Arkansas
Arkansas' New Net-Metering Policy: Solar Industry vs. Utilities
Austin Taylor, an installer with Delta Solar of Little Rock, performed maintenance tasks last week on an array that provides 10% of the power used by the city of England.
To Douglas Hutchings, the new net-metering credit for excess solar power that customers put onto the grid simply gives most of that power’s value to the customer’s utility company.
To Heather Kendrick, the new net-metering policy, mandated by state law for new solar arrays connected to the grid after Sept. 30, simply corrects a too-generous “subsidy” to solar owners.
It may not surprise you that Kendrick is a spokesperson for the state’s largest electric utility, Entergy Arkansas, and Hutchings is president of a solar developer, Delta Solar of Little Rock.
Solar power systems that have their interconnection documents in place by Sept. 30 are granted legacy status and will be “grandfathered in” at the old net-metering credit rate. That is basically the retail rate that consumers pay for electricity on their monthly bills, slightly over 10 cents per kilowatt-hour.
For systems that miss the deadline, owners’ credit will be about 4 cents per kilowatt-hour.
The change benefits power companies, not consumers or the environment, said Hutchings, whose company expects to lose its market for solar arrays on the farm. He said the state Public Service Commission, which oversees utilities in Arkansas, can’t get utilities to prove that an attractive net-metering credit gives array owners too much.
Kendrick told Arkansas Business that Entergy Arkansas’ current rates are 22% below the national average, and the investor-owned company is proud of that. “Our work to keep our rates more affordable has produced millions in savings for the Arkansas schools we serve and for our other customers,” she said.
Entergy favors net metering, she said, but the policy change “helps restore economic fairness for all customers who receive service,” those with and without net metering.
“It is unfair and inappropriate for all other customers to be forced to subsidize net-metering facilities through utility rates, nor require customers to pay a premium because those resources cannot be depended on to serve other customers,” Kendrick said.
In response, Hutchings suggested a serious look at comments on the PSC’s net-metering dockets.
“Something like five paid utility people talk and then 95 people ask them to provide data to back up their claims,” he said. “The data is never produced, so we can’t really have a productive conversation about what policies achieve the right balance of rewarding utilities for their investments while allowing Arkansans to claim some independence on how they produce and consume electricity.”
Hutchings said he’s seen data showing that demand-metered customers (generally commercial accounts) pay more than their fair share of infrastructure and maintenance costs even under the current retail net-metering rate. “Personally, I would love to see a lot more consumer protection on the residential side.”
Delta Solar has fewer than 25 employees. “We have always grown very intentionally with the goal of never having to negatively adjust to temporary disruptions,” Hutchings said. That served the company well when net-metering rules fell into limbo two years ago and Delta “couldn’t, in good faith, sell someone a solar array until there was clarity.”
He calculates the company would have doubled in size without the net-metering rule change.
Entergy companies have about 2,700 employees in Arkansas, and the utility clearly sees the value of the solar power it generates itself.
The utility has 281 megawatts of solar generation in place, 530 megawatts scheduled to come online later this year, and another 400 megawatts approved to start generating in 2025 “with more planned in the coming years,” Kendrick said.
After a cool/chilly morning that started in the 40s and 50s, Tuesday will warm to the upper 70s and low 80s with nothing but sunshine all day long.
There will be a weak front passing through Arkansas on Wednesday. There will briefly be a few clouds along the time the front actually passes through. But once the front clears, it will once again become sunny.
Starting Friday and lasting through the weekend and into next week a strong south wind will set up. That will warm Arkansas into the mid and upper 80s and introduce a higher level of humidity. It will feel a little like Summer this weekend. Rain chances will return to Central Arkansas starting on Sunday.
With a big upper-level system and cold front approaching early next week, the rain and thunderstorm chance will go up Monday, Monday night and Tuesday. Some strong to severe storms may occur Monday evening. The front will become stationary on Tuesday which will prolong the rainy period and overall help the drought situation Arkansas is facing.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — Purple is the color of the month in Arkansas, and Lupus Awareness Month is bringing a busy stretch of events, including a mayoral proclamation and a smooth jazz concert featuring acclaimed saxophonist Merlon Devine.
A proclamation for Lupus Awareness Month is set for 6 p.m. in North Little Rock, with Mayor Hardwick expected to present it. Organizers encouraged lupus warriors and supporters to come out.
Anita Boone, President of the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas Inc. and a former lupus warrior, described the day-to-day reality of living with the disease: “One minute you’re feeling amazing, the next minute your body is saying we can’t do this.”
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, described during the interview as a condition where the immune system attacks the body “inside out.” It can affect organs throughout the body, including the brain, lungs, heart and kidneys. Boone also shared personal impacts, saying, “I am losing, actually, ear from hearing, just because of lupus.”
The Lupus Foundation of Arkansas is also inviting the community to a Lupus Smooth Jazz Concert this Sunday, May 17, at 3:30 at The Space with Grace event venue, 2005 Main St., North Little Rock.
Gale Davis, committee chair for the Lupus Smooth Jazz Concert shared details about the concert.
Davis said guests are encouraged to “dress to impress,” though formalwear isn’t required. The event will include a photo backdrop, light hors d’oeuvres and beverages, and sponsored tables aimed at networking. It’s also a chance for people to meet other lupus warriors, learn more about the foundation’s work, and watch a video presentation highlighting events from the past year.
The featured artist, Merlon Devine, was described as an acclaimed saxophonist known for a soulful, smooth jazz sound, with a career spanning more than two decades and performances across the country and around the world. He’s also an Arkansas native who attended Little Rock Central High School. He now lives in Southern Maryland, outside Washington, D.C.
Davis said Devine’s connection to lupus is personal. She said his father had lupus and has since died, though he didn’t die from lupus. They also said Divine had a sister who died from lupus in 1981 and that he currently has two sisters living with lupus.
She also shared that, according to his doctors, Devine was born with acute asthma and underdeveloped lungs. His latest single, released last year, is called “Mercy.”
Tickets must be purchased online and will not be sold at the door. They’re available online by clicking on the flyer. Prices are $40 for individual tickets, or $400 for a table of nine, with an option to sponsor a table.
Organizers also noted another proclamation is planned for the Little Rock side with Mayor Frank Scott tomorrow, and encouraged people to follow the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas on social media for updates.
The concert will take place this Sunday at the Space With Grace Venue in North Little Rock.
ASHLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — An Arkansas man died after crashing a dirt bike on Sunday.
The 21-year-old Arkansas man, formerly from Newaygo, crashed into a tree while riding a dirt bike on private property in Ashland Township near Grant on Sunday before 2:30 p.m., according to Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers.
Emergency responders tried to save his life but he died at the scene.
Troopers are still investigating but do not suspect drugs or alcohol as factors in the crash.
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MSP did not initially release any additional information.
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