Arizona Corporation Commission Imposes Discriminatory Fee on Solar

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Autumn Johnson
[email protected]
520-240-4757

Phoenix, AZ - Yesterday, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) voted 4-1 to impose a new and discriminatory fee on rooftop solar customers in APS service territory. The new fee imposes a 15% greater increase on solar customers, over and above the rate increase that all customers will see starting on March 8th. The fee will show up on most customers' bills as a "grid access charge" and will be approximately $2-3 a month in addition the the rate increase everyone will get of approximately $10-12 a month, per APS. AriSEIA opposed the fee and offered an amendment to eliminate it from the rate case, which was not adopted. 

AriSEIA championed a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program that was adopted 5-0 as a pilot program to commence next year. This program will save all ratepayers money, by allowing customers with batteries to opt in and share their battery capacity with APS when there is high demand on the grid, thereby limiting the need to build new, replacement resources.

The ACC also voted 5-0 to prohibit APS from competing with private industry in the microgrid space and voted 5-0 to correct on-peak hours for a commercial storage tariff called E-32 L SP, both upon AriSEIA's request. AriSEIA's request to stop disproportionately negative impacts from increased demand rates over energy rates on the E-32 M and E-32 L rate plans was not adopted.

"Yesterday was a challenging day for solar in Arizona. In a state with more than 300 days of sunshine, almost 400 solar companies that employ more than 8.250 people and contribute more than $1.5 billion to the state annually, we should be looking at ways to foster the sector, not penalize it. An unsubstantiated and discriminatory fee on solar customers is a step in the wrong direction," said Autumn Johnson, Executive Director of AriSEIA.

AriSEIA plans to file a Motion for Reconsideration on the solar charge and will engage with APS on the VPP program implementation.

AriSEIA is the state's solar, storage, and electrification trade association. It is the only trade association in the state that focuses on all scales of solar at every level of government, doing both regulatory and legislative work, and has boots on the ground.