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The Mississippi Center for Public Policy discusses solar energy and electricity bills
(Jackson, MS): The Mississippi Center for Public Policy released a report, citing that solar energy adds to electricity bills.
Mississippi households are having to pay more for their electricity thanks to solar, according to estimates published by the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
When the cost of seven different solar projects is added together, it could add around $116 to each customer’s annual bill.
The recently unveiled Sunflower County solar project alone will increase bills for most Mississippi households by an estimated $1.38 every month, or $16.56 a year. Assuming that the MS Solar, Pearl River Solar, Wildflower, Lowndes County, Delta’s Edge and Cane Creek solar projects have a similar impact on customer bills, the average Mississippi household could pay something like $116 more per year.
“Sunshine might be free, but the switch to solar energy is expensive,” explains Douglas Carswell from the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
Electricity bills were increased sharply at the start of the year when the Public Service Commission approved price increases by Entergy and Mississippi Power. At the time, the Public Service Commissioner for the Central District, Brent Bailey, blamed the price of natural gas.
“Natural gas is certainly a factor, but it is impossible to ignore the cumulative impact solar projects have in pushing up power prices,” Carswell added.
“The average monthly electricity payment of a Mississippi resident is $131.97/month or $1,583/year. A $117 additional cost over a year is a significant cost increase for Mississippi households to carry,” he continued.
According to the Mississippi Center for Public Policy estimates, solar farms have caused utility payments to increase by 7 percent in just the past three years.
“Fundamentally, the cost-plus process used to determine how much Mississippians pay for their electricity removes any incentive for the power companies to keep costs down,” Carswell said. “Low-income households are paying a disproportionately high price for what is, in effect, a crony corporatist energy system”.
A link to MCPP’s report can be found here.
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