Save Indiana Solar

It is a big week in the Indiana General Assembly for the future of renewable energy. Senate Bill 309, the anti-rooftop solar bill, is being voted on in the House Utilities committee after passing through the Senate with flying colors a few weeks ago, despite an outpouring of opposition from citizens. There is no doubt that this terrible bill is a tipping point for Indiana's energy future.

SB 309 would essentially kill net metering in Indiana, the process by which customers who generate their own electricity through the use of solar panels or other renewables are able to feed the excess electricity that they generate back to the grid and receive fair credits for their contribution to the system. SB 309 will end the net metering process after a tiered grandfathering process. This would severely undercut the growth of solar energy in Indiana.

In a state that still gets over 70% of its electricity from coal, solar energy provides essentially zero risk to utilities. However, per usual, the major utilities want to squash any semblance of competition or any kind of small dent in their enormous profit margin. Make no mistake: this bill was written and put forth by utility lobbyists with the help of legislators in the Statehouse who receive large contributions from the industry.

Indiana currently has more jobs in the solar industry than in the coal industry. And more jobs in the renewable sector than in oil and gas combined. In other words, renewable jobs outnumber those in fossil fuels. So not only is this bill bad for the environment, bad for the Earth's climate, and bad for Hoosiers who will no longer receive fair credit for their investments in renewable energy; SB 309 is also bad for Indiana's economy and job growth.

I urge everyone to take action ASAP and call your state representative. Tell them you oppose Senate Bill 309 as it is bad for Indiana's energy future, bad for the air our children breathe, and bad for the economy. Not sure who your legislator is? Go to http://iga.in.gov/legislative/find-legislators/ and enter your address. There is no excuse for not taking action. Our children will thank you.

Want to learn even more or get updates on legislative issues? Go to www.hecweb.org/solar.

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