NV Energy says cap on net metering reached
CARSON CITY — NV Energy says the 235-megawatt cap on net metering capacity was reached at 8 p.m. Thursday.
The data from the utility, operating as Nevada Power Co. in Southern Nevada, came as the Nevada Public Utilities Commission heard testimony Friday on a new proposed interim net metering tariff in an effort to ensure the rooftop solar industry can continue to flourish in Nevada.
The company’ website says in part: “New applications will be subject to new net metering rules and rates that will be established by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada before December 31, 2015.”
But there is no new interim rate yet in place and won’t be for at least a few days.
Commissioner David Noble said at a hearing last week that he plans to have a draft order on a new tariff ready for the full commission to consider at its regular meeting on Wednesday.
NV Energy has proposed a new rate that The Alliance for Solar Choice says would end rooftop solar in Nevada and cost 6,000 jobs. The group has proposed that the existing net metering policy be incorporated into a new interim rate through Dec. 31 when the PUC is required to finalize the tariff.
Members of the commission met for 10 hours on the issue Friday, gathering information to decide on an interim rate next week. Late in the session, PUC staff presented an alternative proposal that Bryan Miller of Sunrun Inc., a member of the solar coalition, called even worse than the NV Energy proposal. The staff recommendation would bring all net metering customers, including those in the current program, under the new rate structure. PUC staff did not even do an analysis to determine the effect of its proposal on a potential net metering customer, he said.
“It is outrageous and it is shameful,” Miller said. “It should be completely disregarded.”
The hearing will continue Monday if necessary.
Net metering allows rooftop solar customers to receive a credit for excess electricity they generate and deliver to the utility from their installations.
Lawmakers who passed the measure requiring the PUC to set a new rate for rooftop-solar customers were told just a few months ago that the cap would not be reached until sometime in 2016, giving regulators plenty of time to craft a new rate by a Dec. 31 deadline.
But that estimate has proved to be way off-base.
Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900. Find him on Twitter: @seanw801