Rooftop solar panel owners are getting "a free ride." That's what NV Energy CEO and Edison Electric Institute Chairman Michael Yackira told Greentech Media's Herman K. Trabish in an interview at the National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas last week.
Here are Yackira's key quotes as he argues against net metering for rooftop solar systems:
INFRASTRUCTURE IS ESSENTIAL—BUT SOLAR DOESN'T PAY FOR IT
- “MidAmerican and NV Energy will support distributed generation in Nevada if that is what customers want, but we want to make sure they understand two basic elements of [distributed generation (DG)] expansion.”
- "When the sun goes down, people still need their electricity.”
- “[Customer who don't own rooftop solar systems and will pay for infrastructure] are people who likely can least afford it, the customer base that is not participating.”
- “If AT&T is competing head-to-head against Verizon for cell phone customers, there are infrastructure costs being paid for by both companies. But if the infrastructure is paid for primarily by people who are non-participants, as with DG, that is the wrong equation.”
- “You can’t not build distribution. That is a fundamental flaw in the rooftop PV business model. If I build a new housing development and the only thing I put in is rooftop solar, and there is no distribution or transmission infrastructure to support that, it goes dark.”
NET METERING DOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR UTILITIES' VALUE
- “[Rooftop solar panel owners] use the utilities’ systems to sell solar-generated electricity at retail rates and they buy electricity from the system when the sun goes down.”
- “The all-in cost of natural gas production in Nevada is less than $0.06 per kilowatt-hour. If DG can produce power at six cents or less, it is a no-brainer. But it can’t.”
- "When you say you diminish the impact with solar, I’m not sure how much you diminish it. If you need to serve the load, the savings in wear and tear is almost infinitesimal. It is not a material change.”
- “We just want to be sure people understand what the true cost is. Avoided cost is important. What are you avoiding by putting PV on rooftops? I would suggest it is not a lot.”