By The Star Staff
Several New Progressive Party representatives said Monday they will go to court to defend the U.S. commonwealth’s net metering program.
NPP representatives Víctor Parés and José ‘Cheito’ Hernández advanced, in a press conference, the possibility of going to federal court to defend the net metering program, which is the driving force behind the change to renewable energy sources in Puerto Rico.
The representatives announced they are compiling data they intend to present to federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain, who oversees the government and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s bankruptcy processes. The Financial Oversight and Management Board sued last week to stop the government from executing Act 10 of 2024, a law that would stop the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) from making any changes to the current net metering and energy distribution policy until at least 2031.
Along with the legislators were the Puerto Rico Solar Energy and Energy Storage Association directors, better known as SESA, including its public policy director, Javier Rúa.
“Net metering is the heart of the energy transformation in Puerto Rico. With this program, photovoltaic system customers receive lower LUMA Energy bills because they generate part of their electricity. With this, we see a marked shift to green energy, and we do not plan to stop. Net metering was implemented in the United States in 2005 and has been successful. In Puerto Rico, it was done years later, and the results are even more impressive. Currently, around 3,350 solar systems are installed in residences every month, which would stop if the Financial Supervision and Administration Board (Board) eliminates Law 10-2024, which renders void any increase in the electric energy bill, guaranteeing net metering – until 2030,” commented Parés.
The Oversight Board alleges that Act 10-2024 is contrary to the Debt Adjustment Plan (PAD) of the Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and hinders the powers of the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau.
“We are talking about how eliminating net metering impacts those most in need. Studies indicate that some 144,000 families with limited economic resources, many with older adults, can no longer install their solar systems. To this we add the certain loss of over 7,000 direct jobs due to the collapse of the solar panel industry. Without saying anything about losing up to 1,137 megawatts of distributed renewable energy. That is unacceptable. “We have been in conversations with the President of the House of Representatives to evaluate going to the federal court to defend net metering,” added the legislator.
“Law 10-2024 changed the deadline for the Energy Bureau to complete the net metering study. Under the new provisions of Article 4 of Law 114-2007, the Bureau must begin the study no earlier than January 2030. With the request of the Board, the net metering program will be eliminated for all purposes. We reject the Board’s request, and we are going to seriously discuss going to Court to prevent the Board from implementing a new charge for people who have solar panel systems on the Island,” said Hernández.
Rúa Jovet expressed that “the claim is clear. Law 10 and net metering are essential for people to access resilience via solar energy with batteries. Without Law 10 and without net metering, this will not be possible.”
Rúa Jovet added that “at this time it is crucial that the Governor opposes the Board’s demand. It is time for all of us, the Governor, the Legislature and the People of PR, to fight with all our might to defeat this unjust and illegitimate action by the Board against the people’s right to protect their lives via clean energy.”
The net metering program was created in 2007 to encourage residential and commercial customers to install photovoltaic energy systems. Through this program, the client would receive compensation for the excess electricity generated by their equipment, and through a credit, they would only pay for the net electricity supplied by PREPA.
So net metering only benefits wealthier property owners at the expense of the poor. The rich get free electricity for the next eight years at least.