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Does PGE baseline applies to generation credits?
- Thread starter NorCalSlrUser
- Start date
I dont have PGE... but have you looked at the extensive write up on NEM true up calculation that is stickied above in this thread?
teslamotorsclub.com
I believe it has a breakdown of the bill elements, etc. Perhaps that might help you decipher?
NEM-PS Annual True-Up Calculation [PG&E example]
I was having difficulty in understanding where all the elements came from in my annual true-up bill and reached out the both @miimura and @Redhill_qik for some insight. From our discussions a document was created that is copied into this post. This document explains the factors that determine...
teslamotorsclub.com
I believe it has a breakdown of the bill elements, etc. Perhaps that might help you decipher?
I am certainly not an expert in this (not even close) but for the CA utilities, as it relates to NEM, I believe the amount of credit you get for sending energy back to the grid is the exact amount that it would have cost you to buy from the grid at the instant you send it. Im not talking about for true up, I mean for credit on your account for yearly "ins and outs".
So, whatever you would be buying for at that exact point in time, is what you sell it at, and if you are buying it cheaper because your baseline energy is cheaper, if you sell at that exact point, it would be that cheaper price.
Someone will correct me if that thinking is incorrect, but I think that is how it works for all the CA utilities.
(again, not talking about what might or might not be paid out at true up time, only about credit on your running totals).
So, whatever you would be buying for at that exact point in time, is what you sell it at, and if you are buying it cheaper because your baseline energy is cheaper, if you sell at that exact point, it would be that cheaper price.
Someone will correct me if that thinking is incorrect, but I think that is how it works for all the CA utilities.
(again, not talking about what might or might not be paid out at true up time, only about credit on your running totals).
I think it is yes.
With the current TOU rate plans, all my solar generation is in off-peak these days, but back when I was still on E-6, I could still be a net generator during the peak TOU periods in summer even with my undersized system. Back then I investigated, and what I found was that your baseline was basically allocated proportionally across the different TOU periods based on the monthly (billing cycle) net generation or consumption.
I.e., if your monthly baseline is 300 kwh (~10 kwh per day), then if you were a net generator of 450 kwh with 300 during peak, and 150 off-peak, then you'd have a baseline for peak of 200 and baseline for off-peak of 100. You would then get NEM credits for peak at 200 kwh @ baseline rates, and the additional 100 kwh @ the "Tier 2" rate. Similar calcs then for off-peak, and partial-peak if it existed.
Where things got funky was if you were a net generator during certain TOU periods, but a net consumer during others - it's certainly common to be a net consumer during off-peak that spans through the night. For example, if you were net generator of 300 kwh peak, but a net consumer of 150 off-peak. I think the answer then was allocating the baseline quantities proportionately to the sum of the absolute values of the net generation/consumption each cycle, but applying the logical +/- to the resulting allocations. Non-intuitive, but it seemed to check out.
With the current TOU rate plans, all my solar generation is in off-peak these days, but back when I was still on E-6, I could still be a net generator during the peak TOU periods in summer even with my undersized system. Back then I investigated, and what I found was that your baseline was basically allocated proportionally across the different TOU periods based on the monthly (billing cycle) net generation or consumption.
I.e., if your monthly baseline is 300 kwh (~10 kwh per day), then if you were a net generator of 450 kwh with 300 during peak, and 150 off-peak, then you'd have a baseline for peak of 200 and baseline for off-peak of 100. You would then get NEM credits for peak at 200 kwh @ baseline rates, and the additional 100 kwh @ the "Tier 2" rate. Similar calcs then for off-peak, and partial-peak if it existed.
Where things got funky was if you were a net generator during certain TOU periods, but a net consumer during others - it's certainly common to be a net consumer during off-peak that spans through the night. For example, if you were net generator of 300 kwh peak, but a net consumer of 150 off-peak. I think the answer then was allocating the baseline quantities proportionately to the sum of the absolute values of the net generation/consumption each cycle, but applying the logical +/- to the resulting allocations. Non-intuitive, but it seemed to check out.
When we were on E-6, this was my experience as well, though I admit it isn't obvious and took some digging to work it out.
Personally, I always thought it was an entrenched mistake on the PG&E side, but what do I know?
All the best,
BG
