Salt River Project, Arizona's second-largest utility, approved its first rate hike in two and a half years Thursday, which included a hotly disputed fee on solar customers. This decision came down after a full day of heated comments from the solar industry and SRP customers.
Those in attendance came for one last-ditch effort to convince the SRP board to postpone a 3.9-percent rate hike, which includes a $50 monthly fee that only goes to solar customers.
SRP customer and solar owner Jim Pitre said he felt like solar was being unfairly singled out.
“Clearly, rooftop solar is pretty much dead if you adopt what’s in front of you,” he said.
The mood in the room was somewhat subdued throughout the day, with the exception of sporatic shouting, booing and cheering. By the end of the day, the crowd thinned out, but things became heated when decision-time came around. The board approved the rate hike with a voice vote, and people in the crowd began shouting and demanding to know how individual board members decided. They screamed things such as, "Transparency! Transparency!"
They also showed their support with applause to the only two board members — Stephen Williams and Keith Woods — of 14 total who voted against the rate hike.
SRP first proposed the rate hike and solar fee in mid-December, and since then it has been accused of rushing into the decision without enough public input. Thursday's decision means SRP will begin phasing in the rate hike this summer, which will add about $4.60 to the average customer's monthly utility bill. All 15,000 solar customers in SRP territory can be grandfathered into their current rates for up to 20 years, and that grandfather clause stays with the residence regardless of change in ownership.
