Rooftop solar net metering is being fought across U.S.

By Mark Jaffe Originally appearing in the Denver Post The fate of rooftop solar net metering — the credit homeowners get for putting kilowatt-hours on the grid — is being fought in states across the country. Net metering is in place in 43 states, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Utility companies, which make their money selling electricity from centralized power plants, have sought or are seeking to limit the payments for the distributed generation coming from thousands of solar panels. The Edison Electric Institute, which represents investor-owned utilities, has identified distributed generation as a potentially "disruptive technology" that could compete with utility companies. In state after state, utility companies are seeking to change net-meter programs. Among them: • The Idaho Public Utilities Commission on July 3 rejected a request by the Idaho Power Co. to cut the net-meter payments and to quadruple the service charge on homes with rooftop solar to $22.49. • The Louisiana Public Service Commission on June 26 rejected a proposal supported by the local utility, Entergy Inc., to cut the net-metering credit from the retail rate to a wholesale rate of 3 to 4 cents. • The California Public Utilities Commission is set to receive a comprehensive report in the fall on the costs and benefits of rooftop solar after utility companies in the state raised questions about net metering. • The Arizona Corporation Commission is set to rule on a proposal by Arizona Public Service Co. to either cut the net-metering credit or keep it but add a charge for use of the grid. The battle in Arizona is a particularly heated one. A Washington, D.C-based conservative group supporting the Arizona utility released a Web video comparing the big solar-leasing companies, based in California, to bankrupt solar-panel maker Solyndra . Those leasing companies have created a lobbying organization — Alliance for Solar Choice — to battle in states with net-metering challenges. "Competition is a good thing, and the utility industry has been insulated from competition for a very long time," said Tom Beach, a principal at Crossborder Energy, which has done studies for the solar industry.

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Rooftop solar net metering is being fought across U.S.

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