Advocates for solar power in Utah were catching their breath Friday after receiving word that state regulators have approved a settlement intended in part to preserve the viability of the state’s solar industry.
The settlement, approved unanimously by the state Public Service Commission on Friday, ends Rocky Mountain Power’s net metering program for reimbursing customers with solar panels for the surplus electricity they generate.
The new plan reduces the rate at which Rocky Mountain Power will pay customers for the excess energy the generate, but only slightly — and in exchange, the pact will allow the utility to recover some costs associated with those reimbursements by charging all Utah customers’ power bills.