Obama Just Picked The Customer’s Side Against The Nevada Utility That’s Trying To Kill Rooftop Solar
Obama Just Picked The Customer’s Side Against The Nevada Utility That’s Trying To Kill Rooftop Solar
BY SAMANTHA PAGE AUG 25, 2015 10:34AM
Everything that is happening in the solar industry is happening in Nevada right now.
On the one hand, President Obama announced a slew of new incentives and financing mechanisms for renewable energy and efficiency Monday at the 8th annual Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas, hosted by solar champion Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV).
But he also seemed to be taking the local utility to task during the speech. On Wednesday, Nevada’s public utility commission (PUC) will decide whether to agree with a proposal by the local utility and implement huge rate increases in solar customers that industry insiders say will completely devastate the residential market in the state.
“We see the trend lines. We see where technology is taking us. We see where consumers want to go,” Obama said Monday. “That, let’s be honest, has some fossil fuel interests pretty nervous, to the point where they are trying to fight renewable energy.”
Nevada is — so far — a solar success story. The state is in first place in per capita solar jobs. Investment in solar quadrupled last year to more than half a billion dollars. There are more than 100 solar companies in Nevada, including six manufacturers. And the only reason solar customers’ electricity rates are even up for debate is that the installation cap under the old rate was hit last week, six months earlier than the utility estimated.
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http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/08/25/3694832/nv-energy-vs-rooftop-solar/?
