NV Energy ratepayers testify on proposed solar net metering changes at PUCN session

Last week Nevada residents and solar advocates testified at a Public Utilities Commission of Nevada consumer session regarding NV Energy’s proposal to change the state’s ‘net metering’ system from monthly to 15-minute intervals.

The proposed change would affect how solar customers receive credit for excess energy their rooftop systems send back to the grid, gutting the value of solar and put future installations at risk.

“This change would fundamentally alter how solar customers can use their own energy production,” said Julia Hubbard, Nevada Program Director for Solar United Neighbors Action. Hubbard has been organizing community education workshops on the proposed changes. “Families who invested in solar based on the financial returns from monthly netting would see their payback periods extended significantly, making solar far less financially feasible for Nevada homeowners.”

Under the current monthly netting system, solar customers can bank credits earned during peak daytime production hours to offset electricity consumed during evening hours. The proposed 15-minute system would reset these credits every quarter hour – meaning that if homeowners don’t use their solar electricity within each 15-minute window, they lose 25 percent of its value.

Hubbard explained that most families are not home during peak solar production hours when their systems generate the most electricity — they’re often at work or school. Under the proposed system, this would mean lower overall compensation for their solar production.

“By reducing the value of solar energy, 15-minute netting would extend payback periods for solar installations,” she said. “When it takes longer for homeowners to recoup their initial investment, fewer families will choose to install solar in the first place. Less rooftop solar hurts all ratepayers because it means less local energy generation and more strain on the transmission system.”

“This proposal is a direct attack on customer-owned solar,” said Mark Dickson, Nevada Solar Association board member and owner of Simple Power Solar. “It will make going solar financially unrealistic for Nevadans. This proposal harms small businesses like mine.”

Bari Levinson, a Reno solar owner, submitted written comments on the docket expressing his concerns.

“Having monthly net metering makes a huge difference to my bill, as I can use the full amount of energy generated during the day to offset my energy use overnight,” Levinson wrote. “With 15-minute net metering, I would only get 75 percent credit for the daytime net solar production, rather than being able to use 100 percent of my daytime production to offset my nighttime use.”

NV Energy has stated that the change is needed to ensure solar customers pay their fair share of grid costs. Solar advocates dispute this characterization, and emphasize that rooftop solar provides valuable benefits by generating power exactly where it’s needed, reduces the need to build out expensive transmission and generation infrastructure, and reduces peak demand.

“Nevadans already face some of the nation’s highest electricity bills, and now they’re being asked to pay more while receiving less value for their solar investments,” Hubbard said. “Fair compensation is the foundation that makes solar work for everyone.”

Nevada receives more than 300 days of sunshine annually and ranks sixth nationally for total installed solar capacity, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, making the net metering policy particularly significant for the state’s energy landscape.

The PUCN is reviewing NV Energy’s net metering proposal as part of its regular oversight of utility policies. Yesterday’s  consumer session allowed Nevada residents to provide input before commissioners send in their recommendation to approve, deny or change the application, which is scheduled for September.

About Solar United Neighbors Action

Solar United Neighbors Action is a 501(c)4 nonprofit that works in Nevada and nationwide to represent the needs and interests of solar owners and supporters. SUN Action fights for a clean, resilient, and equitable energy system by putting rooftop solar at the cornerstone. Our grassroots network of solar supporters communicates with lawmakers to implement the policies that will make this vision a reality.