We don’t have “root top” solar, but we do have “on the ground” solar. I would say that 20% of the houses in our neighborhood have solar. On sunny days, 90% of the days, we give back 3-5 KWH of power each day. This means that the electric coop doesn’t have to buy as much peak power because we supply a lot of the power for our non-solar neighbors. The cost of transmission from my house to the folks across the street is negligible, so it makes sense that the folks across the street should, essentially, pay me directly for that power.
What local generation does is prevent the big power companies from running roughshod over the consumers who now have a dog in this fight.
. . . and that is a good thing in summer when the peak load is air conditioning. But the critical issue is installed peak capacity requirement. But if you require power for air-conditioning when the sun isn’t shining, the generating capacity required for that capability defines the peak generating capacity required, which drives the capital cost of that capacity.The upshot is that the more peak watts you require, and the less often you actually use it, the more expensive your peak power will be to the utility - and thus to yourself, late or soon.
The power companies are the most regulated businesses in our country. The power companies must get regulatory approval before they can increase their rates. If there were no governmental restraints much of this publication would be mute.