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A utility backed bill could soon make solar less affordable in Florida. Lawmakers want to change what the companies pay customers who generate excess solar. Right now, they pay what they charge per kilowatt hour, but the legislation would allow payments equal to the cost avoidance of creating a new unit of power. Sponsor Lawrence McClure contends no solar customers are subsidizing those with panels. He says it will stop.

“Let’s be very clear. We are going to be at zero subsidy in the state” says McClure. “We don’t want to wake up five, seven, ten years down the road and find hundreds of millions or billions of cost shift that would result in depending on how high it got, four, five, ten fifteen dollars per month per rate payer. So we’re absolutely going to avoid that.”

The utilities contend that customers who have solar are not paying the full cost of the transmission lines and other fixed charges. Solar installers say the measure will gut the industry.