By Rachel Leingang | Arizona Capitol Times
The Arizona Corporation Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to dismiss an electric cooperative’s request to alter net metering, instead saying the matter should be handled in its ongoing rate case.
Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, a 51,000-member co-op with about 1,300 solar customers, asked the commission to reduce the amount it pays solar customers for excess energy. Solar customers are now paid retail price, 12.6 cents per kilowatt hour, for excess power, and the co-op wanted to drop it down to the amount it pays for wholesale power, 2.6 cents.
The cooperative was seeking the change outside of a rate case, though it also filed a rate case on August 31 and wanted to tackle the issue there as well.