Net metering will soon disappear for Tucson Electric Power customers, but the deadline continues to be extended incrementally. Hearings before the Arizona Corporation Commission’s administrative law judge were completed last fall, but we are still waiting for Judge Rodda to write her recommendations, which will appear on the docket, and then go to our elected Commissioners for action at an open meeting. Originally, we expected that recommendation to come early in 2018, and the Commission to make their decision in February or March, but that didn’t happen.
The ACC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure tell us there must be ten days notice before a hearing (see R14-3-109A). There must also be a ten-day opportunity for parties—such as TEP, ACC staff, and solar advocates—to file exceptions to the Judge Rodda’s recommended order (see R14-3-110B). These deadlines mean that TEP’s net metering proposals can’t be considered at the ACC’s March Open Meeting, which is scheduled for March 13th-14th.
The ACC’s open meeting calendar shows their next open meeting is scheduled for April 10th-11th. This means that net metering will be available for TEP customers at least until that date. Any TEP customer who submits a complete interconnection application to TEP before April 10th will have net metering grandfathered for twenty years from the date of interconnection, but they must install their system within 180 days of that application. For customers who choose to upgrade an existing system, that twenty-year period starts from the original interconnection date.
If you are interested in solar, or know someone who is, we’d encourage you to get in touch with Net Zero Solar or other reputable local installers very soon. Although the deadline for net metering has been extended, available installation dates within the allowable 180-day installation period are being filled quickly. At the time of this post, we do still have some high-quality pre-tariff solar modules available.
As you can see, this is a dynamic situation. When new information is available, we’ll post in on Facebook, Twitter, and here on our blog. Feel free to post your questions or thoughts below. We’d love to hear from you.
It looks like an open meeting for 18-0032 is scheduled for April 26th. Does the interconnection agreement need to be approved before this hearing?
Hi Cory,
Correct. A complete application for interconnection needs to be submitted. A new blog post with an update will be up later today.
Whom and how do I contact decision makers on the net-metering issue to voice my opposition to TEP trying to eliminate solar power in Tucson?
Who are the county and city representatives that can be of help?
Where do I send my support for solar power and new-metering?
When are they required to have been received?
Hi Bill,
Thanks for checking in! You can still make comments to our elected Arizona Corporation Commissioners until they consider the matter at an open meeting, which hasn’t yet been scheduled. For contact info and some possible comments, see the end of this post. I would also recommend contacting your AZ legislators. The Tucson City Council passed a resolution opposing these changes to net metering in 2016, but it never hurts to contact them as well.
Thanks for supporting solar energy in Tucson!