it 14th nationally. The cap on solar in 2013 will ensure that Tennessee does not reach its potential growth this year and will fall behind other states.
