INDIANA GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL AIMED AT DIMMING SOLAR INCENTIVE

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

May 2, 6:01 PM EDT

BY BRIAN SLODYSKO
ASSOCIATED PRESS




INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The benefit currently available to those who install solar panels will be sharply curtailed in the coming years, under a bill backed by Indiana's powerful utility companies that was signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb on Tuesday.

Driven by the plunging costs for sun-generated power, investor-owned utilities across the U.S. are looking to carve out a share of the market. But critics contend the new Indiana law is part of a broader nationwide push to muscle out smaller companies.

"Utilities absolutely understand there are benefits from putting solar on the grid, they just want to control it," said Ryan Zaricki, president of the Evansville-based solar panel installation company, Whole Sun Designs. "It's not an immediate death blow to our business, but next year is going to be much tougher."

Solar power provides only about 1 percent of the country's energy - and even less in Indiana. But the industry is growing rapidly and employed 260,077 workers nationwide, according to 2016 statistics from the Solar Foundation.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SOLAR_POWER_INDIANA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-05-02-18-01-06

[elleng]

1. 'But the industry is growing rapidly and employed 260,077 workers nationwide.'

Can't have THAT!

[Massacure]

2. It doesn't take effect for 10 years

Hopefully a future legislature axes this before then.

[The Wizard]

3. Only Repubics can vilify

clean are and water and say cheap, clean, renewable energy is bad for the people. And the fools who buy into this nonsense are flat out bigots.

[truthisfreedom]

4. Corrupt assholes.

[roamer65]

5. Utilities are deathly afraid of solar and wind power.

The price of solar and battery storage systems are coming down and technology is improving greatly. It means many, many more customers will rely on the grid only for assistance in the future.

[NickB79]

7. Who pays to maintain the grid if utilities go bust?

If people still need the grid for even occasional use, it must be funded in some way. And I doubt most of us will be going fully offgrid with battery backup anytime soon.

I'm not arguing that we give the utilities permission to continue to screw us, but there has to be a revenue stream to keep the cables humming when needed.

[roamer65]

10. Utilities eventually will all split into separate power generation and transmission companies.

The transmission companies will do well. There will always be a robust market to move electric and gas around, green or not.

The power generation companies will have to be cost efficient and smart. That is where solar and wind come into play.

[meow2u3]

12. This is already happening, in part, in Pennsylvania

My utility bill, for example, is divided into power generation, distribution, and transmission.

[singed.dude]

6. Just as the previous post says

Solar, wind, and other renewable energy will eventually prevail. It doesn't matter what the Indiana state government does. At the end of the day, consumers drive markets for the most part. If one form of energy is less costly, consumers will demand that form of energy. Solar costs are going down. Coal costs aren't.

[LittleGirl]

8. similar proposals are being done

here in AZ. June 1st many of these changes are going to take effect.

[lunasun]

9. What AZ? Where there is sun almost unending?? Wth??

[LittleGirl]

11. Indeed.

WTH is right.