By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
With the city considering a $100,000 study of its electrical grid, a solar power advocate made another plug Monday evening for more rooftop panels in Bowling Green.
Joe DeMare suggested that any study of the city’s electric grid should include the ability to accept rooftop solar from every roof in Bowling Green.
“Having houses with solar panels on them strengthens the local grid,” he said.
DeMare pointed to the heat waves straining power grids around the world.
“That weather is coming here,” he said.
On Monday, City Council heard the second reading of an ordinance for an electric subdivision study, to make sure the system can handle growing demands.
Last month, the city’s Board of Public Utilities approved the spending of an estimated $100,000 to study the ability of the city electric grid to meet current and future demands.
The 2024 budget for the city’s electric capital reserve fund allocates up to $5.6 million for critical updates to substations, distribution systems, and transmission lines. According to BG Assistant Utilities Director Jim Odneal, the updates are driven by multiple factors including the Abbott Labs project, expanding business areas north and east of the city, and the need to replace or repair aging infrastructure.
“Aligning these necessary updates with a long-term strategic plan is essential, especially since it’s been over five years since our last comprehensive study,” Odneal said.
The proposed study will look at load growth expected in future years, to ensure the city can continue to provide reliable service. The evaluation will include a load forecast, contingency analysis, fuse coordination, fault analysis, project identification, equipment age analysis, land and environmental impact studies, and capacity studies.
“It’s been pretty busy with economic activities,” Odneal said, discussing the need for a system wide study. “So we can grow with intention, rather than just react.”
On Monday, DeMare pushed for rooftop solar to be part of the study.
“I look forward to the day that we have rooftop solar on all of our roofs,” he said.
The rooftop solar issue became a flashpoint in 2021 when the Board of Public Utilities began charging a fee for homeowners with rooftop solar that tied into the grid.
DeMare said the city “blew it” a decade ago when it invested in coal power. He said the city erred again when it decided to “penalize” rooftop solar systems.
City officials called it a reasonable “fee” while rooftop solar users said it was an unfair “fine.”
Brian O’Connell, director of the city’s public utilities, has explained that the fee is necessary to make sure other electric customers in the city aren’t paying for those who choose to install rooftop solar panels.
The electric rates in the city are based on customers buying their energy from the city. A smaller portion of the rates is based on fixed electric system costs for such items as meters, poles, wire, transformers, switches and linemen – items needed for all homes including those with rooftop solar, O’Connell said.
“Those fixed costs don’t change just because someone decides to put rooftop solar on their home,” he said.
The city reimburses rooftop solar systems for the extra energy they produce and send to the city’s grid to be shared with other users. But without that fee being charged to homes with their own solar power, “the other customers are subsidizing their energy sales,” O’Connell said.
DeMare, who invested in solar at his home, has repeatedly protested the $4 a month facilities “penalty” charged by the city for his solar system. The fee has discouraged residents from installing rooftop solar panels, and the “green” image of Bowling Green is being tarnished by the rooftop solar policy, he said.
In other business at Monday’s City Council meeting:
- O’Connell reported on the project putting a new sewer line in the first block of Pear Street, between South Main and South Church streets. The work is slow going, since crews are having to dig through six feet of rock. The waterline portion of the project will be easier, since it will be placed above the rock, O’Connell said.
- Council heard the second reading of an ordinance authorizing the municipal administrator to seek qualifications, advertise for bids, and enter into contracts for design, engineering and construction of the pickleball court project planned outside the Bowling Green Community Center.
- Council member Greg Robinette reported a finance committee meeting will be held July 15, at 6:30 p.m., prior to the council meeting at 7 p.m. The focus of the meeting will be the quarterly review of the city’s finances.
- Council member Damon Sherry recognized June as Pride Month.
