The Public Utility Commission of Texas has voted unanimously to approve a net metering rule that the solar-power industry has argued will be onerous for solar panel owners and that will discourage the development of the state’s vast solar power potential. Under the rule, which is supported by retail electric providers and recommended by the PUC staff, owners of solar panels will need to pay for separate meters that measure the outflow of any power they send to the grid. The rule also fails to exempt solar-panel owners from paying distribution charges to their local utility in months when they feed more electricity into the grid than they receive. Retail providers say that the separate meters are needed because the value of the electricity received from or fed into the grid varies depending on the time of day. Solar-power proponents say that single meters capable of measuring both power inflow and outflow would best meet the intent of the law.
