Solar energy fee fuels debate

The road to “America’s Energy Independence” – which both Democratic and GOP candidates have spoken about in this election year’s presidential campaigns – is, much like Louisiana roads, destined to have a few bumps in it.

Many in the Louisiana solar energy industry may see Clyde Holloway, Public Service Commissioner for District Three, as one of those bumps.

He has proposed that property owners who install and use solar energy panels to generate electricity for their home should pay a monthly fee back to utility companies like Entergy and Cleco.

Amid rumors of a proposed $50 monthly “utility charge” to solar users, Holloway recently said that amount is too high.

“Twenty-five dollars is my limit, I won’t vote for a $50-dollar charge on solar customers,” said Holloway. “What I am trying to do is put a monthly fee on just solar homes that have the system, they would be the only ones that get these charges added. But what amount should that solar customer pay to offset the amount to Cleco, Entergy or whomever for those solar customers being on the grid.”

Holloway said that if solar isn’t working, due to cloudy or rainy weather, solar customers need to use electricity generated from the utility company grid.

Special meters installed on solar homes help to utilize “net metering” – which has been in place in Louisiana since 2003 and allows sunlight-generated electricity from the homes to be generated back onto the grid.

Some are calling Holloway’s proposal an “increased net metering fee”. Most utility companies already have a monthly fee for the special meters, often calling them a monthly interconnection fee.

Holloway contends that people who don’t use solar will be paying for people who do use solar.

Solar+energy+fee+fuels+debate