The Alliance for Solar Choice ( TASC ) leads rooftop solar power advocacy efforts across the United States .
Founded by the largest rooftop solar energy companies in the United States of America, TASC represents the vast majority of the rooftop solar market. Its members include: Demeter Power Group , SunTime Energy, Geostellar, Inc., LGCY Power, Sunrun , and Solar Universe . [1]
TASC member companies are responsible for thousands of jobs and rooftop solar installations on homes, schools, businesses, and government buildings across the country. [1]According to recent Center for American Progress (CAP) studies, rooftop solar systems are now seeing overwhelming adoption in middle-class neighborhoods with median incomes ranging from $ 40,000 to $ 90,000. [2] [3]
Overview
EEI Publishes “Disruptive Challenges”
In January 2013, the utility trade association Edison Electric Institute (EEI) issued a report titled “Disruptive Challenges: Financial Implications and Strategic Responses to a Changing Retail Electric Business.” [4] The report describes the increasing popularity of consumer-driven rooftop solar, energy efficiency, and demand response to a “vicious cycle.” It details how to use a rooftop view as a “disruption” to their current business model, which guarantees utilities specific profit margins from large infrastructure projects funded by ratepayers. [4]Peter Kind of Energy Infrastructure Advocates, the author of the report, makes recommendations on how to use electric utilities can defend against these ‘disruptive challenges.’ TASC and others in the solar industry have been working since 2013 to defend against utility. [5]
Targeted Attacks
A primary target of utility attacks is net energy metering , or ‘NEM’. Net metering provides full retail credit to residents, businesses, schools, and other public agencies when their solar systems export surplus energy to the grid. The utility then sells this surplus energy to other nearby customers. [6] Utility companies are attacking NEM to block the growth of rooftop solar, a strategy that has been highly publicized in the press. [7] [8]
Another utility strategy is to introduce legislation to monopolize the rooftop solar market. In 2014, utilities in South Carolina and Washington with this intention. TASC successfully leads efforts to defeat both attempts. [9]
VOSTs, FITs and Their Weaknesses
Utilities also advocates for Value of Solar Tariffs (VOSTs) and Feed-in Tariffs (FITs). As revealed by national law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom LLP, VOSTs create hidden taxes for consumers. [10] In addition, VOSTs create an annual market uncertainty that can hurt their businesses, and they eliminate a customer’s right to actually use the power they generate. [11]This right to use the power of solar panels is philosophically important for many solar customers. With VOSTs and FITs, homeowner’s solar energy. The homeowner has all of their solar power to the utility. They buy all of the electricity they consume from the utility. The utility determines the price of the homeowner, and the homeowner – as indicated by the Skadden tax memo – could be required to pay taxes on these payments. The payment price fluctuates according to utility calculations, so it is unpredictable from year to year. [12]
Barclays PLC Downgrade
Following the recent, concerted attacks from utilities, in May 2014, Barclays PLC is a leading provider of solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation and residential power generation. status quo. The Barclays report highlights that “regulators are largely answerable to voters, and the latter is unlikely to tolerate a long time in their ability to access a clearly beneficial product.” [13]
Member Companies
The founding members of TASC represent the vast majority of the nation’s rooftop solar market and include Demeter Power Group , Silevo, SolarCity , Solar Universe , Sunrun , and ZEP Solar . [1]
Leadership
Sunrun Bryan Miller is the Chairman of the Alliance for Solar Choice. [1]
References
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d “TASC About Us” . allianceforsolarchoice.com . Retrieved 2015-02-03 .
- Jump up^ “Middle Income Homeowners are a Driving Force” . American Progress.
- Jump up^ “Solar Power to the People” . americanprogress.org . Retrieved 2015-02-03 .
- ^ Jump up to:a b “Disruptive Challenges: Financial Implications and Strategic Responses to a Changing Retail Electric Business” (PDF) . January 30, 2013 . Retrieved 2015-02-03 .
- Jump up^ “Solar Panels Could Destroy US Utilities According to US Utilities” . grist.org . Retrieved 2015-02-03 .
- Jump up^ “TASC About Net Metering” . allianceforsolarchoice.com . Retrieved 2015-02-03 .
- Jump up^ “Hawaii’s solar power flare-up: Too much of a good thing?” . articles.latimes.com . Retrieved 2015-02-03 .
- Jump up^ “On Rooftops, a Rival for Utilities” . nytimes.com . Retrieved 2015-02-03 .
- Jump up^ “Big utilities pushing into booming home solar market” . news.yahoo.com . Retrieved 2015-02-03 .
- Jump up^ “Tax Memo on FITs” (PDF) . August 17, 2013 . Retrieved 2015-02-03 .
- Jump up^ “Why solar net metering beats a value-of-solar tariff every time” . grist.org . Retrieved 2015-02-03 .
- Jump up^ “Is A Value Of Solar Tariff (VOST) Really Better Than Net Metering?” . cleantechnica.com . Retrieved 2015-02-03 .
- Jump up^ “Barclays Downgrades Electric Bonds Utility, Sees Viable Solar Competition” . blogs.barrons.com . Retrieved 2015-02-03 .
