By Paul Murphy
Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Nov 11 2016 05:42PM
The benefits of solar power are many, including the environmental attributes pointed to in a Tribune op-ed (“Rooftop solar’s worth? Don’t Forget value of saving Earth,” Nov. 6).
Solar has grown exponentially in Utah over the past few years, and rooftop solar has played a part in that growth. But HEAL Utah’s suggestion that the way to realize Utah’s vast solar potential and its benefits is to continue to require customers to subsidize private rooftop solar panels.
The vast majority of solar energy in Utah now comes from large-scale solar farms. More than 20 facilities are operating now in Southern Utah, which together produce eight times the amount of solar energy as all rooftop systems combined. This is energy from the sun. It feeds the grid that serves all customers, and it is cost effective.
HEAL Utah points to the discussion that will take place in coming months about the proper value to place on rooftop solar and how much rooftop solar customers should receive for excess power they put back on the grid through net metering.
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Read the Op-Ed in full, here.