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Incentives/Policies for Renewables & Efficiency

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Chelan County PUD - Sustainable Natural Alternative Power Producers Program
Last DSIRE Review: 07/20/2009  
Incentive Type: Production Incentive
State: Washington
Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies: Photovoltaics, Landfill Gas, Wind, Biomass, Geothermal Electric, Small Hydroelectric, Tidal Energy, Wave Energy
Applicable Sectors: Commercial, Industrial, Residential, Schools, Local Government, State Government, (All Chelan County PUD Customers)
Amount:Varies; 2009 payment is $0.22/kWh
Maximum Incentive:$1.50/kWh
Terms:Maximum system size of 25 kW - AC
Web Site: http://www.chelanpud.org/snap.html



Summary:
The Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP) program encourages customers to install alternative power generators such as solar panels and wind turbines and connect them to the District's electrical distribution system by offering an incentive payment based on the system's production. The amount paid per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to SNAP Producers is determined by dividing the total amount contributed by SNAP Purchasers through the utility's green pricing program, divided by the total electricity generated by all SNAP Producers. The greater the amount contributed by SNAP Purchasers, the greater the amount that will be distributed among participating SNAP Producers, up to a maximum of $1.50 per kWh. As a result, payment rates have varied over the course of the program as follows:  
 
2002: $1.50/kWh  
2003: $1.20/kWh  
2004: $0.74/kWh  
2005: $0.46/kWh  
2006: $0.25/kWh  
2007: $0.21/kWh  
2008: $0.25/kWh  
2009: $0.22/kWh  
 
Systems up to 25 kilowatts (kW) are eligible for SNAP funds. SNAP is not intended for customers who want to install renewable energy sources for back-up power generation at their home or business. Under the SNAP program, each solar or wind power system has a dedicated utility-owned production meter that measures the total AC energy generated by the system. Once the renewable energy has been metered, it can either go directly to a utility transformer or connect to the customer's electrical distribution panel. If the measured power connects to the customer's distribution panel, the customer receives the additional benefit of net metering. If the output of the inverter is connected directly to the transformer, the customer does not receive any net metering benefit but does receive an additional payment for the wholesale value of 100% of the power they generate.  
 
According to the program web site, the installed capacity as well as the number and types of SNAP Producers are as follows:  
 
Number of SNAP producers  
Schools: 29  
Non-profit agencies: 7  
Private producers: 9  
 
SNAP renewables by type  
Solar: 42  
Wind: 2  
Small Hydro: 1  
 
Capacity (in kilowatts)  
Solar: 80  
Wind: 40  
Small Hydro: 5  
 
The SNAP logo and concept can be used by other utilities at no cost. Additional information is available on the SNAP web site.  


 
Contact:
  Jim White, P.E.
Chelan County Public Utility District
327 N. Wenatchee Ave., PO Box 1231
Wenatchee, WA 98801
Phone: (509) 661-4829
Fax: (509) 664-2889
E-Mail: jamesa@chelanpud.org
Web Site: http://www.chelanpud.org/snap
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Please note: The information on the DSIRE web site provides an overview of incentives and other policies, but it should not be used as the only source of information when making purchasing decisions, investment decisions, tax decisions or other binding agreements. Please refer to the individual contact provided in each record to verify that a specific incentive or other policy is applicable to your specific project.

© 2009 N.C. Solar Center / N.C. State University / College of Engineering