Sparks flying over solar panelsOct 15 - Columbian-Progress (MS)
A state Public Service Commission hearing last week made it clear that there is still strong resistance from utilities about integrating electricity produced by rooftop solar panels into the power grid. The PSC hearing was about proposed rules on how much utilities would pay owners of solar panels and other electric-generating devices for power that these owners transmitted to the grid. For instance, if solar panels on a home produced more electricity than the home needed, a utility would buy the excess power. At a time when solar costs are coming down, it makes sense to experiment with this idea. Mississippi , in fact, is one of the few states that hasn't tried it yet. Private utilities like Entergy , along with rural cooperatives, have some concerns. If too many customers start producing a lot of their own electricity, they say, that will make power more expensive for customers who don't have solar panels. Co-ops also contend that the PSC cannot force them to participate in a program that sends surplus electricity from solar-powered homes onto the grid. Also discussed at the hearing: A limit on what percentage of utility customers can install solar panels, and whether customers who produce surplus electricity should be able to roll over credits for that power into future months. It's a complicated issue, but Mississippi clearly is trailing the rest of the country in exploring individual electricity production. The PSC has the challenge of balancing the interests of utilities and their customers. It will be difficult, but many other states have paved the way. Some experimentation here makes sense. Jack Ryan Enterprise-Journal columbianprogress.com http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=37657161 |