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Utility customers who want to install rooftop solar panels or small wind turbines could face extra charges on their bills after legislation passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Monday.
Senate Bill 1456 passed 83-5 after no debate in the House. It passed the Senate last month and now heads to Gov. Mary Fallin for her approval.
The bill was supported by the state’s major electric utilities, but drew opposition from solar advocates, environmentalists and others. It sets up a process at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to establish a separate customer class and monthly surcharge for distributed generation such as rooftop solar or small wind turbines.
Customers who already have those systems installed wouldn’t be affected by the bill.
Proving that idiocy truly has no bounds, Spain issued a "royal decree" taxing sunlight gatherers. The state threatens fines as much as 30 million euros for those who illegally gather sunlight without paying a tax.
The tax is just enough to make sure that homeowners cannot gather and store solar energy cheaper than state-sponsored providers.
The Secretary of State for Energy, Alberto Nadal, signed a draft royal decree in which consumption taxes are levied on those who want to start solar power systems on their rooftops. The tax, labeled a "backup toll" is high enough to ensure that it will be cheaper to keep buying energy from current providers.
originally posted by: jrod
a reply to: Flatfish
Don't forget that corporations are people now.
The corporations that sell electricity are just people with a lot of money that can simply buy votes and manipulate popular opinion through ad campaigns.
originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: Flatfish
I find it interesting in that when poor legislation comes from republicans, everyone slams them.
As should be the case.
But when poor legislation comes from democrats, many slam them, but the leftists defend them.
(aren't you allowed to disagree with your party leadership?)
originally posted by: jrod
a reply to: windword
I can't verify this but I read somewhere on ATS that Germany will charge for rainfall based on the area of a yard.
FPL in Florida makes it difficult and expensive to sell back excessive homemade power. Plenty of sunshine here.
Representatives of Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. and Public Service Co. of Oklahoma said the surcharge is needed to recover some of the infrastructure costs to send excess electricity safely from distributed generation back to the grid.
The representatives said utilities need the new surcharge to prevent customers who can’t afford the installation costs of distributed generation from subsidizing customers who have the systems installed.