• About Us
  • Activity
  • Advertising
  • Books
  • Business
  • Contact
  • Dashboard
  • EB5
  • Entertainment
  • feedback
  • Forgot Your Password?
  • Government
  • Home
  • Interviews
  • Login
  • Members
  • Meme generator
  • National
  • Nevada
  • Nevada News and Views
  • Newsmax
  • NN&V Ads
  • Opinion
  • Pick a New Password
  • Politics
  • Polls
  • Privacy Policy
  • Profile
  • Recent comments by me
  • Recent comments on my posts
  • Register
  • Submit post
  • Subscribe
  • Subscription Confirmation
  • Survey
  • Survey
  • Terms of Service
  • Today’s Top 10
  • Travel
  • Travel
  • Travel
  • Welcome!
  • Yop Poll Archive
Nevada News and Views
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact
  • More
    • Nevada
    • Opinion
    • Business
    • Travel
    • News
    • Sports
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Pinterest

  • RSS

Opinion

PUC staff proposes reneging on contracts with current solar panel owners

PUC staff proposes reneging on contracts with current solar panel owners
N&V Staff
August 23, 2015

solar panel

Thomas(Thomas Mitchell) – Say what?

Buried in the morning newspaper story today about rooftop solar panels hitting the peak capacity allowed under law was a brief mention that the Public Utilities Commission staff is proposing abrogating current contracts with homeowners who already have solar panels.

“The staff recommendation would bring all net metering customers, including those in the current program, under the new rate structure,” the story states.

Net metering is basically a system by which home solar panels that generate more power than the home is using upload power to the grid and get those kilowatt-hours deducted from the monthly bill at whatever the current retail rate is.

Though the story does not spell out what that means, an earlier story notes that NV Energy has proposed that future rooftop solar panel customers would get credited for so-called “returned” power at a rate of only 5.5 cents per kWh instead of the current 11.6 cents.

Applying this proposal retroactively to current solar panel owners would cause their power bills to increase and make the length of time for them to realize a return on their investment even longer.

Rooftop solar panel companies have argued that the NV Energy net metering proposal could mean that any new solar panel installations might never realize a positive return on investment, and this could put them out of business and end 6,000 jobs.

Yes, several years ago I installed solar panels in my backyard. The NV Energy rebate program at the time paid for about half of the cost. I save money every month but have not yet reached the point where the savings cover my part of the installation cost. Without the rebate, it would never have penciled out. Without the full return power credit, it will take longer.

Would you enter into such a deal if one side could change the terms of the contract at any time arbitrarily?

Bryan Miller of Sunrun Inc., a solar panel installer, was quoted as saying, “It is outrageous and it is shameful. It should be completely disregarded.”

The PUC has a Dec. 31 deadline to set rates for new net metering installations and lift the cap on rooftop solar panels as allowed by Senate Bill 374.

What makes this all doubly confounding is that state taxpayers shelled out $1.2 million two years ago to attract rooftop solar panel installer SolarCity to open in Nevada and compete with current panel installers.

 

Mr. Mitchell publishes the 4TH ST8 Blog at www.4thst8.wordpress.com.

The column was originally published on Mr. Mitchell’s blog.

Prev postNext post

Related ItemsNet-meteringNevada EnergyNV Energysolar energySolar Panel
Opinion
August 23, 2015
N&V Staff

Related ItemsNet-meteringNevada EnergyNV Energysolar energySolar Panel

More in Opinion

Question 1 on Nevada Ballot is Not What It Seems

N&V StaffNovember 1, 2022
Read More

Roadmap To Saving Nevada

Troy La ManaOctober 21, 2022
Read More

The Lil Governor That Couldn’t

Troy La ManaOctober 10, 2022
Read More

Nevada Continues To Fail Our Students

Troy La ManaOctober 9, 2022
Read More

This Failed Policy Needs To End

Troy La ManaOctober 8, 2022
Read More

Viguerie: If We Stand Up for Parents’ Rights Now, We Will Win!

N&V StaffOctober 7, 2022
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Subscribe Free By Email

Looking for the best in breaking news and conservative views? Let Chuck do all the work for you! Subscribe to his FREE "Muth's Truths" e-newsletter.

* indicates required
Nevada News and Views
Nevada News & Views is an educational project of Citizen Outreach Foundation, a non-partisan IRS-approved 501(c)(3) organization. It is not associated or affiliated with any political party or group. Nevada News & Views is accessible by the public at no cost. It funds its operations through tax-deductible contributions from donors and supporters and does not accept government money or grants.

TAGS

Featured Article Nevada Politics business Muth's Truths government Opinion Government Muth’s Truths Obama Ron Knecht News Donald Trump GOP Republicans

Copyright © 2022 Citizen Outreach | Maintained by VirtualAlly

No Iranian Agreement
Frankly speaking for ESA homeschoolers