State regulators in Arizona have moved to require solar customers to pay a monthly fee to utilities companies for use of the electric grid, Bloomberg reports.
The decision came Thursday with a vote by the Arizona Corporation Commission, the state's public-utilities regulator, to allow Arizona's largest utility provider,the Arizona Public Service Company to levy a fee on solar customers of a little less than $5 a month. The charge will only apply to new solar customers.
The ruling is a major win for utilities that have long been clamoring for solar users to pay extra, claiming they don't pay for their fair share of costs to maintain the electric grid.
Solar advocates disagree, saying that calls by utility companies for solar customers to pay additional fees are an attempt to stamp out the budding U.S. solar industry.
