September 17 – In addition to seeking multiple rate increases, Mon Power (and its sister company Potomac Edison) also asks the Public Service Commission to approve net metering adjustments to give new customers who generate their own electricity $1 less per credit enjoyed by existing customers . customer. (Because solar power represents 99.6% of generation capacity, compared to 0.04% of wind power, we will focus on solar power.)
In one of two documents submitted to the PSC discussing the changes, Mon Power said it wanted to “adjust the amount paid to customers for kilowatt-hours [kilowatt-hours] produced in a particular month or for excess kilowatt-hours produced for certain period of time. customers." The bill will be released next month." "to match the wholesale price of electricity. Currently, Mon Power's basic residential tariff is 11.4 cents per kilowatt hour (after additional demand increases, it is expected to increase to 13 cents). The wholesale price of electricity, which corresponds to the selling price of electricity on the market the broader one, calculated in the application to the PSC at 6.6 cents, about 5 to 7 cents less than the current credit.
Mon Power states that this is necessary so that “other customers do not subsidize net metering customers and [they] actually pay for the distribution, transmission and electricity equipment they use and the costs incurred.”
However, Mon Power hasn't done enough to show that its non-solar customers actually support solar customers. The statement did not mention prices for “distribution assets, transmission and production capacity” that solar customers do not pay.
However, self-generated solar energy offers many advantages. As West Virginia Energy Freedom's Leah Barbour points out, solar customers use less of the overall grid resulting in less wear and tear. Customer-owned solar power can also provide cheaper electricity when the grid is overwhelmed by high demand or natural disasters.
We also agree with many complaints that reducing net metering will have a negative impact on solar deployment. The appeal of solar power is that it allows for greater energy independence, and solar panels ultimately pay for themselves by lowering your electricity bill. A lower credit doesn't mean that solar customers will get a higher bill for using Mon Power electricity, but it certainly means that they won't save as much on the energy they produce, so the panels won't “pay for themselves.” ."fast.for": Because credit modifications only target new customers, this can deter solar energy enthusiasts.
We would also like to point out that Mon Power's request for another tariff increase, which applies to all customers, has been largely rejected. However, the number of net metering customers is much smaller. Simply put, fewer people are opposing this particular application, which will likely make it easier to get approval from the SPC.
If the application is approved, will non-solar customers receive lower bills because solar generators get their “fair share”? Or will my powers view that difference as an advantage?
Without justification or clearer numbers to support Mon Power's claims, the solar credit will likely remain unchanged.
