Clean energy groups file friend of court brief to stop $300 fee for solar customers

LUMA Energy has said it plans to charge a $300 fee to more than 96,000 solar customers, which opponents of the move say amounts to an illegal tax of some $30 million.

By The Star Staff

The Puerto Rico Solar and Storage Association (SESA) and Solar United Neighbors of Puerto Rico (SUN) filed an amicus brief on Tuesday with the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) to provide the energy regulator with all the necessary information to immediately halt the $300 fee that LUMA Energy, the private operator of the island’s electric power and transmission system, has imposed on more than 42,000 solar customers.

Javier Rúa-Jovet, director of public policy at SESA, stated that “as Friends of the Court in the case brought against this fee by the Independent Consumer Protection Office (IOPC), we have raised with the Honorable Bureau the illegality of these retroactive fees for customers who installed solar systems in their homes between December 2023 and July 2025. This fee, which directly affects consumers, arises from an outdated regulation that conflicts with Act 17 of 2019, the Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act.”

In the latest Compliance Hearing on Interconnection Progress Reports on Aug. 26, LUMA also stated that it plans to charge the $300 fee to more than 96,000 solar customers, which amounts to an illegal tax of some $30 million, Rúa-Jovet pointed out.

In the brief filed by SESA and SUN, the entities propose solutions within the PREB’s powers to achieve a swift resolution to the controversy and ensure justice for customers who have purchased solar equipment to protect themselves from grid instability. The solutions include:

* That the PREB stop all retroactive charges to customers with systems up to 25 kilowatts for “supplementary studies”;

* That the PREB establish prospective temporary regulations to address thE illegal charge while it enacts a new Interconnection Regulation consistent with Law 17 of 2019;

* That the PREB promulgate this new Interconnection Regulation through a participatory process, managed and moderated by expert professionals, in accordance with the best practices of the electricity industry.

David Ortiz, senior director of the SUN program in Puerto Rico, stated that “SUN has joined this Amicus brief, which helps to raise awareness about these $300 LUMA charges.”

“These charges penalize families for contributing to keeping the island’s electricity grid reliable, clean, and affordable,” he said. “The Energy Bureau must require LUMA to respect the energy rights of its customers and keep solar energy accessible to all Puerto Ricans.”