LETTERS: Rooftop solar owners’ outrage misplaced
A recent article on the new rooftop solar rate structure states, and not for the first time, that “filings with the PUC show that any new revenue from the change would go to reducing overall future rate increases for all ratepayers, not to Berkshire Hathaway or its shareholders” (“Agency: Rethink new rate structure,” Jan. 9 Review-Journal). That eliminates all the outraged letters to the editor claiming the changes are being made to fatten NV Energy’s bottom line.
The rooftop solar folks are also in a fury that the rules of the game have been changed retroactively. That is simply not correct. Every rooftop solar customer signed a document as part of their contract that says, “The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (Commission) or the Utility may amend its tariffs upon Commission approval.” Didn’t any of these people read the contracts they were signing? There have been no retroactive changes.
What’s happening reflects the ground rules that have been in effect since the start. I’m sorry if this isn’t working out the way rooftop supporters expected, but it was all right there in front of them. They chose not to see. Now it’s time to learn from the mistake and move on.
Knight Allen
Las Vegas
Investigate decision
There should be an impartial investigation, not run by Gov. Brian Sandoval or his office, into the collusion between NV Energy, the Nevada Public Utilities Commission and Gov. Sandoval’s office. Anti-solar, anti-environment policy changes? That isn’t what the people want.
NV Energy and the PUC are reneging on a commitment they made to those of us who went solar to help reduce carbon emissions and produce clean energy. I find it suspect that the solar industry has found profitable ways to make money buy selling, leasing and producing abundant clean energy, but NV Energy can’t.
Rooftop solar has added thousands of jobs, and it works. If NV Energy wasn’t so stuck in its old mindset, it would have seen the opportunities and been so far out in front that it would have offered leasing or outright sales of systems, as the solar companies do now, and it would be making huge profits. But no, the utility ignored the idea and has done everything to discourage conversion to solar. Our so-called leaders have gone out of their way to cut jobs in a growing industry. NV Energy and the PUC have dug in their heels and fought it. The PUC is anti-consumer.
NV Energy controls the production at the power plant, and the distribution and maintenance of the power grid. NV Energy claims it loses income (earnings) from solar customers; I beg to differ. The utility gets huge amounts of clean power (and tax incentives) from its solar customers, which NV Energy then sells to its nonsolar customers — a relatively sweet deal during peak power-usage times. NV Energy doesn’t have to purchase outside its domain to get excess power during peak usage, which puts less stress on the grid. It sounds simple, and truthfully, it is.
Craig Coffey
Las Vegas
UNLV basketball
The firing of UNLV men’s basketball coach Dave Rice was long overdue. I am sure he is a nice guy, but it seems most nice guys finish last. It’s time the powers at UNLV admit that it is a basketball school. It’s not a football school, and it never will be.
Is the problem that UNLV doesn’t have the money to hire top-flight coaches, and therefore must settle for second-level coaches who produce second-rate teams? Why is it necessary to even bother with an annual, losing, terrible football program? The large amount of dollars spent on football could instead be used to produce a top basketball program.
There are other schools that don’t have football programs, yet produce winning programs in many other sports. I don’t believe the people who make the decisions about sports have the guts to do what they know must be done to make UNLV the best basketball program in the nation.
Ralph Daveline
Las Vegas
