Arizona Public Service Performs 180, Decides to Install Rooftop Solar

Re: Arizona Public Service Performs 180, Decides to Install Rooftop Solar

What a shady bunch of characters.

Re: Arizona Public Service Performs 180, Decides to Install Rooftop Solar

dave,
the 180 proves their previous claims were bogus and now they are just working another angle for them to keep control of everything they can and their bottom line to get fatter at the expense of their customers.

Re: Arizona Public Service Performs 180, Decides to Install Rooftop Solar

I'm no fan of APS. (and they are no fan of mine - Just my work alone has deprived APS over $10,000/month of revenue) But I think that the goal here is widespread adoption of solar. And to do that we have to recognize that only a small percentage of the population will outright purchase their own solar system, and maybe twice that number will let a finance or lease company come in to provide them a system. The great majority of our so called prosperous society is stuck in the ratrace, renting and paying month-to-month on their living expenses, or retired and can't use the tax credits, poor, disabled, shortsighted, etc. etc. and will never go solar. Utilities, despite their bloat and greed, really are in a position to step into this breach. With their low cost access to capital, and control of the infrastructure, they can afford the upfront expense of solar and reap the long term savings. One of my standard sales lines is that solar will cost homeowners less than half of what they will pay the utility for the next 25 years - but most of them won't do it. Amortizing this cost of electricity is what utilities have always done and I've long wondered why they don't just take over the solar business.

I see this development by APS as a victory for solar and I fully expect to get a phone call from them (so to speak) to contract out the installations to us. (Have you ever watched an APS crew work? - talk about bloated, unionized, and inefficient) Maybe the Arizona state leaders will get a vision for the opportunity of becoming the "Solar Capitol of the Country" and incentivize everyone going solar, making manufacturers deals they can't refuse to move here, and become an example to the world of how solar is the energy solution. They could relegate the utilities to a role of being the distribution network for electricity and have a robust grid with massive, distributed generation. But they will more probably sell out to the utility corporations to let them take control of the whole affair - because in the end its really all about control isn't it? They don't want a free and independent population, they want centralized control over the means of production. America is no longer the "home of the free and the brave"

The few, long-term minded, independent minded cusses like us will sacrifice to have our own solar, but the great majority of society will gladly let the Utility take over their roof and continue to pay-the-Man like good serfs on the land. But the Utilities are at least coming around to changing over to solar from the dirty old ways, however their attitude will continue to be "we like you to have solar, as long as you get it from us"