By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent
What Happened:A recent Vote Solar note on Nevada revealed that the industry has come roaring back after legislative fixes in 2017 cleaned up the mess that lawmakers and the Public Utilities Commission created in 2016.
Once state legislators stopped gambling with the future of solar in the state, Nevada’s industry has come roaring back.
SolarWakeup’s View: Well, better late than never, right?
After the Nevada Public Utilities Commission threw the state’s solar market into disarray with its precipitous decision to eliminate net metering in 2016, the rooftop solar industry all but stopped in the state. National companies like Vivint, Sunrun and (then) SolarCity fled the market in protest.
Two years later, advocacy group Vote Solar says legislative fixes have helped the industry rebound and thrive once again.
As Rosalind Jackson of Vote solar writes:
(NV Energy’s) SolarGenerations applications went from 287 in 2016 to 3,308 in 2017, with most applications coming in the second half of the year, after AB405 was signed into law. This represents an 11-fold year-over-year increase and early monthly data from 2018 indicates continued growth.
Perhaps the best news from Vote Solar’s note is the reports of significant hiring in a state that needs jobs. Here’s what Larry Cohen, branch manager for Sunrun, a national solar installation firm with offices in Las Vegas, told Jackson:
Before the ink was dry on AB 405 – Nevada’s landmark Solar Bill of Rights – I started rehiring dozens of our workers who I was forced to lay off just 18 months earlier because of anti-solar net metering changes. We hope legislators across the country look to Nevada and see that there is incredible voter demand for solar choice. All states should take strong steps to protect access to clean, affordable local energy.
It’s a great thing to see the state with some of the highest insolation rates in the country getting its act together again on solar. Other states should see Nevada’s lost two years as a cautionary tale against changing solar policy recklessly without looking at all of the potential cosequences.
Like I said, better late than never – but those are two years of growth that Nevada solar industry won’t ever get back. And that’s a shame.
More:
Nevada Solar Applications Through the Roof Following Passage of Net Metering Bill