The New Solar Team

The Arizona Corporation Commission last week voted on proposals to reduce the solar rebates that utilities offer you when you install solar panels on your home. There is some debate within the solar industry about whether this is good or bad for the market, as a whole. But we  can say that your personal incentives will go down while incentives for central station power plant will remain the same. Three of these are the same Corporation Commissioners who voted to call a trash burning power plan “clean”.

There is a lot packed in to what I just wrote. So, let me explain. Stay with me because this is a crucial change in direction from the days when the Corporation Commission first started pushing the use of renewable energy.

First, some definitions:

Distributed Power Generation means people generating power from their homes. Good ol’ solar panels which increase your freedom, generate power where it is used and save you money.

Central Station Power Generation means big, remote power plants that actually waste energy as they send energy hundreds of miles to where you use it.

Corporation Commission is the constitutionally-empowered, elected body in Arizona which sets rates for power as well as how much renewable energy we use.

Rebates: we all pay a small amount of money on our bills, which goes in to a pot of funds. Some of that money can be used by people when they install solar on their homes, to bring down the cost. It is available to anybody who wants to use it …..until the money runs out. The current Corporation Commission is shrinking these rebates for regular folks and businesses in favor of big utility companies.

Second, some history:

When the Arizona Corporation Commission created the “Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff”, they divided money between central station (70%) and distributed power (30%). So, the money goes to paying down the higher cost of installing these technologies (which end up being cheaper in the long run). They gave more money to central station than to distributed because those projects are just bigger.

There is a traditional battle in the world of energy between distributed power and central station power. Utility companies like central station power because they have more control and, more importantly, they don’t lose customers (and money) when you decide you want to generate your own electricity. Freedom-loving, true patriots who want to throw off the shackles of Big Brother support distributed generation. (Am I showing bias here?)

OK, that was a little tongue-in-cheek. In reality, we need both distributed and central station. However, the current Corporation Commission is showing favoritism toward the wishes of the big power companies and they are ignoring the needs of regular home owners who want to save money and install solar.

Three of the five current Corporation Commissioners have shown that they don’t care about the overwhelming wishes of home owners to install solar energy and build our new energy economy.

Please take the time to learn about the three candidates for this year’s election who have a proven track record of supporting renewable energy. These three are all Clean Elections candidates.

– Paul Newman  www.paulnewmanaz.com

– Sandra Kennedy  www.kennedyacc2012.com