Ameren Must Restore Full Retail Net Metering to Solar Customers
In a much anticipated ruling from the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), Ameren IL has been ordered to reinstate full retail net metering for its residential customers that have solar systems. Under net metering programs, utility customers with solar are compensated for excess generation (energy the solar system generates in excess of what is used by the household) with monetary credits on their utility bills. Residential solar systems provide multiple benefits not only to households hosting the systems, but to the electrical grid and to our warming planet. Net metering policies compensate solar customers for these benefits while also making solar more affordable to low and moderate income families. And more affordable solar means more solar projects and more jobs!
In early October, Ameren IL made a misfortunate and ill-guided decision to end full retail net metering for solar customers coming online after October 1st. Using fuzzy math, the utility declared that it had met a threshold that allowed it to end the program and instead offer new solar customers a much-reduced net metering benefit that would have made solar unaffordable to many families and threatened the viability of Illinois’ low income solar program.
Fortunately, our partners in the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition brought legal action in the ICC challenging Ameren’s calculations. Prairie Rivers Network sent out an action alert to our members and supporters, and many of you answered our call, sending in letters and even speaking before the Commission. The ICC agreed with us that Ameren’s numbers just don’t add up. The decision buys us much needed time to determine a just and equitable replacement for full retail net metering in full accordance with the law.
Thank you for taking action and continuing to support Prairie Rivers Network!
