This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Yesterday we outlined how old school money man Warren Buffett is trying to protect his legacy electric utilities from upstart competitors, mostly the rooftop solar industry and one of its big names, new generation money man Elon Musk.
— Warren Buffett vs Elon Musk. And Robert Redford. And Jonathan Johnson ... — George Pyle | The Salt Lake Tribune
Add to that list, kind of, Zions Bank President/CEO Scott Anderson.
— Fair rates needed for utility and for rooftop solar — A. Scott Anderson | For The Deseret News
" ... It seems no industry is safe from being transformed by advanced technology. My own financial-services industry is being dramatically changed by small financial-technology companies. The transportation industry is also being revolutionized through ride-sharing networks and autonomous vehicles. The communications industry has already been disrupted. Anyone can now be a publisher or broadcaster using social media and blogging tools. ...
" ... Therefore, it's important that the transition to small-scale distributed energy, including rooftop solar, proceeds in an orderly, structured way to prevent electricity shortages and damage to the economy. At the same time, the electrical utility industry must recognize that this transformation is happening and it can't be stopped. The technology will improve, costs will decline and more and more people will become small energy producers.
"Utility companies should embrace this revolution, not fight it. Rather than being a monolithic provider and one-way distributor of all electricity, the utility of the future will manage and harmonize diverse electrical supplies, coordinating distributed energy, storage and efficiency programs. Utilities will need to ensure that all energy sources work together, maintaining a stable grid and a safe, clean and diverse energy supply, adequate for an energy-hungry, growing population."
Also:
— Fears over proposed changes to solar bills spark Utah application spike — Emma Penrod | The Salt Lake Tribune
"Friday could be an expensive dividing line for Utah's future solar customers — the difference between locking down current low electrical rates, and being at the mercy of Rocky Mountain Power as it maneuvers to change how it charges its residential solar customers. ..."
— You might be surprised who is turning to rooftop solar technology these days — Torrance [Calif.] Daily Breeze
" ... Sunny California continues to lead the nation in rooftop solar installations, but that's not what is most surprising about the new numbers from state utility regulators. Solar's greatest appeal is not in any tony enclave of wealthy liberals. It's in suburban, middle-class cities that are mostly Republican strongholds, an analysis of data from Southern California Edison's service area shows. ..."
— As rooftop solar costs drop, utility attempts to raise barriers may not work — Mary Ellen Klas |The Miami Herald
"Florida's utility industry steered more than $20 million of their profits into a failed constitutional amendment to impose new barriers to the expansion of rooftop solar energy generation, but developers say that as the cost of installing solar panels drops, the state could quickly become a leader in private solar energy expansion no matter what the energy giants do...."
— Governor's budget allows Oregon's rooftop solar tax credit to die — Pete Danko | Portland Business Journal
"Extending the Residential Energy Tax Credit is a top priority of the Oregon solar industry in the upcoming legislative session, but it still hasn't made it on to Gov. Kate Brown's list of things to do. ..."
— The DWP is expanding its rooftop panel program to the 'solar desert' to meet its energy goals — Ivan Penn | The Los Angeles Times
" ... Residential customers who participate in the city's Solar Rooftops Program will receive a $30 credit each month or $360 a year in exchange for allowing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to put city-owned solar panels on their property. The unusual pilot program aims to install solar panels on 400 rooftops over the next three years, beginning in early 2017. ..."