On Tuesday, June 17, West Virginians from throughout the state will take motion in response to Appalachian Energy and Wheeling Energy’s proposed base rate increase and drastic cuts to rooftop solar compensation. Residents will collect at a rally outdoors the Public Service Fee (PSC) in Charleston and at a neighborhood streaming and talking occasion on the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling to oppose the speed hike and help entry to photo voltaic and power freedom.
AEP’s proposal would considerably increase electrical payments for all clients — residential, industrial and industrial—even though West Virginians already pay a number of the highest electrical energy costs within the area. Charges have greater than doubled over the previous 15 years, and if this proposal is authorized, payments might improve by greater than $23 per 30 days for typical households.
“It’s a high concern of ratepayers for our monopoly utility, Appalachian Energy, to do extra to scale back payments for on a regular basis West Virginians,” mentioned Emmett Pepper, coverage director for Vitality Environment friendly West Virginia. “The June 17 listening to earlier than the West Virginia Public Service Fee gives a important alternative for these of us who don’t have high-priced lobbyists to talk up and push for an power future that encourages what’s cost-effective.”
The plan additionally targets rooftop photo voltaic by slashing the net-metering credit score that clients obtain for extra power they produce — slicing it by practically two-thirds. This transformation would make it far much less inexpensive for households to put in photo voltaic panels, undermining power independence and entry to wash, renewable energy.
“This proposal by AEP is a direct risk to photo voltaic entry in West Virginia,” mentioned Leah Turgeon, West Virginia State Director for Photo voltaic United Neighbors. “If the Public Service Fee permits these adjustments to undergo, it’s going to slam the door on power alternative and damage each household attempting to decrease their payments and generate their very own clear power. We ought to be encouraging photo voltaic and innovation, not punishing folks for investing sooner or later.”
Presently, clients with rooftop photo voltaic obtain truthful credit score for any extra power their programs produce. Now, AEP is asking the Public Service Fee to approve a dramatic lower to this truthful crediting price. Moreover, the AEP proposal required unworkable timelines; clients who wished to keep away from the credit score cuts wanted to have the interconnection paperwork for his or her photo voltaic power programs submitted by December 31, 2024 — with tasks given a ‘certificates of completion’ by the utility by April 30, 2025. Something later than that, and clients could be caught with the dramatically decrease net-metering price.
“By requesting that new charges be backdated, AEP actually tried to retroactively strip lots of of West Virginians of their internet metering earlier than the PSC had even issued a call within the case,” mentioned Dan Conant, CEO of Photo voltaic Holler. “The worst half is, this is only one extra instance of AEP placing company revenue over folks and treating photo voltaic turbines as second-class clients.”
Information merchandise from Photo voltaic United Neighbors
