[MCN] A reality check on net-metering

Lance Olsen lance at wildrockies.org
Sat Jun 11 11:39:16 EDT 2016


Grist Jun 9, 2016
Solar panels don't raise regular utility rates - and might even lower them
By Heather Smith

Excerpt

In the early days of solar, there was some 
concern - nay, terror - of how it could destroy 
utilities and make power more expensive for all 
the plebes sans solar panels. A confession: Even 
Grist partook in such fearmongering:

Solar power and other distributed renewable 
energy technologies could lay waste to U.S. power 
utilities and burn the utility business model, 
which has remained virtually unchanged for a 
century, to the ground.

But we took it  back! 
<<http://grist.org/climate-energy/rooftop-solar-is-just-the-beginning-utilities-must-innovate-or-go-extinct/>>
Even if utility models crashed and burned, their 
customers - and the utilities themselves, if they 
were smart enough to adapt - would be just fine. 
That less apocalyptic, much chiller view of the 
end of utilities as we know them was recently 
confirmed by a new report from the Brookings 
Institution.
<<http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2016/05/23-rooftop-solar-net-metering-muro-saha#>>

So here's the good news: Residential solar 
(specifically net metering, which enables solar 
installations to sell surplus electricity back to 
the grid) has not destroyed any American 
utilities. Nor has it created a dystopia of solar 
panel-having fat cats who profit off the grid 
while ordinary ratepayers are forced to assume 
more and more of the cost of maintaining it.

End excerpt
-- 
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Just remember, this is not your grandfather's 
atmosphere. Things are different now, and will 
get even more-so in the coming years   Š   "

http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2015/12/02/the-coming-winter-part-two-the-elephant-in-the-room/











-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://bigskynet.org/pipermail/missoula-community-news_bigskynet.org/attachments/20160611/d1e26cd2/attachment-0002.html>


More information about the Missoula-Community-News mailing list