By Rachel Leingang | Arizona Capitol Times
The state’s biggest utilities sat together at a table in Tucson Monday to support and defend a solar proposal from a small electric co-op that would alter net metering rules, and cut savings, for its 1,200 solar members.
Trico Electric Cooperative is proposing to reduce the amount its solar customers would receive when they send excess power back to the grid. Currently, the co-op pays about 12 cents per kilowatt-hour for excess power from rooftop solar customers, which is the full retail rate. Trico is asking the Corporation Commission to approve dropping the rate down to its avoided-cost rate, which is 4.2 cents per kilowatt-hour now, though the application asks to cut that down to 3.7 cents.
