Colorado PUC rejects Xcel Solar Connect plan over competition concerns

Xcel Energy's bid to create a premium solar energy program — potentially in competition with solar installers — was rejected Monday by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. Under the proposed Solar Connect program, customers would pay Xcel, the state's largest electricity provider, a premium on their bills to support solar projects. The company said this would enable those who can't have solar panels on their roofs to support solar energy. "We are disappointed with the commission's decision today," the company said in a statement. "We thought that Solar Connect could bring a solar product to consumers in Colorado that do not currently have the option to install solar panels." In a filing, the PUC staff recommended rejecting the program, saying Solar Connect would "have an unfair competitive advantage" over home rooftop solar and community solar garden programs. PUC chairman Josh Epel said Monday that the commission has to make sure that solar proposals are "in harmony and not in conflict." Solar industry executives and advocates had also voiced concerns about Solar Connect. "We applaud the PUC decision," said Rebecca Cantwell, executive director of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association. "We think they got it right. Solar Connect as proposed just had too many unresolved issues."