SCE generation cap exceeded?

[Dukeybootie]

My additional panels went online this past month and I got this message on this month's bill. Was expecting a lot more generation credit but looks like I got capped, which has never happened before. Has anyone had this happen? I'm still a net consumer, just entirely during super off peak hours.

 

[h2ofun]

My additional panels went online this past month and I got this message on this month's bill. Was expecting a lot more generation credit but looks like I got capped, which has never happened before. Has anyone had this happen? I'm still a net consumer, just entirely during super off peak hours.

So, were your addition panels approved by SCE? What is the amount in writing you have from them approving how much you can produce?

 

[Dukeybootie]

Not approved yet -- passed city inspection but still awaiting PTO. Maybe that is the issue.

 

[jjrandorin]

Not approved yet -- passed city inspection but still awaiting PTO. Maybe that is the issue.

That would be my guess. Your current PTO has a system size that they expect XXX for generation. This is likely to prevent people who just add more panels and dont tell them (I am 10000% sure that happens).

I have never seen that notice from SCE but it doesnt surprise me that they have an expectation of amount of generation logged somewhere and if you go outside the number, they dont pay you for it.

 

[jboy210]

Not approved yet -- passed city inspection but still awaiting PTO. Maybe that is the issue.

That makes sense. It is the utility's grid, and they need to approve all the power generation.

 

[h2ofun]

My additional panels went online this past month and I got this message on this month's bill. Was expecting a lot more generation credit but looks like I got capped, which has never happened before. Has anyone had this happen? I'm still a net consumer, just entirely during super off peak hours.

How many, and what size, panels did you add. How many and capacity did you have approval for?

 

[Dukeybootie]

How many, and what size, panels did you add. How many and capacity did you have approval for?

I had 20 to begin with and added 15. Have always been a net consumer over 5 years of being on solar and we have two EVs. Installer took care of the application process so not sure what I was actually approved for. In any event, I have generated more in one monthly cycle in the past with just 20 panels and always gotten full NEM credit so it was a little surprising to see this notice.

 

[power.saver]

I had 20 to begin with and added 15. Have always been a net consumer over 5 years of being on solar and we have two EVs. Installer took care of the application process so not sure what I was actually approved for. In any event, I have generated more in one monthly cycle in the past with just 20 panels and always gotten full NEM credit so it was a little surprising to see this notice.

You're not alone. I've had solar since 2006 and I received a similar notice on my February billing statement. It said I had 90kWh of forfeited generation and this has never happened before. I checked my generation against last February, and it was slightly lower (538kWh vs. 560kWh) so something appears to be wrong in SCE's billing system.

 

[charlesj]

You're not alone. I've had solar since 2006 and I received a similar notice on my February billing statement. It said I had 90kWh of forfeited generation and this has never happened before. I checked my generation against last February, and it was slightly lower (538kWh vs. 560kWh) so something appears to be wrong in SCE's billing system.

Are you willing to call them to see what's going on? Did they change policy without notification? What will be the generation limit in the months ahead?
This is curious as most likely you are grandfathered in for 20 years I would guess as I am.

 

[h2ofun]

Are you willing to call them to see what's going on? Did they change policy without notification? What will be the generation limit in the months ahead?
This is curious as most likely you are grandfathered in for 20 years I would guess as I am.

Yes. would love to know what is going on

 

[Ampster]

How did this get resolved?

 

[arnolddeleon]

I've had the same issue with PG&E for several years now. Basically PG&E has wrong sized system(s) for me. Most likely this occurred when I added a second PV system 10+ years ago. The new system replaced my old system in their records instead of being added to it. It didn't matter until I added Powerwalls 3+ years ago (NEM 2). I thought I could get it fixed when I added a 3rd PV system but Tesla refused to file correct paperwork. Fortunately it has become mostly a non-issue for me because I've been running in self-powered mode these days. This means the amount of energy I export is pretty modest and it is inside the modeled value the system size that PG&E has on record. It wouldn't be surprising at all that another Investor Owned Utility (IOU) would have similar policies.

 

[Dukeybootie]

How did this get resolved?

It didn't really get resolved, for a few reasons.

1. I stopped exporting as much and shifted to self-powered
2. PTO finally happened
3. I switched rate plans twice (first to PRIME and now to TOU-4-9PM)

Anyway, it didn't happen again for the reasons described. This is an evolving chess match between me and SCE as their rules keep changing (confusingly, deliberately, maliciously) and I intend to counter as effectively as possible within these distasteful changes.