A new report by market research firm IHS states that the solar industry and its customers will not be seriously affected by various changes to net energy metering (NEM) policies that have been proposed in several states across the country. Although there have been concerns that alterations could make NEM less generous for solar customers, the IHS study indicates that the industry will continue to see similar levels of growth in 2014 to what it experienced in 2013, according to DigiTimes.com.

The California legislature recently passed AB 327, a law that, as originally proposed, would have made solar less valuable for customers who have panels installed on their roof. However, the solar industry and utility companies were able to negotiate a compromise bill that benefits both sides and keeps the state’s NEM program – which allows customers to sell power back to the grid and run their meter backwards – intact.

Similar conflicts have taken place in other states, including Arizona and Colorado, where utilities have resisted the growth of solar power. Their reasoning is that solar energy undermines their business model and that, if distributed generation (DG) spreads too widely, it could end up raising rates for non-solar customers.

However, numerous studies have shown that DG can actually have a net benefit for non-solar rate payers, by reducing the amount of capital that utilities need to spend on building new generating infrastructure.

If you’ve been hearing a lot about solar power in the news but you’re not sure if your family will benefit, we recommend calling West Coast Solar today. We can schedule a solar site analysis that will answer all your questions about how this technology can provide your household with enormous value.