How do utility companies combat solar power

Do utilities pay for solar panels?

In most states, utilities pay solar customers for power they send back to the grid. But there's a battle over what that sun-fueled energy is worth. Lynn Krell is unhappy with the reimbursements she gets from her utility company for having solar panels on her garage in Hattiesburg, Miss. Bryan Tarnowski for NBC News

How can utilities accommodate solar customers?

What's more, in order to accommodate solar customers, utilities say they must invest in new technologies that allow them to, for example, scale production up and down based on whether it's a sunny or cloudy day.

Could solar be a smart move for utilities?

"We're just a few years away from affordable batteries, which—along with a backup generator —will allow existing and new solar customers to disconnect from the grid entirely." Which means that some day soon, consumers could defect from the grid en masse. The far smarter move for utilities would be to embrace solar, he says.

Do solar customers affect utility finances?

But research shows that solar customers have a positive impact on utility finances because they reduce electricity demand and, therefore, the tremendous expense of adding capacity, says Sara Baldwin Auck, regulatory program director at the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.

Should utilities buy solar power from non-utility generators?

Non-utility generators may benefit indirectly if utilities buy solar power from them to comply with the Clean Electricity Performance Program. But by focusing on utilities, the program threatens to alienate non-utility generators and stifle competition.

Should solar power payments be curbed?

But as solar power has become cheaper and more widespread, utilities in some states have pushed to curb the payments, said Autumn Proudlove, senior policy program director at the NC Clean Energy Technology Center at North Carolina State University.