| And regarding excuses. Maybe we should be able to bring up the road blocks and not call them excuses? Like this in regards to solar that just popped up on my radar today? https://www.wral.com/rooftop-solar-rate-changes-could-cast-l... "
NC Capitol
NC Capitol
Rooftop solar rate changes could cast long shadow over industry, climate change
Tags: solar, NC Utilities Commission, utility bills, NCCapitol, Duke Energy, house & home
Posted March 25, 2022 6:22 p.m. EDT
Updated March 26, 2022 8:41 a.m. EDT By Laura Leslie, WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Raleigh homeowners Gary and Jane Smith are very concerned about climate change. They added a solar array in 2019 to help reduce their carbon footprint. "There was a tax credit and a rebate from Duke, and it began to make financial sense to put the solar panels on," Gary Smith said. The panels frequently make more energy than the Smiths need. Duke buys it back at full retail price. It’s called net metering. But state law says that has to change by 2027. "The worst case scenario that we could potentially walk into is a complete erosion of this concept called net metering," said Matt Abele with the NC Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA). "Obviously, we would love to continue down the path of net metering as it currently exists here in North Carolina. But unfortunately, that's just not the reality of how it's playing out." NCSEA is one of the groups that negotiated the deal with Duke Energy late last year. It will reduce what the utility pays for rooftop solar power during most daylight hours. And it will add a minimum bill for homeowners with solar panels." So while we try to change individually, the corporations will see a chance to profit. Duke Energy had a 12% net profit margin with a gross profit of $4.4 Billion in December 2021. I would say voicing your opinion that these utility companies should publicly owned would be a good start. |
Your power bill is more than just generation costs. It's also distribution AND providing power 24/7, which household solar (without storage) does NOT do.
Suppose that your power company charges $0.50/KwH at peak time. They pay less than $0.50/KwH to other power generators, so why should they pay that to someone with rooftop solar?
Note that solar actually doesn't line up with demand all that well. (Most panels are oriented for maximum power production, which peaks too early in the day.)