Kiuc Clarification On Smart Meters And New Pv Installation

Lihu'e, Kaua`i, HI - Kaua'i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) would like to clarify it has not yet commenced with its general installation of smart meters. KIUC plans to begin the installation process in April, and members will receive at least two weeks notification prior to the installation at their home or business. The only exception is for new customer-generator facilities as exampled by the article on the front page of The Garden Island newspaper this morning.

Any members who plan to install a customer-generation system that will be interconnected to KIUC's system must follow the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission-approved tariff rules in reference to KIUC's interconnection process to ensure safety and reliability. Any new customer-generator facility that exports power to the grid is also required to install a "bi-directional" meter that is capable of measuring incoming and outgoing energy to insure that members are being correctly billed and properly compensated for any excess energy that is generated and delivered to KIUC. These meters have limited functionality and will require manual reads until full smart grid infrastructure is in place. Connecting a customer-generator facility to KIUC's system without an interconnection agreement is illegal.

KIUC has noticed an increase in customer PV systems being connected to KIUC without the necessary required interconnection agreements. We recently became aware of this type of unauthorized use when our employees detected improper functioning of meters that had not been replaced with the required interconnection-capable meters.

When a member connects their PV systems to KIUC without our knowledge, it also feeds power to our grid without our knowledge and therefore is a safety concern for our field employees. Improperly labeled infrastructure poses an extreme hazard for the employee(s) who are working on that circuit. In addition, uninspected, incorrectly connected, customer-generation systems pose threats to KIUC's system reliability, possibly causing power outages.

KIUC encourages customer self-generation because it can help KIUC meet its renewable energy goals and help potentially reduce members' electric bills. Visit our website for more information on smart meters and customer-generator PV installation.