Solar Rooftop May Succeed In The Courts After All As A Federal Appeals Court Reversed A Lower Court And Now Allows SRP’s Customers In Arizona To Pursue An Antitrust Claim Against That Utility’s Pricing Plan; Solar Integrated Roofing Corp. (OTC PINK: SIRC) And Other Solar Installers Have A Lot Riding On Net Me-tering Future

One of the issues holding back the growth of solar is net metering. Basically, utility companies in California and Florida are installing new anti-solar rate structures, saying now they seek to benefit low income rate payers instead.  Now a Federal Appeals Court in Washington overturned a lower court decision and will allow customers of SRP utility in Arizona to pursue a class action lawsuit on the issue. It can be a wonderful turn of events for solar installers, like Solar Integrated Roofing Corp. (OTC PINK: SIRC), who will benefit if they call sell solar systems based on traditional rate structures from utilities. It would ensure a short payback period — a key in selling new solar systems to homeowners.

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Solar Rooftop May Succeed In The Courts After All As A Federal Appeals Court Reversed A Lower Court And Now Allows SRP’s Customers In Arizona To Pursue An Antitrust Claim Against That Utility’s Pricing Plan; Solar Integrated Roofing Corp. (OTC PINK: SIRC) And Other Solar Installers Have A Lot Riding On Net Metering Future

The Federal and State governments are sending solar buyers in California and Florida mixed signals on whether to install rooftop solar systems. On one hand, governments are pushing incentives to help close solar sales — even on federally owned lands — at the same time public utilities in California and Florida are close to final decisions on net metering. In California, a final decision is just days away on whether utilities can pay solar homeowners less for excess solar-generated electricity and charge new fees for even accessing the central power grid. Florida is now in a similar situation. To solar installers like Solar Integrated Roofing Corp. (OTC PINK: SIRC), a lot is hanging in the balance.

The new Federal Appeal Court decision by a three-judge panel opens the door for a class action suit against utility SRP in Arizona. The coat-tails of that could be significant for rooftop solar system sales and installations in other states — such as California and Florida.

Jean Su, an attorney who supported the suit filed by a solar homeowner, says the Federal Appeals decision could set an important precedent against utility companies that ‘attack’ solar customers.

It could be a shot across the bow of utility companies which originally offered rooftop solar customers one rate — and later changed their ratepayer strategy against solar buyers. It charged solar customers rate increases as high as 65% more than other utility customers..

The result, the legal suit contends, is that the rate hike makes it ‘almost’ impossible for rooftop solar system owners to obtain any viable return on their solar investment.

SRP says it hopes to prevail on its newer rate structure — which went into effect in 2015  and was updated in 2019— and believes it will prevail in the legal process.

To solar installers like SIRC, this may be an important legal avenue to challenge and stop the institution of new rates damaging to rooftop solar system owners. It could also help Wall Street investors look more optimistically on the future of solar system installations nationwide.

To SIRC, it would help sell more rooftop solar systems — and deliver more solar system installation projects.

In California, the final decision on new net metering is due out this week. In Florida, the net metering change is still in the State legislature. A new survey finds that some 95% of consumers will not buy solar under the new program if passed in California — NEM 3.0.

Heavy hitters in California like former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Elon Musk, CEO and Founder of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), say they are against the new net metering changes.  In addition to electric cars, TSLA also manufactures rechargeable solar battery systems under the PowerWall name and Tesla solar roof tiles. SIRC is an authorized installer of PowerWall solar systems.

If NEM 3.0 is in final approval stages in California. A new study shows that potential solar buying households will not close on purchases if NEM 3.0 receives final approval. Solar Rooftop May Succeed In The Courts After All As A Federal Appeals Court Reversed A Lower Court And Now Allows SRP’s Customers In Arizona To Pursue An Antitrust Claim Against That Utility’s Pricing Plan; Solar Integrated Roofing Corp. (OTC PINK: SIRC) And Other Solar Installers Have A Lot Riding On Net Metering Future.

An investment in solar revolves around saving the environment plus a fiscal savvy move for eventual  financial payback.

NEM 3.0 would lengthen the payback period to greater than 11 years — too long for home owners to purchase now. Solar batteries can help offer a shorter payback period and act as an incentive for homeowners to receive payback — with battery-driven solar energy management — to as low as six years again.

Utility companies in California and Florida are presented with net metering as a high income ratepayer being subsidized by low income ratepayers. California is the largest solar state in the nation with 1.3 million solar households. Solar, though, is newer in Florida — where it has only a 1% market penetration.

The Federal government is pro-solar, even offering grants for solar projects on federally-owned lands. So homeowners in California are living under a state mandate to install solar powered electric systems, yet face state utilities which are not particularly in favor of them if the y force higher rates on low income ratepayers.

As a result, all hangs in the balance for solar system sales and marketing teams plus technical installers, such as SIRC. Solar is a core business for SIRC.

Musk told The Wall Street Journal that the proposed policy — which would add new fees for solar customers to access the central grid and pay less for excess solar-generated electricity — is a “bizarre anti-environment move.” He called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to reject it.

Former Governor Schwarzenegger told The New York Times that finalizing the new proposed policy would make solar more expensive for rooftop solar systems, and serve as a disincentive for future potential buyers. “Now California is about to take a big step backward by setting up huge barriers for consumers to adopt solar panels,” he said.

The California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) final rate decision would go into effect by May.Solar Rooftop May Succeed In The Courts After All As A Federal Appeals Court Reversed A Lower Court And Now Allows SRP’s Customers In Arizona To Pursue An Antitrust Claim Against That Utility’s Pricing Plan; Solar Integrated Roofing Corp. (OTC PINK: SIRC) And Other Solar Installers Have A Lot Riding On Net Metering Future.

“California should do more to incentivize clean energy in lower income areas,” Schwarzenegger said. Adding a new tax, he said, hurts the market and makes solar more expensive for everyone. The goal is to help California’s ‘most vulnerable,’ he said.

Solar batteries are being thrust into a new and decisive role in the future of California’s solar industries. If consumers can continue on themselves saving their own excessive electricity generated by solar — instead of selling to the utilities and their central grid — the payback period can be shortened again to less than eight years.

Enter SIRC as an authorized installer of Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) PowerWall solar battery system. The new California CPUC proposed ruling, if finalized in early 2022, could mean more solar and battery system sales and installations for SIRC in the new year.

To solar installers, such as SIRC, the final ruling has major consequences for its business. It is able to sell homeowners of investing in solar due to long-term paybacks in the form of federal tax credits and paybacks from utilities which buy solar generated-electricity.

Solar Rooftop May Succeed In The Courts After All As A Federal Appeals Court Reversed A Lower Court And Now Allows SRP’s Customers In Arizona To Pursue An Antitrust Claim Against That Utility’s Pricing Plan; Solar Integrated Roofing Corp. (OTC PINK: SIRC) And Other Solar Installers Have A Lot Riding On Net Metering Future

Learn more about SIRC at https://www.solarintegratedroofing.com/corporate-governance/leadership/.

Source: Stock Market Press

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