Appeals Court strikes down Arizona’s ‘grid access charge’ for residential solar customers

After years within the courts, the Arizona Courtroom of Appeals dominated in favor of Vote Photo voltaic, putting down the Arizona Corporation Commission’s (ACC) approval of discriminatory costs for purchasers of Arizona Public Service (APS) who’ve rooftop photo voltaic. In its determination, the Arizona Courtroom of Appeals vacated the photo voltaic charges, ruling that they had been imposed in an unfair method that violated due course of necessities.

APS, a regulated utility powering 1.4 million households and companies in Arizona, first created the photo voltaic charges in its 2022 fee case, they usually at the moment quantity to roughly $2 to $3 in further month-to-month costs for households with rooftop photo voltaic. Vote Photo voltaic filed an enchantment in 2025 against the “grid access charge.”

APS has proposed to extend the charges to roughly $6 per thirty days in its present fee case, which is into account on the ACC. Vote Photo voltaic, the Arizona Middle for Legislation within the Public Curiosity (ACLPI) and Earthjustice are opposing the price in that case as effectively.

“As Arizonans brace themselves for one more sizzling summer time, and one more fee hike by APS, at present’s determination marks an essential step ahead towards a fairer and extra inexpensive power system. Monopoly utilities shouldn’t be allowed to impose unjustified costs on households that select to decrease their utility payments by putting in photo voltaic,” mentioned Kate Bowman, Vote Photo voltaic’s West Senior Regulatory Director. “Investments in rooftop photo voltaic assist households decrease their month-to-month power prices whereas additionally offering advantages to the grid. Photo voltaic electrical energy sends energy to the grid on sizzling, sunny days when it’s most wanted, serving to to cut back prices for everybody, even these with out photo voltaic panels themselves. Now, it’s as much as the Arizona Company Fee to facet with communities and formally eradicate APS’s makes an attempt to impose discriminatory photo voltaic charges.”