In
true West Indies Cricket style, Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and
Mining Phillip Paulwell has followed through on the groundwork laid by the
previous Minister of Energy and Mining Clive Mullings and has finally
implemented Net Billing as announce in The Jamaica Gleaner
on Friday May 19 2012AD as stated in the article “Net
billing licences awarded”, published May 19 2012, The Jamaica Gleaner.
For
those with very short memories, the previous Minister of Energy and Mining Clive Mullings
had laid the groundwork for persons and companies to be able to sell power to
the JPS Co
under a Net Billing arrangement and re-use that Electricity elsewhere via Power
Wheeling as stated in my
blog article entitled “Ministry
of Energy Clive Mullings alters the JPS Co License for Energy Sector
Liberalization - Jamaica and The Sun Salutes You”
.
Eleven
(11) lucky householders who owned Alternative energy Gear at their homes were
awarded their Net Billing Licenses that allows them to sell Electricity to the JPS Co (Jamaica Public
Service Company) Grid.
Thus
by this gesture he has kept the promise made at the Press Conference held at
the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston to kick off the Energy Efficiency and
Conservation Programme and start issuing Net Billing Licenses as stated in the
article “Net
billing to be implemented this month”, published Wednesday,
May 09, 2012 by Luke Douglas, The
Jamaica Observer.
Minister
Phillip Paulwell also signaled his intention to be a part of the Net Billing
scheme, as his house has Solar Panels installed, quote: “My PV (photovoltaic)
system is fully up and running and I am now anticipating my JPS (Jamaica Public
Service Company) bill later this month”.
He made these statements at a meeting of the Jamaica Energy Council held
at Jamaica House Wednesday May 18 2012 a repeat of a similar statement made at
the Press Conference earlier stated in the article “Net
billing to be implemented this month”, published Wednesday,
May 09, 2012 by Luke Douglas, The
Jamaica Observer.
A rather progressive gesture at the meeting of
the Jamaica Energy Council whose bipartisan mature has Senator Gregory Mair,
Opposition Spokesman on Energy and Mining!
Energy
Efficiency and Conservation Programme is a bid to encourage the Public Sector
to be more like the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and save on their Electricity
Usage by changing their Utility usage habits as stated in my
blog article entitled “Ministry
of Labour and Social Security JA$9 Million Energy Savings - Mad Money for Happy
Workers”.
Up
to that time, ten (10) applicants had applied, so the eleventh persons came on
at the eleventh hour, so to speak, within the month of May, bang on schedule.
That eleventh person, based on the above statements is obviously the Minister
of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell effectively a form
of enlightened symbolism, due to the special significance of the number eleven
(11) to any Grand Enterprise.
Quick
Primer on Net Metering vs. Net Billing:
1. Net
Metering involves only a single bi-directional Electricity Meter that can measure
Electricity flow going both ways i.e. from JPS Co Grid to the
Customer Premises Alternative Energy Rig and from the Customer Premises
Alternative Energy Rig to the JPS Grid.
When more power is supplied to the JPS Co than JPS Co supplies to the
Customer Premises, the customer is credited at the end of as billing cycle for
Power Sent to the JPS
Co’s
Grid.
2. Net
Billing involves the customer having has two Digital meters - one measuring
power from the JPS Co
Grid and the other the Electricity supplied by the Customer Premises
Alternative Energy Rig to the JPS
Co
Grid . The customer is paid for the power supplied and billed for the power
used, which on the face of it, makes no sense, but that how it is.
The
above also suggests that there are other reasons for the changing out of Analog
Meters to Digital Meters than just a shortage of spare parts to fix the older
technology Analog Meters as opined in my
blog article entitled “JPS
Co New Digital Meters are all Smart Meters - Winsome Callum's A Simple Twist of
Fate” and as further explained in my Geezam Blog
article entitled “JPS
Co Analog Meter upgrade heralds Remote Billing Revolution”.
Even
more interesting, this coming of Net Billing may also explain why after fiasco
involving the JPS Co
Digital Meters being suspected of overbilling were cleared by the J. Paul
Morgan-led JPS Co Review Team that
had been charged with investigating the matter as articulated in my
blog article entitled “JPS
Co cleared on Digital SmartMeters but chastized on 10-year backbilling - Future
Plans from the Penguins of Madagascar”.
So
what are the benefits of Net Billing to consumers?
Hopeton
Heron, Deputy Director General at the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation)
explains, quote: “The bill from JPS is netted against the bill from the
production and at the end of the month, the net bill to the customer”. More Details
are given in the article “Jamaicans Awarded Net
Billing Licences”, published Saturday, 19 May 2012 06:52
Written by the Jamaica
Information Service:
1. Residential
and Commercial Customer have to sign a JPS Company Limited Standard Offer
Contract (SOC) for the ‘Purchase of As-Available Intermittent Energy from
Renewable Energy Facilities'
2. The
JPS Company Limited Standard Offer Contract period for the Net Billing License
is five (5) years
3. Residential
and Commercial Customers are paid approximately US$0.25 per Kilowatt Hour
4. Residential
Customers are capped to supplying between 0 to 10 Kilowatt Hours of Electricity
per billing cycle to the JPS.
5. Commercial
Businesses are capped to supplying between 0 to 100 Kilowatt Hours of Electricity
per billing cycle to the JPS.
In
light of this unknown variable, the above contracts are set to be assessed
after two (2) years with a view to expand or reduce the Energy Cap based on an
assessment after this period. In
short, the very same benefits one would have accrued if one were not connected
to the JPS Co
Grid in the first place, making me wonder if this makes sense at all.
I
might be biased, as I have argued in favour of Net Metering as opposed to Net
Billing, as both are pretty much the same sans
the extra Digital Meter as opined in my
blog article entitled “Minister
Clive Mullings retrogade step on Energy Sector Liberalization - JPS Co's
Monopoly An Inconvenient Truth”.
Still
this is a historic and interesting development and paves the way towards full
Energy Sector Liberalization, allowing Residential and Commercial customers to
invite JPS Co
to Come
Roun’ a Mi Yard, Mavado Style,
thereby saving on their Electricity Bill and making money at the same time.
2 comments:
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