The proposed legislation would have come at a steep cost, according to testimony from several residents and entrepreneurs. For small-scale electricity generators, the changes to the net metering rule would have tripled the payback period for solar installations. To Wyoming’s budding solar industry, the bill could have deterred future solar customers and killed small solar contractors.

“If they reverse the net metering (statute) there will not be much incentive to install solar,” Gaddis said.

Camille Erickson