Prepared for Public Conference 40 on Distributed Energy Resources
Presentation to the Maryland Public Service Commission
By Arjun Makhijani
October 10, 2015

  • There is no utility “death spiral.”  Net metering does not add significant cost at low levels of distributed energy penetration and has many benefits.
  • Proposals to change net metering in the near term are hasty, ill-considered, unfair, and unnecessary.  Higher connection charges, being imposed in some places, are an egregious example.
  • Net metering should continue and be extended to community solar in Maryland so that low-income households and others can benefit from it.
  • Change in net metering should be in the context of a transition to a more resilient, distributed, emissions-free grid with open access for consumers to become producers and transparency of the grid to all parties.  Grid neutrality principles, recently articulated by former FERC chairman and co-authors, should form part of the starting point.

See the full presentation here.