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In front of an unusually crowded public, regulators in Louisiana approved on Wednesday, as expected, billing changes and protocols for people installing solar panels to produce their own electricity.
On a 3-2 vote, the Louisiana Public Service Commission approved the proposed new rules that effectively reduce the amount that traditional utility companies pay to individuals for the electricity generated by solar panels installed on homes. rooftops.
The 14-point change to the existing rules essentially frees the traditional utilities owned by investors from paying the retail price of electricity sold by individual consumers who have installed solar powered panels. The 18,000 solar panel owners and those installing them by December 31 would retain the same rates for 15 years under the new rules.
According to PSC staff, solar energy customers produce an average of about 80 percent of the energy they consume – about $ 53 a month or about $ 600 a year. Even under the new rules, customers will receive the total retail value of the electricity they consume.
According to the PSC, customers earn about $ 10 a month by selling excess electricity to the utility.
Utility companies argue that to buy excess electricity from solar customers at higher retail rates, all of their customers must essentially pay more for electricity than they consume. About 1% of the state's 2 million utility customers have solar panels.
PSC staff testified that customers without solar panels pay subsidies for those who do.
PSC President Mike Francis, R-Crowley, said rooftop solar collectors who resell the grid produce electricity for about 4 cents per kilowatt hour, but sell it to utilities at retail prices about 10 cents. That's about $ 2 million a year. "It's a fact that we have to understand.Someone provides this $ 2 million," said Francis, as well as his other clients.
Since solar panels only operate when the sun is shining, solar panel owners remain connected to the grid operated by traditional public utilities, owned by shareholders and licensed to operate on their territory as monopolies. But during sunny hours, the panels often produce more electricity than they can use. "Net metering" allowed regulators to force utilities to buy electricity during sunny periods at a fixed rate and to obtain credit for the amount of power needed during dark hours.
The new rules essentially change the pricing of "net metering" paid by utilities.
Monique Harden, of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, said the rooftop solar rulers represented a 66% reduction in what people currently earn by reselling electricity generated to help from solar panels to traditional public services.
Jessica Hendricks, of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a consumer group in New Orleans, said the regulators were actually considering allowing utilities to buy electricity. 3 cents per kilowatt hour to solar panel owners and resell it at 9 cents. . A typical residential customer in Louisiana buys about 1,300 kWh per month.
Typically, the PSC's monthly hearings are attended by dozens of lawyers, lobbyists and public service representatives. Although utilities are the second or third largest monthly bill for most homeowners, the PSC, which sets these monthly rates, is largely ignored by consumers and the media.
For Wednesday's hearing, however, the commissioners increased the size of the courtroom and called for increased security.
Solar panel owners and installers, many of whom wore green T-shirts "Do not take the right of Louisiana residents to choose solar energy," stood on the sides of the room and applauded loudly for following many arguments against the rules. Others have lifted the cameras from their phones to record the procedure. Only one out of about 50 witnesses spoke in favor of the new rules.
Vote for the new rules: Mike Francis, President of the PSC, R-Crowley; Commissioners Craig Greene, R-Baton Rouge; and Eric Skrmetta, R-Metairie.
Vote to maintain the current rules and pricing system: Lambert Boissiere, D-New Orleans, PSC Commissioners; and Foster Campbell, D-Bossier Parish.
Come back with The Advocate for more details
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