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.
The deception that occurred in Arizona raises suspicion about the prevalence of these types of incidents nationwide. Was this case isolated or are there are other utilities using similar tactics in campaigns against rooftop solar? This question becomes especially relevant now that utilities are choosing to plead the fifth after a request that they disavow dark money tactics.
A recent Washington Post article confirms how widespread the use of dark money is in climate change denial and anti-solar campaigns. The piece, titled, “The Dark Money in Climate Change,” reports:
“The thrust of the study, done by Dr. Robert J. Brulle, is that climate-denial money has largely been driven underground to dark-money sources. About 75 percent of the money backing climate-denial efforts is untraceable, primarily via conservative foundations and shadowy tax-exempt groups that obscure their funding sources.”
The article also points to the fact that untraceable climate change funding has increased at the same time that publicly traceable funding from large industrial sources such as ExxonMobil and Koch Industries is decreasing. As stated by the Washington Post, “You don’t have to be a genius to figure out what’s happening there.”
The arrival of the New Year promises a new wave of net metering battles – one notable battle is already occurring in Colorado. Even though the solar industry’s pockets aren't as deep as those of fossil fuel supporters, the public sides with rooftop solar. A new poll shows that nearly 4 in 5 Colorado voters (78%) support solar net metering. Similar results in states including California, Arizona and Hawaii are evidence of overwhelming support for rooftop solar.
The Washington Post article validates that the amount of dark money out there supporting monopoly utilities is more than abundant. It will be interesting to see where and how this web of dark money will be brought to light in 2014.