Residents living in unincorporated Summit County will be automatically enrolled in a new Rocky Mountain Power program designed to fund the construction of renewable energy sources.

The Community Clean Energy Program is expected to launch later this year or early next.

Emily Quinton, the county’s sustainability program manager, said all Rocky Mountain Power customers in unincorporated areas of the county will have a new option for choosing clean energy because of the program.

“By investing in clean energy, the program will help to meet our growing energy demands while keeping power reliable and meeting those demands with non-polluting sources,” she said.

Quinton presented an ordinance authorizing the county’s participation in the program to the Summit County Council last week. She said county officials have been instrumental in drafting the program from the moment the state Legislature made it a possibility in 2019 through the Community Renewable Energy Act.

The 2019 law codified a partnership between Rocky Mountain Power and Utah Renewable Communities, a group of 19 counties and municipalities throughout the state interested in building an initiative to fund renewable energy. The Summit County government is a member of Utah Renewable Communities, as well as the cities of Coalville, Oakley, Francis and Park City.

The Community Clean Energy Program adds $4 to a residential electric bill each month to provide customers with a mix of electricity that includes renewable energy. The proceeds from the extra charge then go into a fund used to encourage developers to build “utility-scale” renewable energy sources.

The $4 charge also offsets prices for customers in the Home Electric Lifeline Program, which serves low-income households that need assistance with their electric bill, so they can participate in the Community Clean Energy Program at no cost.

Quinton said she is already in contact with local organizations that tend to work with low-income families, such as the Christian Center of Park City or the People’s Health Clinic, to coordinate a campaign alerting households of the additional charge and how to enroll in the Home Electric Lifeline Program if necessary.

“Reaching out to low-income customers and making sure that they’ve got relief is something that has been robustly discussed from the start of this program to make sure it’s communicated, and we’re doing that outreach,” added County Council Vice Chair Roger Armstrong.

Non-residential buildings will be affected by the new program, too. However, the change is more difficult to calculate because the charge is not a flat rate like it is for residential homes. Instead, the additional line item is based on how much electricity the business or organization uses.

Quinton used one of the county’s buildings in Kamas as an example and said the program would hypothetically add $42 to its electric bill, an increase of approximately 5% for that specific property.

“The actual impact on these non-residential customers is going to depend on how much energy they use and the rate schedule that they are on, so 5% is not a given for every non-residential customer, but that puts us in the ballpark,” she said.

The Public Service Commission, a state executive board tasked with overseeing and approving the program, estimated last month that the rate to participate in the program will likely decrease in the future, though.

“We need to raise an initial big pot of money up front to act as that security for developers, so that’s a big part of what this initial rate is really seeking to do,” Quinton explained.

Quinton said the program won’t start immediately because Rocky Mountain Power needs to update its billing system to accommodate it. She predicted the program would launch later this year or in early 2027, with customers receiving notices at least two months in advance of their bill’s adjustment.

Customers then have another four billing cycles — for a total of six months — to opt out of the program for free. Those who miss the withdrawal window may still decline to participate in the program for a $30 termination fee.

“It really does not change anything about (a customer’s) relationship with Rocky Mountain Power,” Quinton said. “It’s simply a new line item on their bill, should they choose to keep it. … I feel confident that there are a lot of provisions for customers to know that this program is coming. That’s one of my chief concerns. I want people to know this is coming.”

Armstrong, who has been advocating for a clean energy program since 2013, praised county staff and his fellow councilors, past and present, for their work to develop the new initiative alongside Rocky Mountain Power.

“This produces electrons at a scale that goes directly into the grid, and it displaces other non-renewable sources from the grid, and that’s why we’re doing it as a community,” he said. “Choice is the key here. You’re in the program, and if you don’t like the program, you can opt out. There are several opportunities to do that for free and opportunities later to do it for a fee. It’s something that’s worthy for all of us to give a good faith try to because it’s going to lift all 29 of the communities that are participating in this. I am really grateful that we got this opportunity.”

Quinton similarly called the Community Clean Energy Program a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity, saying it gives residents a chance to get involved in the development of clean energy.

“Considering the crazy world that we’re living in right now and some of the policies moving away from renewables to more oil exploration and wars over oil, I think it’s really important that we take action on this,” agreed County Councilor Tonja Hanson.

The Summit County Council unanimously agreed to participate in the Community Clean Energy Program countywide and approved the ordinance. More information on the free opt-out window will be available as the program’s launch nears.

The post Residents in unincorporated Summit County to participate in new clean energy program appeared first on Park Record.

Rocky Mountain Power customers in the Kamas Valley have complained of unusually frequent power outages this summer, but the electric company says the disruption in service is an unfortunate new reality as the wildfire season in Utah becomes more and more severe.

“It’s not a decision by the company to de-energize. It’s an automatic response based on the protective devices installed on the system to protect it and to protect the customer’s equipment,” explained Rocky Mountain Power spokesperson David Eskelsen.

He likened the protective system to a circuit breaker, just on a much larger scale than what a person would see in a residential home. The technology is more advanced, but the installed devices are essentially designed to detect electrical disturbances and shut down as quickly as possible to prevent damage, including accidental sparks that could ignite a wildfire.

Common disturbances include fallen trees, strong winds and interference from airborne objects, like branches, balloons or other items small enough to get swept away and caught in power lines.

“It’s always better when dealing with an electrical fault to cut the power immediately until someone can come out and check it and make sure that whatever damage may have occurred is fixed,” Eskelsen said.

He added that Rocky Mountain Power, which supplies electricity to approximately three-fourths of the state and is the only rate-regulated public utility in Utah, is working on a host of long- and short-term solutions to prevent wildfires and decrease disruptions to customers during the summer months.

For example, the power company has increased the space it requires workers to clear between power lines and nearby vegetation and converted some overhead service lines to run underground, although Eskelsen said those conversions are a “relatively expensive option” and dependent on local geography.

“The Wasatch Back is a prime example of where our systems go through terrain that has an elevated fire risk,” Eskelsen explained. “One of the things we’ve done … is to install some of these more sophisticated electronic monitoring and protective systems, and they have logic settings that can be made more sensitive. … In areas where the fire risk is higher, we have begun using these devices because it’s very important that our equipment does not spark a fire.”

Rocky Mountain Power analyzed its own meteorological data from past years to determine where in Utah the more sensitive devices needed to be placed. Because of the dry, hot weather conditions along the Wasatch Back this year, Summit County made the company’s list, and this is the first season Rocky Mountain Power has used the heightened sensitivity settings in the Kamas Valley.

“There have been two circuit areas that have been subject to a lot of these protective outages, and they’re the two substations in Kamas and Oakley,” Eskelsen said. “We have been using what we call these emergency safety settings for about the last three years, but these two circuits are new to these more sensitive settings this year.”

The sensitive settings are also the cause of Kamas Valley residents’ power woes this summer.

“Rather than restoring power automatically, we send a troubleshooter to the location, and they typically do a physical patrol of the line to make sure that there are no lingering problems and that it’s safe to restore the power, so that does result in some longer restoration times,” Eskelsen said. “It’s important to do that because it’s so devastating for a fire to happen in some of these areas, and we don’t want our system to be the source of any ignition.”

Eskelsen said Rocky Mountain Power is aware the emergency safety settings are resulting in service interruptions, but the company is trying to balance its “commitment to reliability against the safety of extreme wildfire behavior.”

“In response to how these particular circuits have performed this summer, we are reviewing the sensitivity adjustments on our safety settings and where they are applied,” he added. “We, of course, always want to keep the power on. That’s our job. But it’s important to balance that against the safety of our own equipment, the safety of our customers’ equipment and the safety of life and property in areas where wildfires could be very, very serious.”

The power company strives to keep its system “highly reliable,” Eskelsen said, but Rocky Mountain Power also encourages its customers to be prepared for outages no matter the season.

“We agree with the advice of emergency management officials at the county and state level who advise all of us to be prepared to be without essential public services for up to 72 hours,” Eskelsen said. “Electricity is certainly one of the most essential public services, and we recognize that, so our efforts are focused on making sure our reliability is good but also that the safety of our equipment is in the best shape it can be.”

He recommended customers sign up for notifications with either an email address or cell phone number on Rocky Mountain Power’s website because the company notified residents of the enhanced safety settings and heightened wildfire danger at the beginning of the season.

For more information on Rocky Mountain Power’s wildfire prevention initiatives, visit rockymountainpower.net/outages-safety/wildfire-safety.html. Information on the enhanced safety settings specifically is available at rockymountainpower.net/outages-safety/wildfire-safety/wildfire-safety-precautions.html.

Summit County has had a few small brush fires this year, but none reportedly connected to electrical equipment or downed power lines. The rest of the state hasn’t fared as well as the Wasatch Back, though, and state officials as of Friday morning reported a total of 697 fires that have burned 127,000 acres so far this year.

Locally, the Park City Fire District has worked to provide employees with specialized wildfire training, and while Chief Peter Emery said he’s not an expert in electrical engineering himself, he appreciates Rocky Mountain Power’s efforts to minimize the chances of an accidental spark.

“This is something we’re going to have to work on for years, and it’s all hands on deck,” Emery said. “It’s the fire department, the community, HOAs, (Park) City Council, County Council, Rocky Mountain. All of us are going to have to be working on this, and I think it probably is part of the solution because we do not want to have a fire caused by an electrical line.”

Emery said the key to avoiding a disastrous wildfire along the Wasatch Back is to prevent them altogether whenever possible, and Rocky Mountain Power’s heightened safety settings, while inconvenient for customers, help remove electrical fires from the equation.

“If you look at our numbers, we’re in a good place, but as we’ve seen across the nation, that can change in an instant,” Emery said. “We’re not going to be asleep at the wheel, but neither can the community. … It’s such a cliché answer, but I really think that’s how we’re going to keep ahead of this.”

Utah’s wildfire season typically runs from July to October. Summit County’s fire danger increased to extreme on Thursday, and stage two fire restrictions are in place countywide, meaning no open fires of any kind are allowed on state or unincorporated lands.

Summit County residents can text SCFIRE to 91896 for updates on the county’s fire outlook, red flag warnings and fire conditions.

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