How much energy have you been able to net meter with the solar panels? I know it is too soon to tell if the wind turbine is an asset or not but would like an update on the solar aspect.
We are getting ready to pour the foundation for the wind tower and plan to have the tower and the wind generator operational and hooked up to the electrical grid and "net metering" for our open house in April.
Net metering gives each West Virginian the ability to generate some of their own power and receive a credit for that power from their utility provider. In the Spring of 2007, West virginia adopted net metering. Follow the link below for more extensive information.
The net metering regulation that West Virginia has is great in comparison to our surrounding states. It's relatively new and not many west Virginians have taken advantage of it yet. The power that you generate at your site (residential or commercial) is restricted to 25 KW. that is a very large system and the highest allowance in this area of the United States.
Power can be generated in a variety of ways. The most common 2 ways would be solar power and wind power. We have just recently started the solar PV installation at the Mountain View Solar House (http://www.mountainviewsolar.org). We met with Allegheny Power, the utility provider for most of Morgan County, last week to discuss the interconnection guidelines. This will be the second net metering project in the eastern panhandle and the Allegheny Power representatives have been very easy to work with and more than willing to assist us with our project.
This will be the first net metering project in Morgan County and new territory for both the power company and us. We hope for a nice and easy installation and hope to set the standards and pave the way for future installations in the panhandle.
Thanks for your great comments. I know you are about to install a wind generator and the State of WV has instituted reverse metering to credit the user with excess energy. How is that project coming and can you tell us more about reverse metering.