Proposed residential solar fee in Nova Scotia delayed by a year

Nova Scotia Power Inc (NS Power) has backpedalled on proposals to start charging net-metering customers for system access by delaying the requested change by a year.

The utility last week submitted a general rate application to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, proposing a "system access charge" of CAD 8 (USD 6.3/EUR 5.6) per kW of photovoltaic (PV) capacity per month with effective date of February 1, 2022.

In a statement on Tuesday, the company admitted that the solar industry had been caught off guard by the proposal and especially its effective date. It said it will change the date in its filing from February 1, 2022 to February 1, 2023.

Solar Nova Scotia has said that the proposed fee is prohibitively high and would destroy the solar industry in the province. It estimated it would lead to an average annual fee of CAD 960 to solar customers.

Following NS Power’s filing, the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) called on the Nova Scotia government to step in and challenge the utility’s actions. According to the association, currently Nova Scotia has more than 4,000 solar homes and the industry supports hundreds of jobs in the province, mainly in rural communities.

NS Power maintains that the provincial net metering programme is not working for all Nova Scotians and needs addressing. “We hope extending the deadline by one year provides all stakeholders with the necessary time to create solutions that support the continued growth of the solar and renewable industries in Nova Scotia,” said NP Power president and chief executive Peter Gregg.

(CAD 1 = USD 0.787/EUR 0.699)

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