This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) is asking the Utah Public Service Commission (PSC) for permission to add a monthly charge of $4.65 to those who have installed solar panels. These panels produce electricity using the sun as an energy source. Any surplus electricity generated is sold back to RMP, and the customer pays a monthly net energy charge.
The utility claims this charge is needed to pay for maintenance on their grid and other capital expenses. But their real reason remains hidden. They do not want to lose their entrenched interest in the use of coal as an energy source. Coal dates back to its use in the railroad industry before the civil war. With Thomas Edison's invention of the light bulb in the late 1800s, coal-fired electrical power came into its own.
In many states the battle between the coal utilities and the clean sustainable sun's energy rages. To save our planet from a global warming catastrophe and to help cut down on atmospheric pollution, we must win this fight. We must leave the fossil fuels in the ground and turn to new technology to supply our increasing use of energy.
Bob Van Velkinburgh
Layton