Would legislation being considered in Des Moines hurt solar energy in Iowa?

Solar energy supporters are trying to marshal opposition to a new bill in the Iowa Legislature which passed the Iowa Senate on Monday and is now headed to the Iowa House.  State Senator Michael Breitbach of Strawberry Point was among the 28 state senators voting to approve the bill.

The bill reportedly is being pushed by MidAmerican Energy through an organization called the Real Coalition.  Their argument is that people who have solar energy panels on their houses aren't paying the costs of maintaining the grid, the fixed network that connects all electricity users.

But Winneshiek Energy District Director Andy Johnson says that's a false claim.  Every customer of an electric utility pays a monthly meter charge designed to pay fixed network costs.  Additionally, if solar energy producers create more energy than they use, they're paid two or three cents per kilowatt hour when their utility receives that electricity, but have to pay 10 cents or more per kilowatt hour when their solar panels don't generate sufficient electricity.

But Johnson says the biggest argument against the new legislation is that it represents an attempt by the state legislature to usurp the decision-making powers of the Iowa Utilities Board.  Argues Johnson, "Regulators should be the ones making these decisions."

In fact, the Iowa Utility Board in 2017 ordered Iowa's utilities to spend the next three years collecting additional data and information involving solar energy costs.  Any decision by the legislature this year would shortcut that process and take the Iowa Utilities Board out of the decision making.