• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechInternet of Things

Why Nevada Brought Back Favorable Rates for Existing Solar Customers

By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 16, 2016, 2:39 PM ET
Fortune, Katie Fehrenbacher

Nevada regulators approved a stipulation on Friday morning that will bring back more favorable rates to residents that already own a rooftop solar system in the state.

The move reverses a highly controversial decision by the Nevada Public Utility Commission last December to tack on fees and lower compensation paid to owners of home and commercial solar systems. The decision last year faced fierce opposition from local solar customers, politicians, and even some celebrities.

However, the Commission did not reverse its decision on changing the rates for future solar customers. Currently anyone who wants to buy rooftop panels in Nevada will still face the new rates that were changed in December.

The Commission’s decision this morning, which was delivered after the testimony of half a dozen upset solar owners, follows the decision by a Nevada district court earlier this week that found that the commission had violated existing solar customers’ Constitutional due process rights by switching them to a new tariff without adequate notice.

In conjunction with the court decision, solar installer SolarCity (SCTY), which has led the charge against trying to challenge the new solar rates, and local utility NV Energy, a unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, agreed on a settlement.

Critics of the Commission’s original rate change have accused the regulators of being in bed with NV Energy. The Commission has denied such accusations. Originally, NV Energy supported the decision to change rates for existing solar customers, but earlier this year asked regulators to implement the grandfather clause.

The Commission’s reversal on Friday re-establishes the prior more favorable rates for about 32,000 customers that already own rooftop solar panels in Nevada. While solar rates around the U.S. are being reexamined by state agencies, few regulators have actually changed the rates for existing solar customers. That was the cause for much of the ire that even caused Senator Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to briefly weigh in via social media at one point.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Sean Gallagher, vice president of state affairs for industry group Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), described the decision as “an important step to establish regulatory certainty in Nevada for customers who have had quite a roller coaster ride this year.”

But many in the solar industry say the future rate changes are still a major problem. Gallagher said, “We now must put policies in place that support new solar customers in Nevada so that solar jobs can once again increase, and the robust economic activity associated with solar development can resume.”

Following the commission’s decision last December, SolarCity, and other solar installers decided to stop doing business in the state, saying selling rooftop solar in Nevada was no longer economic.

For more on why Wall Street isn’t a fan of the SolarCity deal, watch:

Nevada regulators changed the rates last year after the Nevada legislator made the decision to start moving away from the solar subsidy called “net metering,” whereby rooftop solar customers are paid a certain rate for the solar power they produce. The Nevada regulators used data that found that non-rooftop solar customers were being charged unfairly on their monthly bills to make up for added costs and incentives for the solar customers.

But SolarCity and others say that data is flawed and that rooftop solar in Nevada provides a net benefit of between $7 million to $14 million per year to Nevadans (both solar customers and non-solar residents).

SolarCity plans to challenge the changed rates for future customers in an upcoming rate case.

About the Author
By Katie Fehrenbacher
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Sam Altman speaking into a mic.
AIOpenAI
OpenAI’s new model leaps ahead in coding capabilities—but raises unprecedented cybersecurity risks
By Sharon GoldmanFebruary 5, 2026
10 hours ago
tiktok
CybersecuritySocial Media
Gen Z is rebelling against TikTok USA by installing another app—founded by an Oracle alum
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 5, 2026
11 hours ago
Amodei
Big TechBattle for Talent
Tech giants are shelling out up to $400K for AI evangelists to defend against surging American skepticism
By Jake AngeloFebruary 5, 2026
13 hours ago
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy
AIEye on AI
Hey Alexa—Amazon may be teaming up with OpenAI. Here’s why that matters
By Sharon GoldmanFebruary 5, 2026
14 hours ago
Palmer Luckey,
SuccessCareers
Forget a degree—$30 billion defense startup Anduril will fast-track your job application if you can win its AI drone-flying contest
By Preston ForeFebruary 5, 2026
14 hours ago
lewis, lee
InvestingMarkets
Michael Lewis and Tom Lee hold court on the $1 trillion software-stock carnage: ‘I think fear is not a bad thing to be long right now’
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 5, 2026
15 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
After decades in the music industry, Pharrell Williams admits he never stops working: ‘If you do what you love everyday, you’ll get paid for free'
By Emma BurleighFebruary 3, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Peter Thiel warns the Antichrist and apocalypse are linked to the ‘end of modernity’ currently happening—and cites Greta Thunberg as a driving example
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 4, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Ray Dalio warns the world is ‘on the brink’ of a capital war of weaponizing money—and gold is the best way for people to protect themselves
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 4, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Crypto
Bitcoin demand in Nancy Guthrie disappearance shows how crypto is becoming a more frequent feature of physical crimes
By Carlos GarciaFebruary 4, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Tech stocks go into free fall as it dawns on traders that AI has the ability to cut revenues across the board
By Jim EdwardsFebruary 4, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Trump is giving the U.S. economy a $65 billion tax-refund shot in the arm, mostly for higher-income people, BofA says
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 5, 2026
16 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.