MACED President Peter Hille was the most recent in a series of Kentuckians to speak out against proposed Kentucky House Bill 227. Presently, private solar arrays connected to the power grid are credited for extra energy that the solar system produces, which is fed into the power grid and sold to other utility customers.
This bill would essentially make solar arrays less beneficial for homeowners and businesses in the state by eliminating the current solar energy crediting system. In yesterday’s Herald Leader op-ed, Hille summarized why solar is important to the people of Kentucky and the state’s future:
In the hard-hit coalfields, interest in solar has been growing rapidly, as homeowners, non-profits, and small businesses are faced with skyrocketing utility bills. In the past year alone, MACED has worked with 14 small businesses and non-profits who are actively pursuing solar for their buildings. Utilities know that solar makes sense.
That’s why both East Kentucky Power Cooperative and LG&E/KU have built utility-scale solar farms in the past year. They understand that our energy future will have to be much more diversified to meet the needs of our citizens — and that clean power has to be part of the mix if we want to attract 21st century businesses.
Net metering is essential to making solar energy feasible, affordable and available to utility customers, not just the utilities. HB 227 is a step in the wrong direction that will slow the growth of Kentucky’s solar industry — an industry that already employs more than 1,200 workers across the state. We should keep moving forward, and promote economic development, by supporting and expanding the fair net metering rules that are already in place.
MACED joins ranks of other Kentucky organizations who have also voiced their opposition to HB 227 in the Herald Leader. Residents of Letcher County joined together to express concern that HB 227 would restrict their community’s ability to fight rising energy costs through solar arrays. Those rising energy costs currently threaten the viability of important community centers and volunteer fire departments.
Kentucky Solar Industries Association President Matt Partymiller advocated for “a fair, free and competitive future energy market for all Kentuckians.” Other critics include the Kentucky Resources Council, the Kentucky Conservation Committee , the Center for Sustainable Cities and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth. The Herald Leader’s columnist Tom Eblen has vocalized his concern about the bill more than once in recent weeks.
All this push back against a pro-utility bill suggests that citizens across Kentucky are looking for a future economy that is more diverse, sustainable, resilient, and equitable.
