A number of the public utilities, supported by oil traders, began an organized campaign against the local solar systems installed on roofs, because they threaten their monopoly on the energy market.
According to company representatives, if the consumption of solar electricity in the residential sector will increase, the public utility companies that use traditional fuels may have serious difficulties soon. There can be different variants: from reducing sales to customer outflow and total bankruptcy, which requires an adequate response plan.
The first step of the campaign was the requirement to raise tariffs for consumers of solar energy, but this attempt failed, because a number of political forces refused to support this step. Therefore, the debates have shifted to the responsibility of public commissions for the public utilities, which raised a number of the fees that can make solar panels unaffordable for many potential customers.
But analysts believe that the solar energy will not lose the ground, because these technologies become more and more popular among the common people. For example, urban community of Lilanau, Michigan, almost achieved its goal in providing 100% of electricity needs by using the solar panels. The experience of the municipality with 2 thousand of the residents can be successfully applied in other small towns.
