Is Big Electric Killing Solar Energy Nationwide?

Recently, the Sunshine State got a hefty taste of the bureaucracy involved in solar energy decisions on a state level. While progress at a state level is good, not all progress offers forward momentum, and money in the right pockets has been proven to sway the progress of the solar energy industry in Florida.

It seems state utility companies are pushing in more of a “big business” direction than the general public, and not only does that hurt solar installation companies that have been fighting for solar since the beginning, but it’s costing homeowners time and money in their work toward building energy efficient communities.

While these big names in energy may believe they are benefiting the masses by using their influence on bills, it’s hard to tell if they truly mean to benefit the industry, or if they are simply trying to take it over by undermining the efforts of small solar businesses.

In fact, just last year, a bill was proposed by Floridians for Solar Choice that would wholly benefit Florida citizens who had invested in solar by allowing property owners to with solar panels to sell up to two megawatts to neighboring properties. However, an opposing initiative backed by the states utilities essentially terminated the bill, pushing funding into play that couldn’t be matched by Floridians for Solar Choice.

A similar story out of Maine saw a solar expansion bill killed by the efforts of big name solar companies like SolarCity. The bill was expected to credit the homeowners and small businesses that have invested in solar via solar energy equipment installations. But at the end of the day, SolarCity and others hired lobbyists to kill the bill. While these big names in electric seem to be taking notice of solar’s growth across the country, the question remains: Are they trying to help or hurt it?