Solar owners lose on net-metering bill

To the editor:

Last week, the Assembly approved a net-metering compromise (“Assembly panel OKs compromise for solar power users’ net metering,” May 26 Review-Journal). Senate Bill 374 has since passed and is on Gov. Brian Sandoval’s desk. Through that legislation, the issue would be sent to the Public Utilities Commission for its input and approval. The PUC will be tasked with setting a separate rate class for those who have solar panels that produce power for their homes and send excess power they produce back onto the grid for NV Energy to sell.

I see many problems with this. The rates for a home with rooftop solar should be no different than any other home; I will still use power created by NV Energy after the sun goes down. I see this new rate class as being higher than what other users pay.

So why should I, or anyone else who has rooftop solar, pay a higher price? Because NV Energy has lobbyists in Carson City, and the bottom line is making profits for the energy company. I sell NV Energy power my system produces, and NV Energy in turn resells it to me and other users.

Now, NV Energy and other power companies say rooftop solar is hurting them, and financially, it is, because they are losing a huge amount of money from customers who have or are going to solar power. So how does a typical company that is losing profits stop the bleeding? It makes cuts in personnel, cuts wages to workers (but not the executives, of course) and

BARTON L. JACKA @bljacka, noting Sen. Reid spent several years blocking bills as majority leader:

And the winner of the 2015 prize for Most Self-Aware Member of the U.S. Senate is.... thousands of new homes and businesses. At what point will it become a crisis? When the lake is at 20 percent, or 10 percent? Even the new intake project is only a Band-Aid fix.

I also agree with Jeffrey Dawkins’ letter (“Start naming names,” May 18 ReviewJournal). It’s time to make the politicians accountable, since they appear to be more under the influence of homebuilders, rather than standing for common sense and what’s good for Las Vegas in the long run.