Arizona Public Service will soon start installing solar panels on residential homes after the state’s energy regulators paved the way for it to enter the residential solar market.

At least two energy regulators are highly skeptical of a proposal by the state’s biggest utility to enter the rooftop solar market.

Two weeks ago, the Arizona Corporation Commission released a proposal that would eliminate the state’s hugely successful energy efficiency standards, a move that would deprive consumers of billions of dollars in energy savings and kill thousands of jobs.

The Corp Comm’s hearing yesterday (Nov. 13) into APS’s proposal to install solar rooftop panels brought about passionate defenses of the company’s pitch and the existing rooftop-solar industry, but also attacks and snide remarks. “This is a brawl,” one industry insider told our reporter yesterday (Nov. 13).

If three of the five members of the Arizona Corporation Commission coincidentally attend the same holiday party next month, that could land them in hot water.

A key division of the Corporation Commission is not convinced a proposal by utility giant Arizona Public Service to install solar rooftop panels is necessary.

It appears the two outgoing Corporation Commissioners Gary Pierce and Brenda Burns will be replaced by Republicans Tom Forese and Doug Little, who each have 28.5 percent of the vote, with 35 percent of precincts reporting.

Kennedy and her husband are being sued by the federal government for nearly $200,000 in unpaid taxes relating to a Denny’s restaurant they used to own in Glendale, KJZZ reported this morning (Oct. 31).

At APS we are always planning for what’s next in Arizona’s energy future, and much of this focus has been on making sure energy in this state is sustainable for the long term. Our customers tell us they want more opportunities for rooftop solar, and we’ve listened and proposed a program that will bring more solar energy to the state.

Libertarians are not particularly fond of regulated monopolies. We favor free markets. We disagree with regulated monopolies using captive ratepayer dollars to inhibit individual choice.