I would like to add some perspective to Melissa Steele’s Sept. 4 article, "Rising electricity costs raise public ire."

The article makes an important point: Delaware’s heavy dependence on electricity generated outside the state leaves us vulnerable to energy prices we have little control over. Reducing that dependence should be one of the highest priorities of our General Assembly.

Unfortunately, the article gave considerable space to a Rehoboth Beach resident identified as a recent member of the Nuclear Energy Feasibility Task Force to criticize the limitations of solar and wind energy, particularly their inability to generate electricity on demand. There was no corresponding perspective explaining how solar and wind, combined with energy storage and a modernized grid, can play a critical role in meeting Delaware’s growing electricity needs.

Solar and wind do have limitations. The sun does not always shine and the wind does not always blow. But that is hardly a new problem, and it is not a reason to dismiss these resources. Battery storage is rapidly changing the equation. According to the International Energy Agency, battery storage is now the fastest-growing power technology in the world. Total installed capacity is now about 11 times what it was in 2021. Battery costs have also fallen by more than 90% since 2010. 

We should also remove unnecessary barriers to solar and battery storage.

Why should Delmarva Power be able to place limits on how much electricity a Delaware homeowner can generate from solar? Delaware's current net-metering tariff places, among other requirements, a limit of 110% of a customer's expected electricity consumption for eligible systems.

Why should the state discourage additional privately generated electricity when we are simultaneously telling residents that we need more electricity?

The cost of compensating a homeowner for a relatively small amount of excess electricity should not become a justification for unnecessarily restricting electricity generation. If there are legitimate concerns about grid stability, those concerns should be addressed through transparent, technology-neutral interconnection standards and investments in the grid – not by unnecessarily limiting the amount of clean electricity Delaware residents can produce.

The Cape Gazette article was informative and an important contribution to the public discussion. Because this issue is so important to Delaware’s future, however, I would have liked to see a more comprehensive examination of both the causes of our energy-price problems and the full range of potential solutions.