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November 13, 2007

Village promotes alternative-energy systems

Accord may encourage Lake Placid propery owners to generate power

By KIM SMITH DEDAM

LAKE PLACID -- Lake Placid is reworking agreements with New York Power Authority to allow residents to install alternative-energy systems.

If households generate more power than they use, credits could be used against their Lake Placid Municipal Electric bill.

Lake Placid Mayor Jamie Rogers and village officials discussed the emerging arrangement in a work session Tuesday.

"In a lot of ways, we're behind the times on this," Rogers said. "But if people feel good about creating solar power and getting credit, then go for it."

Rogers and Village Electric Superintendent Peter Kroha have been working with the Power Authority to fine-tune the new plan.

Lake Placid residents have previously not been allowed to feed power back to the village grid, unlike other townships on mainline electric systems.

"If a person put (solar) panels on their house and generated up to 10 kilowatts, then NYPA would buy it back," Kroha said.

The arrangements are primarily geared toward homeowners and smaller systems.

"We've had several requests from residents about getting credit to their electric bill with solar panels," Rogers said.

Lake Placid Municipal Electric exists at the end of the grid and has worked out an agreement to keep electric rates low, Kroha said.

But a long-standing agreement with NYPA left the village out of the co-generation loop.

It changed, Kroha said, "with green power being in vogue." Households would have to create more power than they use in order to resell it.

Electric credits would be based on the going Lake Placid rates, which work on a dual cycle through winter and summer.

The heavy loads here occur in winter but are still low compared to other communities, Kroha said.

"Credits for summer rates would be given in summer, and winter credits would get the winter rate."

At this point, Lake Placid electric rates are at 2.7 cents per kilowatt hour in summer and 4.9 cents per kilowatt hour in winter.

Saranac Lake, for example, pays 12.5 cents year round for power, Kroha said.

Any generation over 10 kilowatts would go into a different arrangement with the Power Authority.

Lake Placid Middle/High School is establishing a solar energy system.

North Country School has also looked into generating alternative energy on campus, as both an educational resource and a power source.

"We couldn't do this before because the Power Authority wouldn't let us," Village Trustee Peter Roy said.

"A good system could see credits all summer," Kroha said.

"It could be good for the homeowner."

Information about alternative sources of energy is available New York Power Authority at http://www.nypa.gov/.

Questions can be directed to the village offices at 523-2597.

kdedam@pressrepublican.com

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