This group is trying to make it more expensive for you to have rooftop solar

An organization that calls itself the New England Ratepayer’s Association has recently filed a petition with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to change the way homeowners are compensated for rooftop solar. If passed, the petition will make rooftop solar more expensive across the country.

In a process known as “net-metering,” buildings outfitted with solar are compensated for any excess energy they produce and feed back to the grid. The price paid for this energy, however, is often higher than that of energy pumped in by utilities from elsewhere. The petition argues that this practice unduly harms the interests of these utility companies — many of whom rely on gas and coal, and are paid “wholesale” rates for the energy they supply in bulk.

If passed, the petition will regard homes outfitted with rooftop solar as if they were utilities, and reduce the rates at which homeowners are compensated for the solar they send to the grid.

In a press release shared with GGWash, Marc Brown, the president of the New England Ratepayer’s Association, said net-metering is unfair to low- and middle-income families.

People with rooftop solar, he argued, are shifting the burden of the rising costs associated with maintaining the grid onto customers who cannot afford to have rooftop solar themselves.

Customers with rooftop solar, Brown argued, “pay less for the fixed costs of the electrical grid infrastructure” which he said compels “all the other ratepayers to cover the costs for the shortfall.”

That concern may be overblown. A solar value study conducted by the Office of the People’s Council for the District of Columbia found that “the typical residential non-solar customer in the District would experience an additional cost of $0.28 per year on average due to distributed solar.” Even after factoring in other costs and scenarios, the study found that “in all cases examined, costs shifting remains relatively modest at less than $1.00 annual impact per residential customer.”

Glen Brand, vice president of the policy and advocacy program for Solar United Neighbors, an organization that advocates for rooftop solar, said he believes that rooftop solar provides much more value than its given credit for. For one, he said, “there’s the job creation aspect of decentralized power” as well as a whole host of “health and environmental benefits” from using clean energy.

“Solar is producing power in exactly those peak times” when surges in demand for energy hit the grid, such as during the summer months when people turn on their air conditioners after returning home, Brand said. He argued that, instead of drawing on energy sourced from outside power plants, which are pumped into the grid, customers could rely on locally sourced energy from solar, which saves costs and reduces rates for everyone.

Moreover, Brand said, many rooftop solar customers factor in net metering to offset the cost of their rooftop solar installation. Lowering the compensation rates would have an immediate economic impact on families with rooftop solar.

Brand questioned the timing of this petition to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, saying it was “disturbing” as there is a lot happening now in regard to the pandemic and the broader economic crisis.

The New England Ratepayer’s Association is registered as a non-profit organization with the IRS but not much else is known about its funding or members as they do not publicly disclose.

Brand said they were widely regarded as a front organization for utility companies while the group maintains they represent “individuals and businesses who are concerned about the high cost of energy, water, telecommunications.”

The public comment period for this petition closes on June 15.