MS 'eating Alabama's (solar) lunch'

Alabama and Mississippi have come to the fork in the road - taking different directions as it relates to rooftop solar panels. Mississippi enacted a new set of rules to incentivize solar, including rebates for low- and middle-income customers and incentives for schools that choose to install rooftop solar. Alabama’s Public Service Commission, meanwhile, is going to federal court to defend a fee charged to solar customers by Alabama Power. That fee adds $27.05 a month to customers with a 5kw rooftop solar array, offsetting savings from solar panels. Solar advocates say Alabama is being left behind by other Southern states - Mississippi, Georgia and Florida - in terms of rooftop solar installations. “These new rules will make Mississippi open to business to clean energy technology developers ... and help boost ... cost-saving benefits of solar energy,” Mississippi PSC Commissioner Brent Bailey said. Alabama Power says the fee is necessary to cover the costs of having electricity available to solar customers when their panels aren’t producing power. Alabama ranked 49th in the country in residential solar in 2021, with fewer rooftop installations than Alaska. Mississippi ranked 48th, but the new incentives may see the state climb up the rankings. Daniel Tait, COO of Energy Alabama and a critic of the Alabama Power solar fee, said the rules put Alabama at a disadvantage for solar business development. "Mississippi is eating Alabama’s lunch.” Alabama’s rules show governmental protectionism to the "clear detriment of regular folks," he concluded. (Source: AL.com 07/16/22) Mississippi opts to encourage solar panels, as Alabama fights to keep solar fee - al.com