Residential Utility Consumer OfficeSolar Alliance
On Friday, October 3, 2008, the Solar Alliance (“Applicant” or “Alliance"), filed an application with the Arizona Corporation Commission ("ACC" or "Commission") asking for a declaratory order that providers of certain solar service agreements would not be public service corporations ("Application"). The Alliance also requested that the Commission act on the matter in an expeditious manner without a hearing.
According to the Alliance's Application, the Applicant is an alliance of solar manufacturers, integrators and financiers dedicated to accelerating the development of photovoltaic ("PV") energy in the United States. The Alliance specifically targets its efforts to help legislators, regulators and utilities make the transition to solar power by providing technical and policy expertise to create programs that are in the best interest of residential, commercial, and government customers and Americans as a whole. The Alliance’s members include solar energy services companies that provide services to customers to facilitate their use of clean, renewable energy. These services are provided to customers pursuant to solar service agreements (“SSAs”). SSA providers supply a package of services to customers, including analysis of customer load characteristics; sizing and placement of solar generation facilities; financing of costs of acquiring solar facilities.
On Thursday, February 19, 2009, RUCO filed a motion to intervene in the case on behalf of residential ratepayers. RUCO's request was granted by the ACC's Hearing Division.
On March 11, 2009, ACC Staff filed a Staff Report on the Alliance's Application recommending that a hearing be conducted in the matter.
On April 17, 2009, RUCO filed a response to the Staff Report which supported ACC Staff's request for a hearing.
On Monday, June 22, 2009, a procedural conference was held at the ACC's Phoenix office to discuss the issues raised in both the Alliance's Application and the Staff Report. During the procedural conference, RUCO took the position, as did a number of other intervenors to the case, that the Alliance lacked standing.
On Monday July 6, 2009 the ALJ assigned to the case issued a procedural order that ordered that a hearing on the Alliance's Application is not appropriate at this time.
Because the Alliance is not a public service corporation seeking a permanent increase in utility rates, the Commission's time clock rules do not apply in this particular matter.
Depending on the course that the proceeding takes, a Recommended Opinion and Order ("ROO") will be issued by either ACC Staff or an Administrative law Judge (if a hearing is conducted). The ROO will then be voted on by the five sitting ACC Commissioners during a noticed Open Meeting. The Commissioners can either accept, reject or amend the ROO.
No date on a final decision on the Alliance's request can be estimated at this time.