Most utilities purchase a homeowner’s excess solar power for the same price they sell power from the grid. But some utilities don’t think this practice, called net metering, is fair.
According to MarketWatch, some utility companies around the country complain that “net metering doesn’t cover their costs of accommodating solar.” Some states have supported regulation that lets utilities pay for home solar at lower prices than grid power.
According to Mark Dyson, a manager at alternate energy research center Rocky Mountain Institute, these lower payments have a big impact on whether home solar is cost effective.