Qualifying hydroelectric, solar, wind or biomass projects of up to 200kW will be eligible for the Generation Partners incentives, which include a $1000 payment to offset startup costs. In addition, TVA will buy 100% of the power that participants produce, paying the retail rate, plus any fuel cost adjustment, plus a premium per kilowatt-hour, depending on the type of renewable energy produced.
“TVA launched Generation Partners as a pilot project, with periodic adjustments expected along the way, to encourage customer interest in small to medium-sized renewable energy projects, such as rooftop solar panels,” said John Trawick, senior vice president of Commercial Operations and Pricing. “The response has exceeded all expectations, prompting us to expand and enhance the program to include additional projects and help support public interest in renewable energy.”
Trawick said that of the 264 projects approved or completed through Generation Partners to date, 260 are 200kW or under.
“TVA is honouring all 264 agreements, and we are launching a process to evaluate additional projects totalling more than 200kW each,” Trawick said. “Our goal is to encourage more widespread use of renewable energy resources across the TVA service territory.”
Additional actions announced yesterday include:
• Moving 33 additional customer proposals into the approval process;
• Evaluating various longer-term solutions aimed at transforming Generation Partners from a pilot project to a firmly established TVA program.
Earlier this year, TVA began approving participation in advance to make it easier for customers to finance projects. Since April 1, TVA and local distributors have received more applications than expected, necessitating modifications to accommodate the larger number of projects.
