BOISE, Idaho — Hundreds of people attended Tuesday night's Public Utilities Commission meeting for the last day of public comment on a solar power compensation settlement. The Commission heard testimony from the public and stakeholders on the proposed changes to rate scheduling and other factors related to net-metering.
Right now, solar users receive credit for any extra energy they give back to Idaho Power. Those speaking out against the proposal say this will impact the rate in which those solar users get paid for the electricity they add to the power grid, going down to roughly half of what it is currently.
"As we add demand to the grid, solar is going to be very important to off-set that demand, and everyone who may go solar in the future may be affected," said Joshua Hill. "So the number is truly almost infinite as far as who this case may affect."
"The comments help the Commission track where the stakeholders are at and what the priorities are, and so the proposed settlement agreement along with those comments will help the Commission members in their evaluations and their deliberations," said Adam Rush, a public information officer with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.
The Commission says they will notify stakeholders after they are through with deliberations. There is no set timeline on that yet.
