By Ryan Randazzo and Robert Anglen | The Republic | azcentral.com
The state’s largest utility and companies that install solar panels are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in a high-stakes battle over how much customers should be paid for the power their panels produce.
As part of its strategy, Arizona Public Service Co. sent cash to two non-profit groups that support the utility’s goal to make solar customers pay higher bills.
Solar-panel companies have been equally aggressive, characterizing the utility as trying to “kill solar.”
APS’ marketing campaign includes its own television ads explaining its commitment to solar. The cash sent to the two non-profits is helping to pay for ads and websites that use a more negative tone toward the solar industry.
For most of this year, APS and solar companies have battled over the utility’s proposal to change the rules for net metering, a system where utilities give solar customers credit for the electricity they send to the power grid.
That credit offsets the cost of the electricity they buy from the utility at night. APS’ proposed changes would add $50 to $100 to solar customers’ monthly bills, the company said.
APS says solar customers get too much credit for their excess power, which they say means solar customers push too much of the costs of maintaining the power grid to non-solar customers.
Solar representatives say the rules change would devastate the industry.
