Editing Net metering (section)

===Benefits===
Renewable advocates{{who|date=June 2019}} point out that while distributed solar and other [[Efficient energy use|energy efficiency]] measures do pose a challenge to electric utilities' existing business model, the benefits of distributed generation outweigh the costs, and those benefits are shared by all ratepayers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2013/01/new-state-study-demonstrates-benefit-to-ratepayers-of-net-metering|title="New State Study Demonstrates Net Metering Benefit for Ratepayers"|website=renewableenergyworld.com"|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510005109/http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2013/01/new-state-study-demonstrates-benefit-to-ratepayers-of-net-metering|archive-date=2015-05-10}}</ref> Grid benefits of private distributed solar investment include reduced need for centralizing power plants and reduced strain on the utility grid. They also point out that, as a cornerstone policy enabling the growth of rooftop solar, net metering creates a host of societal benefits for all ratepayers that are generally not accounted for by the utility analysis, including: public health benefits, employment and downstream economic effects, market price impacts, grid security benefits, and water savings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oursolarrights.org/info-net-metering/net-metering-benefits/|title=Net Metering Benefits|website=oursolarrights.org}}</ref>

An independent report conducted by the consulting firm Crossborder Energy found that the benefits of California's net metering program outweigh the costs to ratepayers. Those net benefits will amount to more than US$92 million annually upon the completion of the current net metering program.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://votesolar.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Crossborder-Energy-CA-Net-Metering-Cost-Benefit-Jan-2013-final.pdf |title=votesolar.org |access-date=2014-01-06 |archive-date=2013-10-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027113042/http://votesolar.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Crossborder-Energy-CA-Net-Metering-Cost-Benefit-Jan-2013-final.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A 2012 report on the cost of net metering in the State of California, commissioned by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), showed that those customers without distributed generation systems will pay US$287 in additional costs to use and maintain the grid every year by 2020. The report also showed the net cost will amount to US$1.1 [[billion]] by 2020.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/75573B69-D5C8-45D3-BE22-3074EAB16D87/0/NEMReport.pdf |title=cpuc.ca.gov |access-date=2013-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215184033/http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/75573B69-D5C8-45D3-BE22-3074EAB16D87/0/NEMReport.pdf |archive-date=2013-12-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Notably, the same report found that solar customers do pay more on their power bills than what it costs the utility to serve them (Table 5, page 10: average 103% of their cost of service across the three major utilities in 2011).<ref name="autogenerated1"/>