Imperial Irrigation District slams brakes on solar
Solar installers and homeowners who want to go solar are furious with the Imperial Irrigation District, saying the utility has made it impossible for the vast majority of homes and businesses to afford solar panels.
The district stunned customers in February by abruptly shutting down its solar net metering program, which compensated homes and businesses for the electricity they generate. Since then, hundreds of customers who applied for net metering before the cutoff announcement have been in limbo, unsure whether they'll be able to go solar — even though many of them already have panels on their roofs, ready to be switched on. District staff had hoped to allow some of those customers to sign up for net metering, but the agency's board rejected that proposal in a 4-0 vote Tuesday, with several board members expressing hostility to rooftop solar.