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Monday, May 18th, 2015

Solar power advocates are ‘the enemy,’ says utility in America’s sunniest state

Author:     Rob Wile
Source:     Fusion
Publication Date:     May 15, 2015 2:01 PM
 Link: Solar power advocates are ‘the enemy,’ says utility in America’s sunniest state
Stephan:   One of the major features of the the Great Schism Trend, is how 21st century infrastructure is going to evolve differently in different states. It is one of history's great ironies that many of the Red value states are in areas where solar is particularly suited. However, Red value ideology is biased to protecting the status quo. Indeed, that is its fundamental motivation. This report about Arizona, couched in the witheringly honest language of the carbon industry when it  is speaking to itself,  describes what happens when old models meet new technologies.  And a corrupt government consciously protects the outmoded option against its citizens' interest because it has been bought by those who own the outmoded option. Red values produce demonstrably inferior social outcomes. The data is unequivocal on this. As a result the Red value states are going to fall behind, in noncarbon energy implementation, in education, and a host of other areas. In yet another irony Red value states are also climate denier states yet they are going to be particularly severely impacted by a process whose existence they deny. And they are going to be less equipped to respond.

For years, utilities in Arizona — which gets even more sunshine than the actual “Sunshine State” — have been working to stymie the ability of rooftop solar power companies to increase sales.

In case there was any lingering doubt how they really feel about this industry, we now have some clarity.

The Arizona Republic’s Ryan Randazzo reports that the Salt River Project, the state’s second-largest utility, spent $1.7 million for three-months’ worth of advertising for a change in electricity rates that would penalize solar power users. The increase was approved in February.

They also used some pretty colorful language to describe opponents of the initiative.

“Financial records and e-mails obtained from the utility show the company geared up last year for an intense debate with solar advocates, whom one SRP executive referred to as ‘the enemy’ in an e-mail to public-relations consultants,” he writes.

Salt River has claimed the the employee was just joking.

Even if that’s true, it exemplifies the intense debate within the state over expanding solar power, and who should be doing so.

The Arizona Republic has previously found the state’s utilities spent millions in dark money to support candidates for positions on the state committee that sets […]

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1 Comment

  1. steve hovland on Monday, May 18, 2015 at 6:03 am

    This is a situation where a grid-assisted approach might work. Buy 2 Kw of solar for CASH, 400 or so amp hours of nickel-iron batteries. Hook your house and solar to the batteries using a big enough inverter to handle your peak load, maybe 5000 watts. Use a big battery charger connected to the grid on a timer as needed to maintain the batteries during the evening and night. The power company wouldn’t see this.