Posted on 01/23/2022 1:19:45 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
Ballot initiatives to protect the current system, which state regulators say steals from the poor to benefit the rich, are filed for 2022 election.
Regulators want to destroy rooftop solar to protect the obscene profits of utility companies, one side charges.
The other side claims rooftop solar owners are circling the wagons to protect their own profits — the over-market amount they’re paid for exporting power to their neighbors — and to avoid paying their fair share to maintain the electric grid.
Under the now-tabled proposal, rooftop solar owners like Raj Pandey of Irvine would have seen the credit they get for sending electricity to the grid for neighbors to use plummet from some 40 cents per kilowatt hour to about 5 cents — in line with the actual value of solar energy produced by day, the utilities say.
Solar owners also would have seen their monthly charge for grid connection and maintenance soar to an average $57 from about $10.
Homeowners who have invested tens of thousands of dollars in solar systems under the old assumptions said it will significantly increase the amount of time necessary to recoup costs through energy savings, and some said they’d never break even. That’s despite a provision that would grandfather some solar owners in under old rules. And the makers of solar systems fear a massive plummet in demand as well.
Non-solar households pay $115 to $245 more per year to subsidize their neighbors with solar, and, if nothing changes, that subsidy will grow to $385 to $550 per year by 2030, according to a joint filing by California’s three big utilities.
That amounts to robbing the poor to pay the rich, and that’s what the proposal attempted to address, proponents argue.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
Solar is a government sponsored scam.
California, so modern.
I though about solar for a while but between the state deciding to eviscerate the incentives and a glut of people now suing over the panel installation compromising their roofs I can not convince myself its worth it.
It’s incredible that the politicians are SO stupid as to suggest that there would be an immediate change that would really hit existing rooftop solar owners. The sensible solution would be to:
1. Grandfather in all existing installations (including those at some point in the procurement cycle — say having signed a contract or obtained the building permit).
2. Change the rules for brand new installations not under way.
3. Phase in the new rules over a period of time, say five years.
4. After that deadline, solar generation will only be sold at avoided cost.
This would have protected existing owners who made their economic investment decisions under a set of rules that shouldn’t change.
There is NOTHING more destructive to investment than changing rules AND especially changing the rules for those who already made investments. No certainty about constantly changing rules makes investment and planning impossible. That is the third world / communist approach to regulations and economics.
The government is run by complete idiots.
California Eco-nuts hoisted by their own petard.
I went back to my office and did some research. Sure enough, the region where I was working gets fewer sunny days than Seattle or Portland. I knew right then that the whole thing was just a government-subsidized racket.
Here in Alabama I paid 13 cents per kWh last month. If I was to sell power to the grid I'd get paid about 1/4th of that.
Libs have never been taught to leave ‘well enough’ alone.
EVERYTHING their tentacles reach has either vanished,
royally screwed or broken beyond repair.
WHO will eventually win this war of the insignificant vs the elite class?
From what I understand this has nothing to do with solar power, it’s just “power created by property owner”. It could be created by a personal gas well or anything.
The issue as I see it is the property owner is selling the power at the same price as the electric company. The electric company has a huge investment in the wires and poles to connect everyone. And the electric companies are asking for the home power producer to pay their fair share of the distribution costs.
I could swear the home producer did get paid a lower amount way back in the 1990s (or earlier), for the specific reason of the fair share of poles and wires. Did something change? Or am I wrong about the issue?
The sun stays constant while the whims of man blow in the wind.
I get no state incentives for my solar system, nor do I sell power back to the grid. I hired a roofer to review my metal roof before I had solar installed and again after solar was installed.
Based on this past year's throughput my system will have paid for itself about the 10th year, and that includes paying the interest on the HELOC I took out to buy the solar system and to replace my two gas appliances with electric ones.
Not that anyone cares, but if you want to lose my support? Just claim that someone “isn’t paying their fair share” while never being able to tell me how much that is.
The solar subsidies could be sustained when there weren’t many homes with rooftop solar. When too many got into it, the game is over.
More perversity caused by leftist central planning
No one wants to give up a government subsidy.
the issue seems to be that home buyers don’t want the things because of the roof concerns. surprisingly its seen as a liability. Or so I’ve heard.
Politics today is about transferring wealth, benefits, or power from one group to another:
Non solar households subsidize solar.
Fossil fuel drivers subsidize electric vehicle drivers.
Affirmative action and diversity programs transfer benefits from some racial, ethnic, or gender groups to others.
Wealthy taxpayers subsidize the poor.
US taxpayers subside illegal immigrants.
Full tuition paying students subsidize scholarship students.
US Government subsidizes and supports politically connected companies.
For profit taxpaying corporations subsidize non-profits.
American taxpayers through foreign aid subsidize people in other countries.
The federal subsidizes public broadcasting, Amtrak, farmers, housing, college tuition, and a myriad of other activities.
The political debate in this country is no longer over whether or not the government should be involved in an activity. Today debates are about how much a favored group, or new group will get.
Here in GA, the state is doing solar prudently.
1. No state level incentives at all.
2. Construction permits, signed engineering drawings and utility approved interconnection agreements required.
3. Instant net metering at avoided cost. (2.88 cents per kilowatt for us). No-one is making bank on solar, and no one is being gouged.
4. Covenants apply to placement of panels where relevant.
We went solar with a battery AND the right expectations. We are quite pleased.
Also the system has a 25 year parts AND labor guarantee, and the roof is guaranteed to not leak anywhere for 10 years.
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