New report shows widespread use of dark money in fights against renewables

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Monday January 13, 2014 · 11:31 AM PST

2014/01/13 · 11:31

In 2013, the rooftop solar industry and its advocates battled monopoly utilities over the elimination of net metering in 4 states. In all four battles the rooftop solar industry came out victorious. Net metering gives solar customers full retail credit for the excess energy they put back on the grid. Utilities sell this electricity to nearby homes and businesses, saving money on transmission and distribution.

Idaho, Louisiana, California, and Arizona all decided to side with public opinion, consumer choice and market competition by upholding net-metering. In Arizona, the battle was particularly intense when it was revealed that Arizona Public Service (APS) used dark money tactics and a multimillion-dollar campaign to try and squash the emerging competitive threat posed by rooftop solar. Following the surfacing of reports from October, which exposed the utility’s lies about funding anti-solar campaigns and creating “grassroots organizations,” an entire network of dark money was discovered.

Once the citizens of Arizona caught wind of this scandal, they came out in droves to support the choice and competition that rooftop solar provides. After receiving over 30,000 letters from Arizona citizens, and witnessing over 1,000 Arizonans swarm the final hearing, the state’s Corporation Commission rejected the large solar tax requested by APS and upheld net metering.

BaileyA

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Friday December 06, 2013 · 3:08 PM PST

2013/12/06 · 15:08

Four hundred Colorado voters were surveyed on their opinions of net metering last month, and results of the survey show that almost 4 out of 5 Coloradans (78 percent) support giving full retail credit for the extra energy that families, schools and businesses produce from solar panels on their rooftops. Only 11 percent showed opposition toward net metering.

Meanwhile, Colorado utility Xcel Energy is proposing to significantly undermine metering and give half the credit to consumers for the valuable energy they feed back to the grid. Xcel then turns around and sells this excess energy at the full retail rate to nearby homes.

BaileyA

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Thursday November 21, 2013 · 4:40 PM PST

2013/11/21 · 16:40

Hundreds of Angelenos that have chosen to generate their own power using rooftop solar are being punished with a terrible consumer experience. After approving hundreds of solar agreements for its customers, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is trying to require customers to re-sign these contracts. This process has been extremely painstaking for the solar industry and confusing to customers. LADWP wants to have hundreds of solar customers re-sign standard agreements after adding an amendment, even though the agreements had already been approved by LADWP.

Without the re-signed contracts, LADWP is restricting these customers from moving forward in the process and interconnecting their systems to the grid. This unfair practice has been occurring for months.

LADWP acknowledges that it has approved the specific language within the lease contracts on three separate occasions, and in all cases their reviewers did not catch what they now perceive to be language that may violate the City Charter.

BaileyA

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Friday October 25, 2013 · 5:13 PM PDT

2013/10/25 · 17:13

After denying involvement for months, Arizona Public Service (APS) has recently admitted to funding non-profit organizations created to stop rooftop solar. As reported last Monday in The Arizona Republic, the company “sent cash to two non-profit groups that support the utility’s goal to make solar customers pay higher bills.”

The utility has been lying publicly about funding the anti-rooftop solar organizations because it wanted to give the impression that these organizations were developed and operating through grassroots-level efforts. APS lied to shareholders, ratepayers, and the general public to maintain this illusion.

One of these organizations, 60 Plus, works with consultant Sean Noble, who was also a political consultant for the Koch brothers in their fight against the democratic party and the 2012 Obama campaign. APS has admitted to contracting Noble. Noble has been under investigation for campaign money laundering in CA.

BaileyA

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Monday October 07, 2013 · 3:59 PM PDT

2013/10/07 · 15:59

To strengthen its monopolistic position and wipe out rooftop solar, Arizona Public Service – Arizona’s largest electric utility, sent a proposal to the Arizona Corporation Commission requesting to either cut net metering payments by more than half, or add fees to rooftop solar customer’s bills. Net metering is the policy that gives rooftop solar customers fair credit for the excess energy they put back on the grid. Following a request by Commissioner Gary Pierce that ACC Staff analyze of the proposal, Commission staff filed a report on September 30 that rejects the APS proposal. The “Pierce Report” recommends that the net metering be addressed in the next rate case in 2016. The report also recognized the value inherent in distributed generation that APS’s proposal did not consider – such as avoided fuel costs and increased grid security, air quality.

BaileyA

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Monday September 30, 2013 · 3:33 PM PDT

2013/09/30 · 15:33

You might assume that the solar energy industry represents one united group, working together in harmony towards a renewable energy future. It’s a beautiful thought, but evidently this is not the case. Within the solar industry there is conflict arising between rooftop solar and large scale solar developers -- namely First Solar -- which see rooftop as a threat to its future success.

BaileyA

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Monday September 23, 2013 · 6:09 PM PDT

2013/09/23 · 18:09

What do potatoes, surfing, and Mardi Gras have in common? They represent states where leadership has made decisions demonstrating a strong commitment to rooftop solar. Over the past several months, the states of Idaho, California, and Louisiana have served as battlegrounds where the rooftop solar industry and its advocates have successfully defeated monopoly utility attempts to limit or eliminate net metering. In all three states where the battles have been waged, utility regulators and legislators’ decisions have led to the preservation of net metering.

BaileyA

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Friday September 13, 2013 · 1:24 PM PDT

2013/09/13 · 13:24

The future of solar energy in the state of California just got a little brighter. Thanks to the recent passage of Assembly Bill 327 -- a piece of legislation supported by solar advocacy groups and big investor owned utilities alike -- rooftop solar will be accessible to more California residents.

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New report shows widespread use of dark money in fights against renewables

Colorado voters overwhelmingly support net metering

LADWP backpedalling slams solar customers with delays

Arizona Public Service involved in political scandal to stop rooftop solar

Arizona Corporation Commission Staff Sides with Net Metering

Solar Divide -- First Solar Attacks its Own Industry

The Passage of AB 327: Part of a Trend?

A Big Win for Solar in California