Don't think that the electricity utility distribution infrastructure hasn't already been paid for - except perhaps new generating capacity.
The information I provided actually indicates that a new business model should be approached. In the early days of "deregulation", the whole idea was that electric utilities would move in the direction of "wielding" electricity produced by independent producers. But that isn't how it payed out because of the lobbying efforts by electric utilities.
Electric utilities and fuel refineries will likely team-up in the future to manufacture fuels with renewable energy largely generated by homeowners. The profits will work itself out in the price of fuels. Also, profits would be generated in the difference between residential rates and high commercial & industrial time of use rates. Also homeowners should be allowed to directly sell their extra electricity to local businesses at a rate lower than utilities charge, but say - at a 10% surcharge as the middleman on the transaction.
I would also propose that utility payback to homeowners be based on whether the installation deploy the leading edge, highest efficiency products paid back at the residential rate until the solar system is paid back. The lowest pay back after that recoup point may be something along the lines of [W(wholesale)+R(retail)]/2. Such would encourage manufacturers to compete to deploy latest photovoltaic advances.
Also, electric utilities need to get smart about incorporating renewable energy solutions into their planning. As I stated, they can produce fuels or even install Zandergreen style battery distributed units into their grids.
http://www.zandergreen.com/Distributed energy has a track record of, in the event of a disaster or terrorist attack, providing energy to nearby areas that are unaffected. This allows disrupted areas to heal more quickly with support from unaffected areas. At very least, after the tornado or earthquake, homeowners with little or no damage can have a cold beer and invite their neighbors over.
Since V=IR and R is a function of distance from the point of generation, the closer the generation to the end-use, the higher the overall efficiency of the system. So distributed energy is more efficient by nature than utility owned generation farther away.
But the 2005 Federal Energy Regulations did nothing along those lines, just cutting payback to the low wholesale rate - completely unfair to California homeowners with over-sized solar installations depending on the original payback to cover their investment.
That is essentially a perfect example of Federal Government interfering with State's Rights for all the Libertarians out there...
