In the revised agreement, the utility company will pay less for the excess power collected by the solar panels of Elroy Holtmann and his neighbors in Lafayette, Ca. To add insult to injury, homeowners from this area will have to pay more for the energy they draw from the grid during evening hours. It’s a lose-lose situation, and it’s a scenario that’s becoming increasingly common across the United States.
While the government steps up its efforts to battle the effects of global warming, utility regulators are left to enforce the realities of energy collection and distribution. Unfortunately, that’s where things get a bit complicated.
Utility regulators are responsible for supplying affordable power to millions of customers. That means they have to accommodate everyone, including those who don’t have solar panels.
As more people install solar panels on their homes, utility regulators like Pacific Gas & Electric have to change their strategy to accommodate the increased demand.
By changing the preestablished rate schedules of solar panel customers, you could say utility regulators are attempting to balance the scales to keep pricing affordable for everyone whether they’re adopters of solar energy or not. As a result, early adopters are now paying the price in certain parts of the country.
