APCO trying to end residential solar

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Robert Egbert

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May 4, 2025, 9:07:57 AM5/4/25

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APCO is trying to end residential solar

Appalachian Power Company is proposing to drastically change their decades-long policy (known as “net metering”) and effectively put an end to new rooftop solar on homes and businesses throughout southwest Virginia. Their proposal is under consideration by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC).

APCO’s proposal is to reduce what they pay for rooftop solar generation by ~70%, from 16 cents/kWh to 5 cents/kWh. APCO currently charges their customers 16 cents/kWh consumed (the same amount as they pay for rooftop solar generation). The proposed change will take rooftop solar from an OK investment for homes/businesses (~10+ year “payback”) to an uneconomic investment (30+ year “payback”). Almost 3/4s of states in the U.S. have “net metering” in place (the same as ApCo has had in place for 20 years) where they pay for rooftop solar generation at the same rate as they charge their customers for their electricity use.

How You Can Help

You can submit comments to the State Corporation Commission. You don’t have to be an expert and your comments can be as short (a few sentences) or as lengthy (a few pages) as you like. Every comment helps to pushback on APCO’s attempt to virtually kill the rooftop solar market in southwest Virginia.

Comments to the SCC can be submitted at:

https://www.scc.virginia.gov/case-information/submit-public-comments/cases/pur-2024-00161.html