ED3 solar policy to change July 1

Electrical District 3 customers going solar after July 1 will be paying more than their neighbors already using panels.

ED3 General Manager William Stacy said the company is changing its solar program due to “rate impact, system reliability and safety.”

ED3 will increase its fixed cost recovery charge from 70 cents to $3. The company will also limit new solar installations to 30 per month.

Stacy spoke to the Maricopa City Council at Tuesday’s meeting during the Call to the Public rather than in an agendized presentation. The council cannot respond to issues not on the agenda, but Mayor Christian Price invited Stacy to return at a future meeting.

There are 793 rooftop solar systems in the district. That is 3.45 percent of its customers. In Maricopa alone, solar installations since January are up 273 percent compared to the same time period last year, according to data from the Development Services Department.

“There has been a tremendous increase, almost exponentially, since the first of the year, and that’s caused us some concern,” Stacy said.

The estimated $730 “unrecovered fixed cost” for each system has a $579,000 impact on rates, he said. “And we don’t want that to continue.”

“Instead of finding a way to embrace technology, the utility companies are always playing these chess games,” said Paul Melnik, a solar consultant with Advanced Energy Systems. “They don’t mention their savings, like not having to buy electricity at high rates during the peak times, because that when solar produces the most – and on your roof where it needs to be.”

Melnik was also concerned about how ED3 was going to implement its monthly limit of additional systems. “We should be among the top three solar locations in the world. It’s sad, it’s really sad,” he said.

ED3’s policy change does not change his confidence in the economic feasibility of solar.

“Solar customers are still going to save 80 to 90 percent on their electric bills,” Melnik added.