"Louisiana's multiyear brawl over rooftop solar policy finally has a winner — regulated utilities, much to the dismay of renewable energy advocates in the United States.
A 3-2 vote by the Louisiana Public Service Commission last month to abandon net metering starting next year ended a long-running fight and is another milestone in the messy, state-by-state fight over distributed solar.
Other jurisdictions may not rush to copy Louisiana's move, which will lower financial returns for solar users. But states across the country are examining different ways to value power generated at home, and it's uncertain that full retail credits for excess solar energy — still the standard in many areas with net metering — will be dominant in the long run.
The Louisiana case attracted national attention because it highlighted a fierce debate about how to value rooftop solar. Utilities argue that customers with solar need to pay their fair share of grid costs, while solar advocates say distributed energy deserves credit for helping to relieve power needs on the broader system."
Edward Klump reports for EnergyWire October 11, 2019.
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