Rooftop Solar's Future Stays Bright

Thanks in part to the efforts of Union of Concerned Scientists supporters like you, I have great news about rooftop solar in Arizona. Last week, despite a well-funded misinformation campaign to undercut rooftop solar energy, elected officials at the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) stood up for renewable energy and rejected hefty fees on new solar customers.

The state's largest utility, Arizona Public Service (APS), had asked the ACC to impose charges on new solar customers amounting to $50 to $100 per month, which would have dramatically hurt the prospects of solar energy in the state. But public outcry against the utility's plan was overwhelming. More than 30,000 Arizonans emailed the ACC in support of rooftop solar, including many UCS supporters like you. Last week, the ACC responded by rejecting APS's proposal for sky-high fees.

Despite rejecting APS's proposal, the ACC did approve a small fee that will add about $5 per month to the bills of new solar customers. Although this fee is small, UCS believes that fees for solar customers should be based on an analysis of the costs and benefits of rooftop solar energy rather than political compromise. Going forward, UCS will support efforts to better estimate solar energy's impact on the electricity grid, as well as its ability to reduce air pollution and global warming emissions.

In the meantime, I want to say thank you to all our supporters—this victory couldn't have happened without you.

Sincerely,

Jason Barbose
Western States Campaign Manager
Union of Concerned Scientists