Concerned about the dwindling prospects for residential solar power in North Carolina, several environmental groups have asked the North Carolina Court of Appeals to strike down Duke Energy's new tariffs and regulations for rooftop solar panels.
The new law, which took effect on Oct. 1, will see residents pay the excess electricity panels pay for consumption back into the grid, known as net metering. The regulations would impose a new $10 fee on residents' bills for rooftop solar.
Duke said the changes are necessary to create a level playing field between rooftop solar customers and other utility customers. In short, the company said that under the old rules that had been in place since 2000, non-solar customers were subsidized for roof panel installations.
"Duke Energy is confident that, in cooperation with stakeholders and the North Carolina Public Utilities Commission's review, we have achieved fair, sustainable net metering for both solar and non-solar customers," Duke spokesman Randy Wills said.
Duke is not alone in trying to change the status quo when it comes to residential solar energy. Utilities across the country, including in California, say the generous incentives for solar customers are unsustainable and that people with rooftop solar systems aren't paying their fair share to maintain the transportation network, maintain existing power plants and pay for construction. New energy sources. .
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Earlier this year, the Public Utilities Commission, which regulates electric utilities in Duke State, rejected arguments from environmentalists and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein's office that a cost-free benefit study was necessary and acknowledged that the utility's financial analysis was appropriate. .
In the year House Bill 589, passed in 2017, required a cost-benefit analysis of on-site energy production. But he faces the question of who will lead the investigation. Opponents of Duke's new solar rules and regulations say the utility's research alone cannot be relied upon to capture all the benefits of increasing the amount of solar power added to the grid.
"The state law that requires the commission to conduct a full cost-benefit analysis is clear, but regulators have blatantly ignored it," said Caroline Leary, one of the groups supporting the Public Utilities Commission order. Court. "By cutting these financial incentives, the commission is effectively discouraging homeowners from installing rooftop solar panels, undermining the state's efforts to reduce carbon emissions and address the climate crisis."
Environmentalists say the new rules will make rooftops less attractive, increase costs and lengthen the payback period for solar investments, while some activists fear costs could increase by more than 30%. North Carolina ranks fourth nationally in solar production growth from 2012 to 2021, according to an October 2022 report from the Environmental America Research and Policy Center and Frontier Group.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, has drastically reduced the state's carbon footprint, primarily by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the energy and transportation sectors, making it one of his administration's top priorities. But efforts to shift North Carolina's economy and consumers toward cleaner energy sources like renewables and electric vehicles have some Republicans and business leaders worried that the state's rush to cut emissions could come at the expense of affordability, reliability and economic growth.
Environmentalists and clean energy advocates argue that we don't have enough time to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases humans emit into the atmosphere, and affordable, long-term clean energy options are often overlooked. Or relaxed to protect some needs.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, electricity generation in North Carolina - which has been dominated by coal-fired power plants for decades - will be 2.16 gigawatts (GW) from coal, 2.23 GW from solar and 9.4 GW in the first quarter. Nuclear power will be 2020. 2023. GW and 13.4 GW from natural gas.
As brightness coal loses steam, the sun fills the NC energy deficit. But natural gas remains king.
The Public Utilities Commission's approval of Duke's new rules will allow current solar customers to keep their rates until January 2027. For new customers, monthly electricity credits into the grid will be lower and vary depending on the time of day and electricity demand.
Wills, the Duke spokeswoman, said North Carolina has about 43,000 residential solar customers, compared with 6,000 in 2017, when the utility launched a $50 million solar rebate program.
You can reach reporter Gareth McGrath at GMcGrath@Gannett.com or @GarethMcGrathSN on Twitter. This story was produced with funding from the 1Earth Fund and the Prentice Foundation. The USA TODAY Network retains full editorial control of the work.
This article originally appeared in the Wilmington Star News: Why solar roofs are becoming more expensive for North Carolina homeowners.
