MUSK VS BUFFETT, A SOLAR WAR IN THE DESERT HEATS UP

You know we have here in Nevada a lot of sun.

Nevada has Three Hundred and Thirty Five (335) days of clear bright sunshine.

There should be solar rooftop systems on every house and every building in this state.

We’re getting to use the biggest nuclear reactor in the universe.

The sun which is right in my eyes right now.

Nevada has some of the best conditions for rooftop solar in the country.

The cost of this particular system is Thirty Seven Thousand Dollars ($ 37,000) install.
A Twenty One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($ 21,500).
Sixteen Thousand (16,000).
Forty Eight Thousand Dollars ($ 48,000).

I had to refinance my house to pay for this. And that was another rich guy, that was like has people can
you just write a cheque for 48 grand. But the long term plan was it would pay for itself in eight years.

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In the late 90s Nevada’s government set up a policy called net metering, net metering meant that
homeowners who installed solar arrays could put surplus power back into the grid.

If I put energy on the grid, it’s used by Larry used by Jason that’s used by Ken doesn’t leave cul-de-sac.

Now when I need energy back later in the day when the sun goes down I expected to get back in
kilowatt for every kilowatt I donated for peak power.

Which in other words meant they got cheaper electric bills.

My power bills were Three Hundred and Thirty Dollars ($330) a month and they went down drastically
Ten Dollars and 15 cents a month. ($10.15)

Oh everybody was so happy we help the environment and we saved money at the same time.

Solar’s future was so sunny that in 2014 Solar City America’s largest manufacturer and a least of solar
panels was welcomed into Nevada.

They removed upfront cost of going solar and started leasing panels to homeowners with zero down.

I jumped at the chance immediately and so did a lot of other people.

So pretty soon 17,000 homeowners through general empower.
By coming in basically flooding the market with no upfront cost least systems they basically woke up the
sleeping dragon.

I used some retirement money to reduce my electric bill, permanently, I thought.

In late December Nevada’s Public Utilities Commission decided that solar customers were mooching.
They weren’t paying their fair share to maintain the grid and Nevada Energy should charge them more.

If the current plan stands, I will pay more for electricity for the next 30 years than if had not put this
system on my house.

You know it wasn’t just rip it out of here.

Solar City quickly decided that doing business in Nevada no longer makes sense.

But this isn’t just a sideshow in the desert, it’s a proxy war.

You see Nevada energy is part of Warren Buffett’s business empire and Elon Musk is behind Solar City
and it looks like Buffett’s company had just secured a victory.

…………….
Hundreds of solar homeowners came out to protest the rate changes by the Public Utilities Commission.

It doesn’t make any sense. That is a bait and switch tactics spreading to solar companies in only one of
you and then kicking them out to Warren Buffett to buy an airplane.

And some unusual collaborators like actor microfilm and a Tea Party founder turned out to protest the
Public Utility Commission.

Robert…

It was while. So he got…

I think there’s definitely a much larger issue here than my house. I think it’s larger than Nevada. I think if
the power company owned by Berkshire Hathaway essentially controlled by Warren Buffett can keep
their monopoly here can destroy rooftops over here that this is the example or the precedent that they
will take to other states across the country and I will try to kill the competition because what you see
there is competition for the monopoly power company.

If this PUC ruling will stand, it has effectively killed all new rooftop solar installation in Nevada.
The thousands of people caught in the crosshairs of these billionaires are realizing that by trying to do
the right thing, they might have made the wrong decision.

I don’t understand man, the people spend so much money to build no reason and then one day, they
come in they change the rules with no reasons at all.

That’s the biggest issue right now, that’s the biggest issue right now, because you bought something on
the premise that you were going to save money.

This place here 340 days a year, a thousand percent agree with you I was born and raised here, trust me
I know it. But it was it just doesn’t make any sense.

Warren Buffett huh…

I was pretty good.

But the environment has been left completely out of the equation and it is the environment that gains
with all these rooftop solar?

Since the rally Nevada Energy has suggested grandfathering in existing contracts, but the rate changes
are still in place making it unfavorable for rooftop solar.

It’s not clear which billionaire triumph, but what happens in Nevada may just set the course for the rest
of the country.