NewsACC to Reconsider Rooftop Solar Policies
October 12, 2023
In a significant move that could reshape the future of the rooftop solar industry in Arizona, the Arizona Corporation Commission voted 3-2 to reconsider the "Value of Solar" rates established in 2017, potentially affecting the market's stability and the economic model for solar companies and homeowners.
Photo by tl6781
- The Arizona Corporation Commission voted 3-2 to reconsider rooftop solar export rates, potentially altering the "Value of Solar" rates set in 2017 which had previously abolished net metering, affecting market predictability for solar companies and customers.
- Commissioners Jim O’Connor, Nick Myers, and Kevin Thompson, the more conservative members, initiated the reevaluation, signaling a shift away from supporting the solar industry as an emerging market.
- Opposition from Commissioners Lea Marquez Peterson and Anna Tovar, alongside warnings from over 300 solar companies and 8,000 employees, highlighted concerns over industry destabilization and the request to maintain the current rate structure.
- The reevaluation could impact approximately 170,000 APS customers with ten-year locked-in export rates, where homeowners currently sell excess energy to APS at 7 cents per kWh.
- The decision stems within a broader context of urgent calls for transitioning to a fossil-free economy amid a climate crisis, with some public testimonies emphasizing the moral imperative to combat climate change, though met with dismissal on the relevance by Commissioner O’Connor.
