Nevada’s governor has received campaign donations from the utility industry.
Rooftop solar panel manufacturer Solar City announced on Wednesday that it would be stopping all operations in Nevada after the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) drastically pulled funding for retail solar owners.
SolarCity is the nation’s largest solar power provider and has brought more than 2,000 jobs to Nevada since 2013, according to a company statement. The rooftop solar company said the new regulations and defunding have “all but killed the retail solar industry in favor of the utility industry,” in a report from the Los Angeles Times.
According to the Los Angeles Times, “in an unanimous vote on Tuesday, the Nevada PUC increased the fixed charge for residential and small commercial solar owners while lowering compensation for electricity they generate and send to the power grid.” The commission in a press release said the move was designed to address “inequities.”
But solar advocates are pointing to the issue of a public utility monopoly trying to drive out sustainable energy competition, arguing that more rooftop solar production means more competition for NV Energy.
“This is a very difficult decision, but Gov. Sandoval and his PUC leave us no choice,” Lyndon Rive, SolarCity’s chief executive, said in a statement to the press. “The people of Nevada have consistently chosen solar, but yesterday their state government decided to end customer choice, damage the state’s economy and jeopardize thousands of jobs.”
Both SolarCity and Vivint Solar have maintained that this protects the interests of the “entrenched monopoly” that is the NV Energy corporation. NV Energy is a subsidiary of out of state owner, Berkshire Hathaway, the multinational American conglomerate headed by Warren Buffett. The vote in favor of NV Energy was unanimous, and all three members of the PUC were hand-picked by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval.
In a push just before the holidays, not only is the solar industry being pushed out of the state, but over 12,000 existing solar customers, including schools and other public institutions, are being saddled with exorbitant fees. Solar advocates, both businesses and residencies, are pushing for more rooftop solar, warning that remaining “chained to the energy grid” is unsustainable both in terms of renewable energy and jobs.
According to a report in the Las Vegas Sun, state utility NV Energy retorts that “more household solar means increased prices for traditional customers who can’t or won’t install solar panels on their houses or businesses.”
NV Energy did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
http://usuncut.com/news/solarcity-to-leave-nevada/
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