Big step backward on energy policy

The government picks our Crown corporations’ pockets to subsidize taxpayers and then complains that its net metering program needs to be capped because independent solar-power generators aren’t paying their fair share of infrastructure costs. Nevertheless, Saskpower’s CEO is concerned about financial instability simply because of net metering (“Saskpower’s net metering rebate program a victim of its own success,” SP, Sept. 18). This limits the scope of the debate; it’s also a false narrative because everyone benefits from private solar power generation.

But if that’s how Saskpower wants to play it, why not simply split each bill into an infrastructure and consumption charge? Then everyone knows and pays for infrastructure costs. Or we could simply recognize the expense that small generators have as the initial outlay for their own solar infrastructure projects, and call it even, forgetting the negative effect politically motivated tax cuts and bulk discounts for large users have on the viability of our Crown corporations.

Seems like an easy fix. But then again, going against entrenched ways is never easy; the vaunted “work ethic” too often stops at the effort needed to change direction, no matter how progressive the goal may be. In a province with the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions along with the most potential for solar power generation in the world, capping the net metering program for whatever reason seems like one giant leap backward.

Tim Nickel, Saskatoon