By Ryan Tracy | The Wall Street Journal
A fight over regulation in Louisiana that involves Entergy Corp. ETR +3.09% and NRG Energy Inc. NRG +1.84% shows the diverging paths of companies grappling with the nascent rise of solar power.
Louisiana is weighing a change to rules that would let utilities pay less for solar power generated at homes and businesses. The change wouldn’t have a significant impact on either energy company’s bottom line—at least not yet. But if Louisiana’s fledgling solar industry has trouble expanding, that would help protect Entergy’s position as the state’s largest electricity provider while reducing the growth prospects of NRG, which has invested more in solar.
Similar fights are brewing between utilities and solar-power developers in Arizona, California and Idaho—an indication that new ways of making energy are beginning to disrupt the traditional electricity business.
Also: Massachusetts Resets Its Solar Energy Bar, Four Years Early
Popularity of Solar Incentives in Colorado Bring Xcel, SEIA, COSEIA Together
Growth of renewables lags as technology finds more oil, gas
If you’d like to discuss energy issues, contact Court Rich, Co-Chair of Rose Law Group’s Renewable Energy Department at crich@roselawgroup.com
