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.
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