By Michael Puttre | Solar Industry
A proposal submitted by the Arizona Public Service Corp. (APS) to state regulators asking for significant fees from customers who install residential solar power systems has drawn immediate and widespread fire from installers and others with a stake in the residential solar market.
The utility says that as a public provider it has a mandate to provide electric capacity and distribution resources to all customers in its service area regardless of how much residential solar is installed. Furthermore, it argues that the current net energy metering (NEM) plan, which pays customers for solar power they feed into the grid, benefits those with rooftop PV systems at the expense of those without.
Solar installers, providers of popular homeowner solar leasing plans and other industry advocates see APS’ proposal as a threat to the future of residential solar in Arizona. The Arizona Republic reported a coalition of plan opponents rallied at the state capitol July 16 to voice their protests. Opponents say the APS plan, if accepted by the Arizona Corporation Commission, would stop the state’s solar sector in its tracks. Some go so far as to say that killing solar is the utility’s intent.
Related: Number crunching utility rates in the Arizona solar war
