MARCH 1, 2023 UPDATE
WASEIA is continuing to push back against misinformation promulgated by some utilities to undermine net metering. Here’s some additional information to share with members of the House Democratic Caucus. Here’s how to find your representative:
https://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/
Here are some more reminders for your lawmakers:
1) Utilities currently have interconnection guidelines and grid studies that prevent poorly designed PV projects from moving forward (regardless of system size — 1 MW. etc). Their arguments that cost shifts occur more strongly from large system sizes do not have merit. Washington current and proposed NEM policy does not incentivize oversizing PV systems. Projects must be designed to the customers annual consumption. A dirty fuel mix (gas/coal etc) has real measurable cost shifts. WASEIA has provided peer reviewed research that clearly states cost shifts are immeasurable or equally likely to be grid benefit below 40% peak power.
2) Washington is currently below 4% peak power in the vast majority of its utility districts. We are currently 37th in the Nation for deployed solar. We have a LOT of work to do to catch up and build clean, resilient, and affordable energy that will benefit all Washingtonians.
3) 1 MW is the clear standard and distinction between small solar and utility scale solar in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). We need to align Washington state with the IRA or else hundreds of millions in federal funds will go elsewhere.
4) Many other states (19) have an equal or higher than 1 MW NEM interconnection threshold and are seeing the benefits (broad participation/clean energy development leveraging private dollars). 1 MW is a reasonable compromise that aligns well within IRA. We need to democratize power and not accept the utilities continued efforts to sandbag and gas light the clean energy transition.
