Solar’s Fight Against Old Energy

Dirty energy's quiet war on solar panels

Basav Sen, August 5, 2017 (The Hill)

“…In statehouses all over the country, there's a growing movement by [fossil fuel] industry front groups to undermine net metering and other renewable energy incentives…These front groups include the Edison Electric Institute, the utility industry’s trade association, and outfits such as the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and Americans for Prosperity, both of which are funded by the Koch brothers…These groups scored recent victories against net metering in Indiana and Maine, and have turned the renewable energy mandate for utilities in wind-rich Kansas — known in the industry as a Renewable Portfolio Standard — into a toothless voluntary goal…Industry groups and the politicians they effectively buy claim that distributed solar energy imposes costs on customers who don’t install solar panels, because solar users don't pay their fair share of the costs of maintaining the grid…[I]ndependent energy experts — even those who don't support net metering in all circumstances — argue that the practice can be a “reasonable proxy for the value of solar.” The case against the utility and Koch-led attack on renewables is strong on logic, but evidently weak on campaign cash, which is why the onslaught of anti-net metering and anti-renewables bills continues…The truth is the best antidote…When people learn the benefits of renewables, they push back against these policies, defying partisan political stereotypes…” click here for more

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