Nevada's Net-Metering Decisions – A Not-So-Thin Edge Of The Wedge

On February 12, Nevada's Public Utilities Commission (PUC) voted to alter its December 2015 ruling that will dramatically, and retroactively, reduce the rate at which distributed solar generation facilities will be paid for electricity produced – agreeing to implement its ruling over 12 years instead of the original four years. The battle before the Nevada PUC pitted NV Energy, the state's largest utility, against thousands of residents who have installed solar arrays over the last few years, as well as those who want to (and, of course, companies like Solar City, Sunrun and Vivant that want to help them do so).

The Nevada PUC determined in December that the current US$0.11-12/kwh net metering rate (the retail rate customers currently pay for electricity supplied) would be reduced to less than US$0.03/kwh (roughly Nevada's wholesale rate) over four years, including for solar facilities already installed. Solar industry proponents argued this change would stop new