Nova Scotia Power has chosen to delay their request, by a year, to have solar power users in the province pay more for access to the power grid.
The original application was dated Feb 1, 2022 but the power company is amending that request to Feb 1, 2023.
NS Power was requesting solar users on the net metering program pay $8 per kW of “installed capacity.”
The advocacy group Solar NS estimates that $8/kW could cost residential solar users nearly $1000 per year more in their bills.
In a press release, NS Power does not say whether or not it will also amend the details of its new rate structure request. But NS Power president and CEO Peter Gregg said the company should have consulted more with the solar industry.
“Collaboration and consultation are important to me and my team and when we don’t get it right, we are committed to fixing it,” said Gregg.
“We regret that there weren’t more conversations with the solar industry ahead of the filing and that they were caught off guard by the proposed changes and, specifically, the effective date these changes would apply.”
People in the solar industry said the proposed fees would cripple the demand for solar panels, which was expected to quintuple in the next decade. The public also expressed outrage, worried that such expense would discourage people from switching to alternative energy at a time when the world needs to achieve net-zero emissions.
Despite backpedaling on the date of the application, Gregg still insists that solar users are not paying their fair share for access to the grid.
Last week, an NS Power representative claimed that, if the current rate structure doesn’t change, regular customers will subsidize net metering users to the tune of $55-million over the next nine years.
“What they do not pay for are all of the costs associated with them having access to the NS Power grid when they need energy from the grid, like the cold winter evenings when the sun is not shining,” says Gregg.
“We are committed to achieving our shared goal of getting off coal-fired generation by 2030, and renewable power generation is a cornerstone of this.”
The press release does not mention the other part of NS Power’s rate application: a 10 percent increase in rates for all users over the next three years; one can assume that request with the board is still on the table.
