SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, MAY 21, 2015. Craig Pals, Vice President of Tick Tock Energy in Effingham, gave testimony last Thursday May 14th to the Illinois House of Representatives Energy Subcommittee. He addressed the subcommittee on behalf of his company and other members of the Illinois Solar Energy Association (ISEA)-an association of over 65 local solar companies and suppliers. Pals presented the ISEA’s concerns in regards to the proposed Com Ed bill (SB1879), while also promoting consideration of the Clean Jobs bill (SB1485/HB2607) as a more favorable alternative.
During his testimony, Pals pointed out a few reasons why the solar industry was supporting the Clean Jobs bill instead of the Com Ed bill. He explained how, unlike the Com Ed bill, the Clean Jobs bill would help fix Illinois’s flawed Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and improve other current standards. Also, Pals highlighted why the ISEA sees the Com Ed bill’s proposed rate change to a kW demand-based design as problematic and confusing to the residential consumer. He pointed out that peak residential demand may not always occur coincident to the utility’s peak demand and therefore this billing structure may unfairly penalize many homeowners as well as stifle the installation of solar. Lastly, in regards to Com Ed’s proposed ownership and operation of microgrids, Pals emphasized the importance of competition rather than monopolization concerning distributed generation such as solar, energy storage, and electric vehicle charging technologies.
As member of the ISEA, Pals’ company, Tick Tock Energy, Inc., provides start-to-finish services in solar and small-wind installations, energy-efficient lighting retrofit projects, and energy consulting services. They aim to help residential, farm and commercial facilities reduce electricity costs through renewable energy, energy-efficiency retrofits and energy management solutions.