Arizona Utilities Are not Supporting a Solar-Friendly Policy

Baseline Connection Fee vs. Wear and Tear by High Usage

Solar DG customers use less of the utility's distribution infrastructure than other customers. If fact, they are the lowest users of the utility grid.

When a utility company makes power they have fuel costs, generation costs, and distribution losses. When DG customers generate their own power, 90 percent is used on site. The other 10 percent goes to direct adjacent neighbors. It does not go to the transfer station, transmission lines or power plants. The utility company receives the power at no cost during daytime peak hours, sells the same power at peak rates and is not subject to the fuel costs, generation costs or distribution losses.

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The baseline connection fee is for administrative, accounting, meter reading fees, etc. It is not for power generation and distribution. If the basic connection fee doesn’t cover costs of connectivity to the grid, fix the cost model and apply it fairly and unilaterally to all utility customers, not just the solar DG customers.