Solar Net Metering - Under Threat

Join us as we explore proposed changes to solar net metering rules and the potential impact to rooftop solar in Oregon and the US.
Solar net metering is a billing mechanism that allows owners of rooftop solar to get credits for unused energy they add back to the grid. For residential rooftop solar owners, for example, their systems may generate more energy than they use during daylight hours. With net metering, that home can generate credits for this excess energy which they can use during hours when their system is not generating sufficient output to power their home. Customers only pay for their net energy consumption - the difference between what they use and what they generate.
While net metering rules vary across the country, this mechanism has been critical to making rooftop solar affordable for homeowners and allows owners of solar systems to get the maximum financial benefit from their investment. The proliferation of rooftop solar has helped increase renewable energy generation in the US and has created jobs for manufacturers, installers and electricians - today the solar industry employs over 230,000 workers in the US.
Recently, net metering rules have been under scrutiny from utilities and public utility commissions. In California, for example, changes to net metering policies have led to dramatic reductions in rooftop solar installations. In Oregon, Idaho Power and Portland General Electric (PGE) have proposed changes to net metering rules that have solar power advocates alarmed.
Join us as we explore the issue of net metering and the proposed changes to these rules and the potential impacts on existing and future rooftop solar systems. We will discuss the following issues and more:
- How has net metering impacted the rooftop solar industry?
- What are the costs and benefits of distributed solar generation?
- How have past changes to state net metering policies affected rooftop solar?
- What are the proposed net metering policy changes in Oregon?
- What is the justification for these proposals?
- What would this mean for existing and future rooftop solar owners?
- How does all of this fit within the larger push to dramatically increase renewables?
Guest Panelists
Angela Crowley-Koch is the Executive Director of Oregon Solar and Storage Industries Association (OSSIA), a trade association founded in 1981 to promote clean, renewable solar and storage technologies whose members include businesses, non-profits and other solar and storage stakeholders. Angela has over two decades of experience in public policy and advocacy and has held leadership roles in multiple environmental and health advocacy groups including Physicians for Social Responsibility and Oregon Environmental Council.
Nathan Phelps is the Managing Director, Vote Solar Regulatory Advocacy Hub. Nathan’s work focuses on the regulation of distributed energy resources at state public utility commissions. Nathan’s work includes advocating for just and inclusive policies, including net metering, rate design, performance-based regulation, and other mechanisms to deliver the benefits of distributed energy resources to everyone. Prior to joining Vote Solar, Nathan was a Senior Economist at the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.

[@jevandezande]

So with net metering, the solar panel owners get to use the grid as their personal battery with no costs? Considering that rooftop solar is limited to homeowners who have the extra capital to pay for solar panels, how is this not just an additional handout to rich people?

[@ecoeditor]

Sigh. Where to begin. The way the powers-that-be get to maintain their power and keep making outsize profits is to put ordinary people at each other's throats to distract them from the real issues. Please do not cooperate by spinning the story so you can be outraged at people who have solar panels and electric cars. I am not wealthy but I do care tremendously about climate change. I used to cry when I got my electricity bills because I could not afford them. I had briefly been on food stamps before I put leased solar panels on my roof a dozen years ago thanks to a special incentive program in Oregon. The solar panels changed the equation for me, and they can for you, too. Please look into the incentives coming down the pike from the Inflation Reduction Act to get your own solar panels and electric vehicle, and work with your neighbors and community to ensure equity. Thank you.