Joe,
I am not sure how many of your readers will appreciate this, But I cannot believe that there is not more outrage about this. ALL Solar customers need to read this.
In February 2017 The Maryland House passed House Bill 1106. It was a terrible bill that Governor Hogan vetoed. The bill went back to the house for an override vote and the bill passed. With a Democratic majority, and and dems voting down party lines. Not a single republican voted for this lousy bill. The guise of this bill is to get Maryland to increase the amount of solar power that it produces. What it really does is give the power companies ( Delmarva Power ) the ability to take the electricity that solar customers in the state produce offering .06653100 cents per kilowatt hour. So they send you a “rebate” check in the spring. ( just got mine ) take my “excess generation" of 1340kWh my solar system produced and that I will need in the upcoming hot months. You think to yourself this is great the electric company is sending me money, but in reality they are paying you wholesale for your electricity and then selling the electricity back to you at retail ( 12-14 cents on average.) We solar customers pay for the electricity that our solar panels generate on average around .12 cents and Delmarva Power is buying the electricity that we generate for.06 cents. So we Marylanders that have decided to go green are actually punished for doing so. Also included in this Bill is that the money that is “rebated” to solar customers is charged to non-solar customers to “punish” them for not going green! So the power companies are making money on both sides of the deal! The power companies come out on top once again !
I wonder this, what did the Power Companies lobbyists offer the democrats to pass such a lousy bill that hurts virtually every Marylander?
What I have decided to do about this is not cash the checks Delmarva Power sends me. By signing the check it means that I agree to the terms of their agreement. If i do not sign the checks, I do not agree to the terms. I have been in contact with Delmarva Power and they are kicking my claim up the chain of command. I would highly suggest that all other solar customers do the same. If we can garner enough support we can file a class action lawsuit against this practice and have House Bill 1106 overturned.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
19 comments:
The best thing to do, is go completely off the grid and go completely solar. There are communities right now that live in remote locations that are doing very well on just solar power. It requires an adjustment in lifestyle, but it is possible. I have an relative in Virginia who has solar cells on the roof of his house and a storage shed to charge the batteries. In the winter months, he uses a backup natural gas generator for his backup power when demand is greater.
Sucker! Do you own a plug-in car too?
I tried to explain this to the Solar City guy when he was trying to sell me panels for my house.
I asked him to show me using simple math to see why it made sense.
He couldn't. But he kept telling me to spend another $5k to cut down the 100 year old oak trees so it would work.
Like Obamacare, this is one big hoodwink.
I'm sure there are lawyers out there who would love to start a class-action lawsuit.
Leave it to the DEMS and DP&L...
You agreed to their terms when you signed the contract for the solar panels.
The power companies set the price. There is no such thing as an independent supplier. You maybe creating energy and returning it to the grid but like having a oil rig in your Kentucky back yard you are subject to and dependent upon established means of distribution in the wholesale market.
9:07 lol, call them the sucker all you want but at least they are moving towards the future. There were people like you back in the day too, you'll die off and the world will move on. Funny thing is there are a few plug ins that would demolish whatever POS jacked up diesel you drive.
Solar is a waste of money. Also DPL has to take you excess power when you can’t use it and then give it back to you when you do. It’s called paying for infrastructure. Store your own power and un plug. Oh wait that will cost you to much.
So they are paying you 6cents for your electric when your demand (and probably everyone's) is low. Then when demand is high and you need electric off the grid they are paying you 12cents.
That seems completely fair to me? It's called business. Walmart doesn't pay a watermelon farmer $3.99 for a watermelon and then sell it for $3.99. They'd be out of business.
You're the one with an inefficient electric generation model. You only generate electric when it's sunny out. If you don't like buying electric at DPL's rates, then build a battery farm and generate enough electric to cover you even on the hottest summer days and store enough to run overnight and on rainy days.
Solar is 4 times more expensive than conventional but the government hides its cost via subsidies. Total scam on taxpayers and ratepayers.
Pols everywhere are in the pocket of someone other than the voters.
Oh you watermelon enviro weenies at get to "FEEL GOOD" as you are polluting the environment with your solar panels that will last 10 years and then get put into a toxic hasardous waste dump.
Oh, just look at the pollution those panels created during the manufacture process and look at trying to sell your house with those panels....good luck.
Not only do you have to replace the solar panels but also your roof due to rot caused by water getting caught between the panels. You can thank Obama for solar panels he is wealthy now. Solar farms seem to work. WBOC uses solar for their electricity.
Name the plug ins 10:42
Not everyone is trying to sell their house
the power companies own the maryland democrats. just look up how much they regularly donate to them. easy peasy! and you fools who installed solar took the bait and now you are crying about it! stop crying and get an education fool!
11:15 Poster - You are totally lost.
What the guy said in the article is that the surplus electricity rebate checks being issued by the MD electric utility - that these payments are treated and included as part of their 'cost of service' - and thus these payments will actually cause those non-solar customers utility rates to increase.
And this is actually true - the more solar that is deployed under MD's tariff structure will cause the electric rates to exponentially increase as the solar surplus payments are treated as 'cost of service'.
Nobody made you buy solar panels. You didn't mention how much you got in tax rebates for installing them. You got what you agreed to. Quit your beefing. Don't like the power company? Buy some of their stock, and start collecting quarterly dividends. Be an owner. You'll like them a lot better.
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