IID planning changes to solar program
Some electric utility customers with the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and solar panel installation companies are upset with changes IID has made to its solar program. Customers and industry leaders spoke out at an Energy Consumers Advisory Committee meeting Monday.
More than a dozen people showed up at the meeting. The committee was getting public input on how the utility company is going to change its plan for people who chose to install solar panels on their property. Many are upset by recent changes made by IID.
“The real crux of the issue is what they pay you back for net metering. Over the day, you end up overproducing a considerable amount of power and currently the way it will work they will pay you back at a very wholesale rate, which makes solar not work out or pencil out for the customer,” said Kurt Scheeler, a field energy consultant for Solar City.
East Valley homeowners concerned about end of solar energy program
“We have two clients in the IID area that have solar on their home, and are ready to go, and can’t get the net metering meter to sell the electricity that they are producing,” said Michael Solomon, the owner Anthem Mechanical, a company that installs solar panels.
A new plan from IID was outlined for the committee, part of which includes going to a net billing program. Instead of paying per kilowatt fed back into the grid, a solar customer would get credited for last year’s usage. The new plan includes installing bidirectional net meters on homes that have new solar panels installed.
“These solar programs are funded through various different manners and sometimes those funds run out,” said Lee Osborne, a La Quinta City Councilmember. “One thing we do need is have a better line of communication between the homeowners and the industry and Imperial Irrigation District.”
People who already have solar panels installed with net meters wouldn’t see any changes and will continue to be grandfathered into there current deal for 20 years after their panels were installed.
“We are looking for an alternative that works for all of the consumers not just the solar consumers,” said Lupe Ramos-Watson, an Indio City Councilmember.
Recommendations from the committee and the public will go to the IID Board of Directors to ultimately decide on.
IID will have a workshop at its office in La Quinta at 5 p.m. on Wednesday for anyone with questions.
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