Proposed Mississippi rules on solar panels spark debate

JACKSON, Miss. -- Supporters of proposed Mississippi rules to ease installation of rooftop solar
panels portrayed them as a boon that will benefit all utility customers, while utilities expressed
varying degrees of concern about the possibility of shifting costs to poorer customers.
After a two-hour public hearing last week on the proposed rules governing how much utilities would
pay owners of solar panels and other electric-generating devices, state regulators must now weigh
those concerns. The Mississippi Public Service Commission must also decide whether it has the
authority to order member-owned cooperatives to abide by the net metering rules.
Commissioners extended the comment period, and it's not clear when they will vote on the matter,
which they've been considering since 2011. Both Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley
of Nettleton and Southern District Commissioner Steve Renfroe of Moss Point voiced support during
the hearing. Renfroe and Central District Commissioner Lynn Posey of Union Church will leave
office at year's end.
Mississippi is one of five states without a net metering rule. A study for the commission found solarpanel usage would benefit all ratepayers.
But utilities dispute that, saying customers without panels could end up subsidizing those with them.

The rule would require that utilities credit customers for power fed into the grid from solar panels or
other generating methods. Customers would have to pay for a meter measuring electricity flowing
both ways, plus line upgrades. But the proposal wouldn't allow other fees above standard connection
charges.
"Net metering excites people because it gives them a choice," said Tyson Grinstead of the Alliance
for Solar Choice, which lobbies for solar companies.
Christa Bishop, a lawyer for South Mississippi Electric Power Association, warned that the plan
would give solar-panel owners more than surplus power is worth.
"The reality is what is being decided is how much customers without distributed generation will pay
customers with distributed generation," Bishop said.
South Mississippi Electric Power Association generates and transmits power to 11 cooperatives in
southern and western Mississippi. Cooperatives, which serve 767,000 customers statewide, argue
that commissioners don't have the authority to force them to adopt net metering.

Besides how much utilities will pay for power, commissioners must also decide whether they will cap
how many customers can install panels. The rule proposes a 3 percent cap, while Entergy
Mississippi proposes 0.5 percent and supporters seek no caps. Entergy and Mississippi Power Co.
argue that a solar generator shouldn't be able to roll over surplus credits into future months,
limiting financial benefits.
Mississippi Power says some types of third-party financing arrangements could break Mississippi
law about what constitutes an electrical utility. Proponents urged the commission to work around
that concern, warning that unless consumers can finance or lease panels from a company besides
their current utilities, benefits will remain limited.
Robert Wiygul, a lawyer for Mississippi's Sierra Club chapter, urged commissioners to keep rules
from becoming overly restrictive.
"The key is to try to keep from putting barriers in place to participate," he said.
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