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Electric Company Wants Monthly Fee For Solar Users
7-Vodka writes
"Xcel Energy customers who have their own solar panels are worried about a new fee being proposed by the company. A monthly fee to pay for transmission and distribution of energy would be charged to customers who have solar panels, irrespective of their energy use for the month. An Xcel Energy spokesman said the fee is to ensure that regular customers don't subsidize the 'connectivity fees' for the solar panel customers who don't pay when they generate as much as they use. When pressed, the spokesman admitted that nobody actually pays a 'connectivity fee,' yet they wanted to prevent the mooching from occurring in the future (presumably when they hit everyone with such a fee). He also called the absence of a connectivity fee for solar customers a 'double subsidy' because many solar customers receive rebates to install the panels."
From the article: The monthly fee, which would pay for distribution and transmission of energy
So no, it is exactly as I described it. And what you suggest is exactly what they want to do, charge a monthly fee to be connected to the grid. There is a small difference though between your plan and theirs. Under their plan if you buy enough power from them they waive the fee because they figure they got enough money to cover the grid costs out of the combined power+transmission cost per kWh they generally charge for power.