According to an article in my newspaper today. written by Geroge Avalos of the Bay Area News Group, our electric utility, PG&E will soon be charging a fee of $145 for the privilege of homeowners connecting their solar array to their electrical grid. It has something to do with solar power now producing 5% of the power supplied by PG&E's grid. While this is said to be a "one time fee" I wouldn't be surprised if it increases in the future as the utility greases a few more PUC palms.
And to add insult to injury, PG&E will charge new solar customers a new
monthly fee to help the utility to cover the cost of an array of programs, including subsidies for power bills paid by low-income customers. That could add 5% to the monthly electricity bill of a new solar customer.
Interestingly, "
the new program, officially known as "Net Energy Metering 2", drew criticism from consumer groups who are concerned that PG&E customers without rooftop solar will face an increasingly brutal burden to support solar users." "They believe that the new fees for rooftop solar customers should be even higher, to reduce the cost nonsolar customers pay to subsidize them." "It's a bad approach; there are too many subsidies for new solar customers at the expense of nonsolar customers, said Mat Freedman, a staff attorney with The Utility Reform Network"
