Arizona Rooftop Solar Power Under Threat From APS, Again!

Wow, APS is at it again! How insane. Here’s the scoop from T.U.S.K.:

(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) Not content with getting a tax imposed on solar  customers, Arizona Public Service is now looking to back out of promises it made to the Arizona Corporation Commission, its customers, and the people of Arizona.

APS is required to get 15% of its power from renewable energy by 2025 with 4.5% of that 15% coming from rooftop solar. However, APS has just submitted a proposal to eliminate its rooftop solar requirement and cut its overall renewable requirement to 10.5%. By comparison, neighboring states have renewable energy targets that range from 20-30%. The Arizona Corporation Commission is expected to discuss APS’ latest attempts to kill rooftop solar and customer access to it on Thursday at 10 am in the Corporation Commission hearing room.

This move by APS represents the latest in their unrelenting attempts to undermine the rooftop solar energy industry in Arizona and eliminate competition. APS has also pushed the Arizona Department of Revenue to implement a new property tax on rooftop solar customers—and they’ve succeeded.  In November, APS also convinced the Arizona Corporation Commission to implement a $5 a month tax on rooftop solar customers although the utility had been seeking ten times that amount.

APS’ consistent anti-rooftop solar actions and proposals result in the conclusion that the utility is anti-solar and anti-business, as it attempts to use government regulation and taxation to eliminate competition and extract more money from ratepayers.

T.U.S.K. (Tell Utilities Solar won’t be Killed) was formed to stand up for energy choice and solar savings.

TUSK Co-Chairman Barry Goldwater Jr. stated, “As more customers go solar APS is trying to strong arm regulators to create an anti-solar environment. This is bad for ratepayers, bad for the economy, bad for the environment, and bad for Arizona.”

To learn more about T.U.S.K. visit www.dontkillsolar.com.

T.U.S.K. believes that rooftop solar is similar to a charter school—it provides a competitive alternative to the monopoly. Monopoly utilities aren’t known for reducing costs or for driving business innovation, but the Arizona solar industry is. Solar companies have a track record of aggressive cost reduction in Arizona. The more people use rooftop solar, the less power they need to buy from the utilities. Energy independence for Arizonans means smaller profits for the utilities, so APS is doing everything it can to stop the spread of independent solar.  

Arizona Rooftop Solar Power Under Threat From APS, Again! was originally published on: CleanTechnica.

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