Letters to the Editor: Edison CEO on why California rooftop solar rules must change
May 30, 2014
A number of companies are already producing renewable energy and making the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources in California. However, some are looking to further reduce greenhouse gases by implementing rooftop solar power systems and selling their excess power to the California public.
As many Californians are now paying close attention to what it takes to provide clean energy to our homes, businesses and government institutions, some companies are looking to offer their service for a fee. These companies will sell their excess power to the California public at an inflated rate of 2.5 cents per kilowatt hour (“kw/h”) instead of the rate of 2.7 cents per kw/h.
However, these rate hikes are illegal according to the Public Utilities Commission’s (“PUC”) Order No. 2012-06-06 that requires the PUC to protect ratepayers from any excessive fees that may be charged by these companies.
The PUC will be determining the appropriate fee for these companies based on how much power is sold by this new company versus the actual amount of power generated by solar power systems. The new company will sell most of its solar power to homes with a rooftop mirror system rather than to the public by purchasing power from them through the California Power Exchange (“CX”), thus effectively removing the government from its role as the distributor of solar energy.
The new company is now trying to determine the appropriate rates for solar in California and will be filing formal rates with the PUC in the coming days. It is imperative that all Californians take a second look at the excessive fees being charged by companies that are selling rooftop solar power in the name of reducing CO2 emissions. These companies are now charging huge rates for selling rooftop power with a 2.5 cent per kw/h rate. The rate that was charged with this 2.5 cent per kw/h rate was far too high given the power that is sold.
The company will still be charging the same amount of power for the same amount of money as long as the solar panels are generating the same amount of energy that it is selling. This is not true. The power that is generated is not the same power that was generated. The power generated by this new company is not the same as the old solar power generated
