I recently received a letter from Delmarva Power stating it is “committed to supporting customers interested in solar energy.” In July 2022, Senate Bill 298 became law, which may impact Delmarva Power’s current and future solar customers. The new law supports the continued growth of solar and changes net energy metering rules and regulations for all utilities in the state.
Under the new law, key changes include:
• Starting May 31, all electric utilities will no longer reimburse, credit or otherwise remunerate NEM customers for any excess kilowatt hours credits at the end of the annualized billing period. Excess credits will be set to zero. Most NEM customers do not receive an NEM credit
• Starting Jan. 1, 2024, NEM customers will contribute to the societal benefits programs based on the kilowatt hours delivered to their property and not the customer’s net usage
• Provisions for adding new meters to maintain system safety and reliability, and cap the cost for such meters for residential customers at $200
• Increases the system cap for all customer NEM generation from 5% to 8%, allowing for more solar connections.
Having purchased solar power in 2017, I was enticed by the credits I would receive not only for tax purposes that year, but I was also informed I could bid on selling my excess power to Delmarva for usage by others. In all the years I have had solar power, I thought that once Green Street Solar told me my bid had been accepted, it was automatic that my generated power would be sold and I would get credits. Not so; I received a call earlier this year from DNREC telling me that I have never received these credits since I never sent them a monthly update of my meter panel to show electric generation. This was the first time I ever knew this!
Now, as the letter above states, I will no longer receive credits and I am expected to contribute to the societal benefits programs. Are you kidding me? And, I may be paying a tariff on top of this? The governor, the state and all those who voted for this have lied to us.
Even as the unconstitutional EV mandate is being shoved down our throats, I am absolutely sure the facade behind all the pros of alleged clean energy will soon fade as soon as the authoritarians in government get their way.
I have worked three jobs for more than 30 years to get into a secure financial position. Now, based on a law that has been enacted, I find that I will no longer have a secure financial position. It was usurped by these Robin Hood-style tactics the Delaware politicians are using to destroy the middle class and hardworking individuals/senior citizens to advance their own political agendas. What a sad lot these politicians are!
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
