Latest news with #StateCorporationCommission
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Appalachian Power's effort to undermine rooftop solar meets stiff opposition
(Photo by) Virginia's investor-owned utilities thought 2025 would be the year they put an end to net metering – and with it, rooftop solar installers' modest competition with their monopoly.. The 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) removed many barriers that residents and businesses installing solar panels under the state's net metering law had faced, but it also called for the State Corporation Commission to reevaluate the program, beginning right about now. Not surprisingly, Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power are seizing this opportunity to push for changes that would undermine the economic calculus supporting customer-owned solar. Since at least 2007, Virginia law has required that customers of Dominion and APCo who have solar panels on their property be credited for surplus electricity they supply to the grid at the same retail rate they pay for electricity. The credit is applied against the cost of the electricity the customer draws from the grid at times when the panels aren't generating, reducing what they owe on their electric bill. But now that they have the chance, both utilities have filed proposals to end net metering. Both essentially propose to charge new solar customers the full retail rate for the electricity they draw from the grid (with Dominion using a more complicated half-hour 'netting'), but compensate them for electricity fed to the grid only at the utility's 'avoided cost,' or what it pays to buy electricity from other generators. By law, existing customers and new low-income customers with solar would be unaffected. Appalachian Power Company requests reduction to pay rate for net-metering solar customers APCo calculates avoided cost as the wholesale cost of energy and capacity, plus transmission and ancillary services, for a total of less than 5 cents per kilowatt-hour. Thus, a homeowner with solar panels would now pay the full retail rate of about 17 cents/kWh for electricity drawn from the grid, while being credited at less than one-third that amount for electricity put back on the grid. Dominion's approach instead pegs avoided cost to what it pays for solar generation and associated renewable energy certificates (RECs) bought from certain small producers under power purchase agreements, an average of about 9.5 cents/kWh. Dominion's residential rate currently averages about 14 cents/kWh, but would go up to more than 16 cents if its latest rate increase request is granted. The VCEA gave APCo the first swing at the piñata. APCo filed its proposal in September, and the SCC will hold an evidentiary hearing on May 20. Dominion only filed its petition last week, and no hearing date has been set yet. Not surprisingly, APCo's proposal generated fierce opposition from advocates and solar installers. They point out that it's hard enough to make the economics of home solar work with net metering at the retail rate; slashing the compensation for electricity returned to the grid by more than one-third, as Dominion proposes, or two-thirds, as APCo wants, would make solar a losing proposition for most homeowners. Maybe economies of scale and other factors would allow the market for commercial solar to survive under Dominion's program, though Dominion's insistence on confiscating customers' RECs won't make anyone happy. If solar owners definitely lose under APCo's plan, advocates say other ratepayers don't necessarily win. A homeowner's surplus generation travels only the short distance to the nearest neighbor, lessening the need for the utility to generate and transmit power to meet the neighbor's demand. Since the utility charges that neighbor the regular retail rate for the electricity, without having to bring it from somewhere else, the utility saves on transmission costs. On top of that, the surplus solar comes in during the day, when demand is typically higher than at night and electricity is more costly, making solar more valuable to the utility. Plus, it is clean and renewable, and the customer bears all the cost and risk of the investment. Utilities do not share this rosy view. By their way of thinking, solar customers use the grid as free energy storage and backup power, without paying their fair share of grid costs. Not only does this deprive the utility of revenue, but those grid costs now have to be spread out among the remaining customers. This, they say, creates a cost shift from solar owners to everyone else. More than a decade ago, Virginia took tentative steps towards resolving the dispute, with the Department of Environmental Quality setting up a stakeholder group to work towards a 'value of solar' analysis. The process was never completed — the utilities walked away from the table when it appeared the results weren't going to be what they wanted, and the group's work product did not include numeric values or policy recommendations. Virginia is hardly alone in navigating these clashing narratives. Other states and regulators have arrived at very different conclusions as to the 'correct' value of distributed solar to utilities, ratepayers, and society as a whole. States like Maryland kept net metering after a value of solar analysis concluded the benefits outweighed the costs. On the other hand, California famously ended its net metering program in 2022 when solar comprised almost 20% of electricity generated in the state and created a mid-day surplus without enough storage to absorb it; at the time, 45% of that solar was distributed. That same year, however, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed an unpopular bill that would have phased out net metering in the state. The experience of other states, combined with an abundance of research and analysis conducted over the years, gives the SCC a lot to work with as it considers the fate of net metering for APCo's customers this year, and later for Dominion's. Will Virginia's residential solar market survive the coming year? Countering the arguments of the utility's hired witnesses, solar industry and environmental organizations have weighed in on the APCo docket with testimony from experts with nationwide experience. The experts pointed out a range of errors and omissions in the utility's work product. They also presented their own benefit-cost analyses demonstrating a value for distributed solar in excess of the retail price of electricity, using tests often applied to energy efficiency and demand-response programs. Perhaps even more significantly, SCC staff also filed an analysis that found many of the same problems with APCo's proposal, including failures to comply with statutory requirements. The staff report did not include a quantitative analysis, but it urged the importance of considering benefits that APCo had ignored. Like the intervenors, staff recommended the commission reject APCo's plan and retain its net metering program as it is, at least for now. Although the staff report would seem likely to carry weight with the commissioners, it's never easy to predict what the SCC will do in any case before it. But in Virginia, unlike California, distributed solar makes up vanishingly little of total electric generation. Even taking the utilities' arguments at face value, it seems foolish to upend this small but important market to remedy a perceived harm that is, at least for now, more theoretical than real. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2025 Remarkable Women Nominee: Meet Yugonda Sample Jones
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — There's the saying: A women's place is wherever she wants to be. For Newport News native Yugonda Sample Jones, it's in her hometown, contributing to her community. 'I've been there, and I am the people that I serve,' she said. 'I can't just walk by and know that I might know or have an answer to connect someone to an opportunity or a resource.' As the founder and CEO of Empower All, Jones has helped transform many lives in underserved communities by breaking institutional hurdles, even assisting more than 300 families find stable housing. But Jones identifies with those she pours into beyond anyone's understanding. 'I remember I was pregnant and I had my oldest daughter at the time,' said Jones. 'She was nine-years-old and I was pregnant with my son and I was homeless. I was a young mother still trying to figure it out. And it really shook me and what my family instilled in me, my life experience is to have the wherewithal to be aware, to be able to ask questions, to get to where I needed to be.' No stranger to opposition, Jones is also a domestic violence survivor, and said every issue she helps someone overcome is something adjacent to her heart. 'I want to make sure that I empower young women that were my age,' Jones said. 'Not just young ladies, but anyone that is experiencing domestic violence.' Those trying times guided her to lead dozens to find a way forward. She's even ushered nearly 70 people into entrepreneurship through launching businesses with the help of the State Corporation Commission. 'It's important for us to understand that it doesn't take a lot,' she said. 'You just have to want to do it. And a lot of times, we have the skills of our hands or the talents to be able to turn it to a business. We just may not have the confidence.' From Community Resource Walks where she and devoted volunteers meet the needs of the people at their front doorsteps, to the Royals Initiative, where she mentors young women, to partnerships with community gardens where she addresses food insecurity, Jones' activism is evident and compelling. And nothing is worth more than helping a community blossom where her roots are. 'I'm first-generation Newport News, so my family roots are in the Eastern Shore of fishing, and that's a rural area with little opportunity,' said Jones. 'Newport News is embedded in me.' Adding to the hats of CEO, philanthropist and local leader, Jones also currently heads as chairwoman of the Citizens Advocacy Committee for the Choice Neighborhood Initiative and has contributed to the Bloomberg-Harvard Leadership Initiative and the Newport News Human Rights Commission. Those who know her work say, if there's one thing about Jones, her community's needs are at the forefront of her mind. 'I was able to grow into who I am as a woman and be bold enough to share my story, which encourages other people to share their story,' Jones said. And that's what makes her remarkable. The 2025 Remarkable Women winner will be announced on the Hampton Roads Show April will receive a $1,000 donation to the charity of her choice and a free trip to Los Angeles. The winner will also be in the running to be named as Nexstar Media Group's Woman of the Year and be awarded $25,000 to a non-profit she selects. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Virginia senators ask SCC to help public with high power bills
richmond, va. — Three Virginia senators are urging the State Corporation Commission to answer questions regarding the increasingly high bills their constituents have to pay each month for electricity. Senator Travis Hackworth, R-District 5, Senator Todd E. Pillion, R-District 6 and Senator William M. Stanley, R-District 7 sent a letter this week to the State Corporation Commission about high monthly power bills. The senators issued a joint statement. 'Out of utter frustration over the lack of responsiveness by Appalachian Power Company to chronically high rates, we sent a joint letter to the State Corporation Commission today,' the senators said in a letter to the Virginia SCC. 'In this letter, we are asking for answers to questions about how to revoke APCO's monopoly franchise or block their ability to operate in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We've heard from thousands of our constituents about their ever-increasing power bills and the lack of options to find economic relief.' Hackworth represents Tazewell County in the Virginia Senate. The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reached out to Appalachian Power about the senators' concerns. 'We are very disappointed in the inaccurate statements being made while our employees are working in the field around the clock to restore power to our Virginia neighbors following Winter Storm Harlow,' said Karen E. Wissing, communications consultant for Appalachian Power. 'As a company that has proudly served the Commonwealth of Virginia for over a century, our workforce is comprised of men and women born and raised here who want the best for their families, friends, and neighbors. 'Working with the legislature, we have made significant progress toward finding real solutions that bring relief to our customers, and we will continue to do so,' Wissing said. 'We recognize some of our customers are struggling with bills now and need immediate support. We encourage those in need to reach out to us directly at 1-800-956-4237 or via Facebook as soon as possible.' The senators asked the State Corporation Commission to answer their questions in an effort to address the electric bills their constituents pay. 'During our numerous attempts to find solutions that work for all parties, APCO has not only failed to provide solutions, but they have also insulted the lived experiences of their customers and attempted to convince us all that the problem lies with our overuse of electricity,' the senators added in their letter. 'No more. We look forward to receiving answers from the State Corporation Commission and acting on that information in the days ahead.' The senators asked the Commission to answer the following questions to help inform future legislative efforts: 1. Is it possible to remove or revoke Appalachian Power Company's monopoly franchise license or ability to operate in the Commonwealth of Virginia? 2. Does the authority for such a revocation rest with the Commission or the Virginia General Assembly or both? 3. Is there any precedent in Virginia for the revocation of the monopoly franchise of any public service company? 4. If such a revocation is possible, what are the requirements and steps necessary to begin the process to remove the company's ability to operate in Virginia, including the timing and most importantly the cost. The cost to APCO customers and the cost or current value of the company if its interests in Virginia are able to be sold? 5. Under what circumstances can a revocation of a public utility's franchise typically happen? A. During such a process, how would customers be served and can a moratorium on shut-offs be in place until such time that a new monopoly franchise be put in place? B. Could an electric cooperative be set up on a temporary or permanent basis or would the service territory be available for purchase by another investor-owned utility? C. Would customers of APCO's service territory be required to pay for any of the company's assets or incur any other 'stranded costs?' 6. Are there alternatives the Commission sees as opportunities to address the extreme customer service deficiencies we are experiencing? Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Proposed bill to let Virginians choose their electric sources stalls
Jan. 30—richmond, va. — Legislation which would allow Virginians to choose their own electric providers has stalled in the Democrat-controlled Virginia General Assembly. Senator Travis Hackworth, R — Tazewell, filed Senate Bill 1281, which is known as the AEP Accountability Act, in early January. The bill would have allowed residential customers of Appalachian Power whose electric bills are more than 25% of the statewide average, as determined by the State Corporation Commission, to give Appalachian Power a 90-day notice before choosing a different electric provider. The power lines are owned by AEP and any electric provider could transmit electricity across those lines with the State Corporation Commission regulating it, thus providing a choice to AEP customers should this bill go through, Hacksworth said when the bill was introduced. Electricity is available on a nationwide power grid, so Virginia consumers can get their power from other providers across the country. "The power we get today may be coming from Ohio," Hackworth said then. "It's not just the power plant up the road." Other power companies have less expensive rates, according to Hackworth. In one example, Dominion Energy's average monthly residential bill for 1200 KW of electricity was $133.08 in February 2024. In January 2024, the average Appalachian Power residential customer was paying $171.09 for 1000 KW of electricity. The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee passed by the bill indefinitely on Tuesday, according to the Legislative Information System. "I am deeply disappointed in the vote to defeat my common sense legislation to allow greater freedom for Appalachian Power customers," Hackworth said. "The people in Southwest Virginia are hurting. We need relief and we need it now." Hackworth said he proposed a limited pilot program that would allow local governments to aggregate their locality's customers together and select a licensed supplier to provide their power generation. "This pilot program would provide meaningful relief," Hackworth said. "But, at the end of the day, I don't care what the relief looks like. It just needs to happen." "This fight isn't over," Hackworth added. "Appalachian Power needs to listen to the cries of their customers and work with us to bring their rates down to the levels of their competitors." Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
