Virginia commission protects compensation rates for rooftop solar customers
The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) has ruled in favor of rooftop solar customers in a decision that has solar customers across Virginia feeling relieved.
Announced April 30, the commission denied Dominion Energy’s request to slash net metering compensation rates for rooftop solar customers looking to give power back to the grid. The ruling directly rejected Dominion’s request, and allows energy netting that allows customers to save excess for up to a year, in order to offset future usage.
Kevin Lucas, VP of policy analysis for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), says that strong net metering policy is “good for solar customers, grid reliability, electricity prices, and the clean energy economy.” The association intervened in this case, he adds.
“The State Corporation Commission was right to reject Dominion’s request that would have made it much harder for Virginians to lower their electricity bills and contribute to grid reliability by investing in rooftop solar,” Lucas says. “We’ve always known that the benefits of net metering extend far beyond any one home that has rooftop solar, and it is great to see regulators affirm the widespread benefits of rooftop solar in their ruling.”
Analyzing the rooftop ruling
The commission’s ruling comes on the heels of a flurry of solar-forward legislation signed into law by Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger. Along with the plug-in solar bill currently working its way through the state’s legislative system, this net metering decision could prove crucial for homeowners looking to invest in solar power.
“Governor Spanberger was elected on a promise to lower people’s energy bills,” SEIA interim president and CEO Darren Van’t Hof said in an April 14 statement. “By signing a slate of common sense legislation that will increase deployment of solar and storage — the fastest and most affordable energy sources to build — the Governor is doing more than simply delivering on that promise.
“She is giving leaders across the country who are concerned about their state’s energy future a new example to follow.”
In addition to supporting net metering, the ruling also denied Dominion Energy’s request to charge net metering applicants with what SEIA calls “exorbitant application fees.”
SEIA and data analysis firm Wood Mackenzie’s most recent Solar Market Insight report says that Virginia is a leader in installed solar capacity at 7.6 GW. That number is good for ninth overall in the U.S., and is enough to power over 850,000 homes throughout the state. Furthermore, 64,000 Virginian homes have already installed rooftop solar.
