By The Star Staff
The Puerto Rico Solar and Storage Association (SESA) urged government leaders on Friday to defend Law 10-2024 in court, following the lawsuit filed by the Fiscal Control Board (FCB) against Governor Pedro Pierluisi.
“It is truly frustrating that the Fiscal Board has decided to attack and try to eliminate Act 10 as its top priority and to use all of its power and resources in a federal lawsuit to do so. This is the first time in history that a federal entity has sued against a net metering (NM) law; something that has always been a state policy. Net metering is the only policy in Puerto Rico that helps people, particularly low- and moderate-income people, install solar panels and batteries to save their lives and livelihoods,” said Javier Rúa Jovet, SESA’s Public Policy Director, in a written statement.
Rúa Jovet added that “we call on the governor and the Legislature to fight with all their might. The governor and the Legislature have and will have the support of the people of Puerto Rico in this. The JCF has no legitimate reason to attack net metering. This is a case that Puerto Rico can and must win. And despite this JCF lawsuit, Law 10 remains in full force today until there is a final and unappealable ruling from the federal courts. So today all new solar customers continue to be protected by law and have the right to full net metering. The time to install and protect yourself and your family with solar and storage is now.”
Rúa Jovet pointed out that net metering was created by the Legislature in 2007 and extended through 2030 through Law 10. “Law 10 is entirely aligned with the renewable energy goals that the Energy Bureau is called upon to promote. Law 10 has nothing to do with the independence of the regulator. Furthermore, the Energy Bureau itself expressed in the legislative process of creating Law 10 that it would benefit the net metering program.”
“Today is a sad day for Puerto Rico, faced with a Fiscal Board that does not respect the will of the people nor defend their right to solar energy. The Net Metering Program is essential for Puerto Rican families to have an incentive that makes access to alternative energy sources cost-effective,” concluded Rúa Jovet.
A recent study by SESA titled “Impact of the Devaluation of the Net Metering Policy in Puerto Rico” concluded that the elimination or reduction of net metering would disproportionately harm the most vulnerable families and communities, affecting between 69,000 and 197,000 families who will not be able to access solar energy in Puerto Rico by 2030. This study, as well as the study published by Gabel Associates, show how net metering represents a positive net financial benefit for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). Both studies are available at sesapr.org/netmetering .
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