Leading solar company official says widespread damage already underway; outcome of case is pivotal for clean energy, climate efforts
Lawyers for Duke Energy were on defense today before the North Carolina Court of Appeals* over the decision last year by state regulators, at the behest of the monopoly power company, to slash the financial incentives for residents seeking to adopt rooftop solar.
Attorneys for a coalition of clean energy advocacy organizations hammered Duke Energy and the North Carolina Utilities Commission, highlighting the blatant violation of state law by utility regulators who bypassed the mandatory independent cost-benefit analysis required for any major rule changes to North Carolina’s energy policy.
In a post-hearing teleconference,* a senior official from a leading solar company painted a grim picture, citing widespread damage inflicted on the rooftop solar industry since the implementation of Duke and NC Utilities Commission’s net metering rules change in October.
Bryce Bruncati of 8MSolar described a significant plummet in residential and commercial sales already underway, echoing sentiments of one installer who claimed the cuts were “killing” the industry in North Carolina, as reported by The News & Observer on January 5.
“Since October when net metering was no longer an option for solar customers, we saw on the residential side a 40 to 50 percent decrease in new people signing up to go solar,” said Bryce Bruncati, Director of Residential Sales for 8M Solar, one of the largest N.C.-based rooftop solar installer companies. “On the commercial side, it’s been even more drastic, with a 70 to 80 percent decrease in commercial operations looking to go solar. And it’s not just our company. We are seeing this across the board among the solar installation industry.”
“Accessibility is now a big problem. The exact people we want to go solar, save money on their electric bills and be a part of the green revolution are not able to do so now because the savings isn’t there anymore,” added Bruncati.
Clean energy advocates emphasized rooftop solar as the swiftest, most cost-effective, and fairest method to transition North Carolina away from fossil fuel-generated electricity. They accused the NC Utilities Commission of disregarding compelling evidence, including that from Attorney General Josh Stein, which demonstrated the benefits of net metering for all customers.
Caroline Leary, EWG general counsel and COO, slammed the commission for ignoring H.B. 589, a 2017 state law mandating the NCUC order an independent net metering cost-benefit analysis, instead relying on Duke Energy’s biased calculations.
“The Commission deliberately sidestepped HB 589, refusing to conduct an independent, thorough cost-benefit analysis over the state’s net metering policy, and chose instead to blindly rely on Duke Energy’s deeply flawed cost analysis,” said Leary. “This regulatory maneuver is a calculated effort to sustain Duke’s monopoly control over its captive ratepayers statewide, acknowledging rooftop solar as the sole source of competition against traditional utility giants like Duke.”
Pointing to similar detrimental effects in California following net metering changes, Leary highlighted massive layoffs and business closures in that state where more than 17,000 jobs have vanished along with numerous companies that have gone bankrupt.
The groups called on Governor Roy Cooper to prevent the destruction of the rooftop solar industry in North Carolina, criticizing his silence despite numerous pleas for assistance from solar companies over the past two years.
NC WARN’s executive director, Jim Warren, denounced Duke Energy’s long-standing claim that residential rooftop solar is subsidized by others, pointing out the company’s obstruction of a proper cost-benefit analysis to validate this argument.
“Duke Energy and other US utilities have claimed for 12 years that ‘rooftop solar homes are subsidized by others,’” Warren said today. “That’s their key argument for killing competition from solar. But Duke vigorously blocked the cost-benefit analysis that would show the truth, and the rubber-stamp regulators agreed – without even conducting a hearing.”
The clean energy groups say solar power on roofs, parking areas and the ground is still a strong value for most customers, but Duke Energy and the regulators have seriously damaged the most important industry in North Carolina.
Ziyad Habash of Sunrise Durham emphasized the state’s responsibility to combat emissions and challenge Duke Energy’s influence and greenwashing. “We live in North Carolina, so we’re responsible for truly cleaning up emissions here, and that means challenging Duke Energy’s influence and greenwashing,” he said. Sunrise is a youth-led movement focusing on the climate crisis and a transition to clean energy.
“We should be pouring public funds into making this a truly distributed grid, really working with these solar companies and communities to flood new rooftop solar panels onto every rooftop.”
The coalition challenging the commission’s net metering order includes EWG, NC WARN, Sunrise Durham, 350 Triangle, 350 Charlotte, N.C. Climate Solutions Coalition, N.C. Alliance to Protect Our People and the Places We Live, along with retired chemical engineer Donald Oulman.
*A recording of the arguments at the Court of Appeals can be found here. A recording of the press conference can be sent upon request from alex@ewg.org. You can watch the press conference on NC WARN’s YouTube page.
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