Anti-competition bill is not solar consumer protection
Public electrical utilities are generally monopolies, and Public Service Company of New Mexico, New Mexico’s largest, is no exception. Monopolies resist competition by erecting barriers to other firms entering their business. The current New Mexico Legislature is considering a bill (Senate Bill 210/House Bill 199) that claims to expand “consumer protection” for solar power consumers (“Going solar gets complicated,” Our View, Feb. 16). However, its clear intent and obvious result would be to restrict competition from solar power.
To start with, the draft law requires what its supporters call “reasonable disclosure and protections” for those who want to install solar power at their home or business. PNM is the major sponsor of the bill and claims that solar installation is more complex than other home improvements. The fossil fuel-fired electrical utilities with their large profits and high executive salaries would love for you to believe that solar is bothersome and expensive.
My wife and I had a 5.2 kW system installed at our home outside Santa Fe, providing plenty of power to run our home. We interviewed three local solar power companies on our site. All were completely forthcoming on equipment comparisons, the installation process, costs, incentives, and guarantees from manufacturers and installers. The installation took two days and could not have been easier. Solar systems are now “plug and play” — just fit off-the-shelf pieces together. The permitting and legalities were also easy and the company provided full documentation of everything.
Our system will pay for itself in less than 10 years with an internal rate of return of over 7 percent. Plus, there are broad environmental and human health benefits: The large amounts of water that fossil fuel generation requires and the CO2 emissions it produces are avoided.
SB 210/HB 199 also calls for “performance guarantees for power generation.” Our panels are guaranteed to be 95 percent efficient at age 25, and they will keep producing free electricity well beyond our lifetimes. Given variations in weather, guaranteeing power output is absurd, but such language serves to cast unfair doubt on solar power.
The draft bill also requires that “solar consumers consult with tax experts and the utility for advice.” Does the law require that you see a tax expert for a kitchen remodel or new driveway? Just more red tape! “Consult the utility for advice” — and what might the company with a vested interest in fossil fuels say?
Ina New Mexican My View (“Bill supports consumers and local solar industry,” Feb. 12), Rachel Hillier, vice president of the board of directors of the Renewable Energy Industry Association, argued that the “bill supports consumers and local solar industry,” a highly doubtful assertion, as we have seen. Also, her piece was published as an opinion piece, as if it were the product of diligent personal research and reflection, instead of what it really was — a utility press release.