By Barry Goldwater Jr., Contributing Writer | Phoenix Business Journal
The typewriter, the phone book and the payphone had their day, and the businesses that relied on them either got busy changing or got busy dying.
Despite claims made by Arizona Public Service Co. in the May 21 Phoenix Business Journal article “APS open to solve net metering issues,” the utility thus far has not been open to options. APS has been trying to kill rooftop solar in Arizona, or at least change the rules to have this effect.
Rather than innovate or find ways to profit from solar power, APS decries the solar industry and opines that its revenue is heading down-ward. That’s not the solar industry’s problem. That’s not the ratepayers’ problem. That’s a problem for APS shareholders, and that must not be our state’s concern.
Instead of trying to fix the problem, APS is trying to fix the game. It’s looking to rig the system so the utility doesn’t have to pay fair market value for the excess electricity that rooftop solar customers send back to the grid. That’s the essence of “net metering.”
The bottom line is this will impact APS’ bottom line. And what APS is saying is that it doesn’t want to make less money.
Continued: (Subscription site)
Related: Utilities turning to solar as U.S. energy use flattens
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
