Dive Brief:
- Kansas utilities support legislation that would lower the payment rates for distributed generation under the state's net metering rules.
- The utilities contend that they are paying a retail price for wholesale energy from rooftop solar. They want to pay an amount equal to their avoided costs.
- Solar advocates contend that the bill would stifle solar development in Kansas.
Dive Insight:
Kansas is the latest state to take up the net metering debate. Utilities are pressing for rules changes in states like Arizona and Colorado. The companies contend that the owners of solar rooftop aren't paying their fair share of maintaining the grid.
“Rooftop solar systems don’t remove a customer’s reliance on the utility grid of power plants — they just save fuel,” Mark Schreiber, Westar Energy’s executive director of government affairs, said.