At the open house of Guam’s first solar net metering location located in Barrigada Heights, people showed up in the rain not expecting to find a functional and producing photovoltaic system without sun but were surprised. On Saturday the solar array installed by Pacific Solar & Photovoltaic continued to produce power even in the falling rain.
Under perfect solar conditions the solar array is rated as a 8.4-kw system yet even in the pouring rain the production never dropped below 1.5 kw per hour and GPA’s meter continued to turn backward all day as the power being produced on the roof exceeded the needs of the homeowner.
Net metering is a process introduced by GPA last week when they unveiled this particular solar house last Wednesday.
During the unveiling members of GPA made simple calculations based upon the eight days that the system had been operating. In disbelief GPA staff members checked the readings several times and confirmed that in eight days home had only consumed 28 kwh. If this consumption continues it means that the homeowner’s power bill will be slightly over $1 per day.
In order to encourage various types of renewable energy on Guam, GPA is allowing individuals with qualified renewable systems to connect directly to GPA’s power grid. Plans of the system and of the connection are submitted to GPA for approval and once the system is deemed to be practical and safe GPA grants permission to feed excess power onto GPA’s grid. Such systems must have several layers of safety installed to insure that the renewable energy source does not pose a threat to GPA personnel or equipment.
From the response of the more that 100 people who witnessed the meter turning backward in the rain on Saturday it will not be long before more people will start taking advantage of GPA’s net metering program.
BILL HAGEN
Barrigada Heights, Guam
