The sun is doing its job. Your electric bill, however, is stuck in the past. A massive surge in solar energy is making midday electricity incredibly cheap to produce across the country. Yet almost no one is passing those savings on to you.
The midday power glut
Grid operators have a funny name for what happens when the sun comes out. They call it the duck curve. It just means solar panels are dumping so much power into the system at high noon that midday demand drops lower than it does in the dead of night. Earlier this week, the New England grid recorded its 500th duck curve day, according to Uprise RI.
Then the sun goes down. All those panels stop producing right as everyone gets home and turns on their ovens and televisions. The grid has to fire up other power plants fast to cover the difference. In a logical world, you'd pay pennies to run your dryer or blast the air conditioning at lunch, then pay a premium at dinner. But utilities are slow to adapt.
Most homeowners are still trapped on flat-rate billing plans. A basic residential customer in Rhode Island pays a flat rate for every kilowatt-hour of electricity, whether they use that power at noon or midnight. The grid is practically giving electricity away during the day. You're still paying full price.
What your state is doing about it
Utilities aren't adjusting their rates fast enough, so state governments are forcing the issue through community solar programs. These setups let you subscribe to a local solar farm and get a credit on your utility bill. The financial rules are changing fast.
In New Jersey, regulators now require developers to give their community solar customers a minimum bill discount, according to pv magazine USA. They also mandate that 51% of every community solar project's capacity goes to lower-income households.
New York is taking a similar approach. The state recently instituted rules requiring a minimum 5% bill savings rate for all members participating in community solar under consolidated billing. They also capped early termination fees so you aren't trapped in a bad contract.
Rhode Island is trying something else. Lawmakers are rewriting their solar net-metering rules entirely. A new law just created an optional fixed credit starting at 19 cents per kilowatt-hour for specific renewable projects. It's an attempt to pin down exactly what a monthly solar generation credit should be worth.
The bottom line
- If you live in New England, the math on buying your own system is shifting as state laws change. We break down the local incentives and rules in our Rhode Island solar panel guide.
- Even without solar panels, you can take advantage of the midday power glut. Run your home climate control system hard in the early afternoon. It takes the strain off the grid and cools your house down before the evening rush.
- Keep an eye out for community solar mailers. If your state guarantees a minimum discount, subscribing is an easy way to lower your monthly expenses without installing a thing on your roof.