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Committee Named To Resolve Redding Solar Fight, First Meeting Monday

NMR

Following a heated discussion of changes to solar energy incentives at a council meeting earlier this week, Redding officials announced the membership of a new committee tasked with crafting an amenable solution.

 

The committee is tasked with proposing new rates for the city’s net metering program. The program pays incentives to customers with rooftop solar systems that generate more energy than they use.

The rate, .15 cents per kilowatt hour, is the same as what customers pay for electricity. Officials with the utility that set-up effectively means ordinary customers are subsidizing those with rooftop power because the utility typically pays about .04 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity, with the balance covering operations and maintenance.

 

Redding operates its own municipal utility.

 

Once the city reached a threshold of 12 megawatts of installed rooftop solar capacity, it was freed under state law from providing the over-generous subsidies.

 

Members of the solar committee are: Richard Christoph, David Ledger, Tim Danielson, Scott Wlodarczyk, Bob Gumm, Mary Machado, Gary Blanc, Fred Castagna and Lori Goyne.

 

The body is tasked with finding a solution that keeps the utility financially healthy without overburdening customers who were early investors in rooftop solar systems.  The first meeting is scheduled for Monday afternoon at 3 in the Redding City Council Chambers, 777 Cypress Avenue.