Jonathan Scott’s Power Trip

We have said here and watched our farms deteriorate.

We've watched our kids leave.

And so are we.

It could help us down here.

Solar power is a proven job creator

and it lessens our dependence on fossil fuels.

What's preventing everybody from having this?

This is a big threat.

With electricity in most of the country,

you really only have one choice.

They want to stop competition from solar.

They're one of the more powerful lobbying organizations.

Why should some company get a monopoly on that?

It's obscene.

I'm not the only one in the South that say conservative

that loves solar.

There's an economic and health justice issue

embedded in not having access to solar.

Jonathan Scott's power trip.

Now only on independent lands.

The day I did my solar install,

I remember thinking,

man, I have never seen this many smiling faces

on a construction site.

And I've been on a lot of them.

Hey, no worries.

Thank you.

Yeah.

You could tell these were people

who were working for more than just a paycheck.

There was an energy and an enthusiasm to them

like they knew their work was making a difference.

I went into it with sheer optimism and excitement.

Okay.

You're busy up here.

You can put me to work.

Whatever you need.

I couldn't believe how energized I was.

Thank you.

It's so funny because when I was a kid,

I had the calculator.

It had just the little tiny photovoltaic cell

and that's what powered the calculator.

And I said to mom,

I'm like, why don't we power everything with this?

And she said,

well, you can't.

Not something that big.

This is going to be a great thing.

So we're excited.

What was impossible when as a kid is possible now.

My whole house is being powered off of these.

So it's like, what's preventing everybody from having this?

I had visions of solar panels on every roof in the country.

But within days I realized my personal solar journey

would become the story of an entire system built to keep us

from having a choice in the way we power our lives.

My name's Jonathan Scott.

Some of you may know me as the taller,

more handsome half of TV's home renovation heroes

the property brothers.

Some of you might not know me at all.

And that's fine.

But you're here,

so sit back and relax while I tell you my solar story.

For 10 years,

my brother and I have traveled the country

turning disaster houses into dream homes.

Jonathan and Drew,

the property brothers.

I love those dreams, love them, Drew and Johnny, thank you.

If all that renovation has taught me anything,

it's that people use a lot of power.

From the moment we climb out of bed,

we're connected to a world bed by endless amounts of energy.

I'm always trying to find ways to help homeowners save money.

And I quickly realized that the booming solar industry

might have the perfect solution.

Solar energy is the wave of the future.

Solar is growing faster than most industries across the country.

Solar energy is becoming more and more popular and more affordable.

So I decided to try it myself.

This is so simple.

In less than a day,

my roof was covered in panels,

and I immediately saw my energy bills plummet.

I was creating so much energy,

I could actually make money off that giant ball of gas

that shows up every day.

But as soon as I started to soak up the sun,

my hopes were smashed.

Someone, somewhere,

was not only killing my solar dreams,

but they were making money selling the energy I paid to produce.

Sadly, like millions of solar users,

they face the harsh reality that when it comes to choosing how we power our lives

and truly having energy freedom,

this country has a long, long, long way to go.

The folks here in our valley are fuming

over the latest change with solar rates.

Many in the solar industry say the deck is stacked against them.

Just like me,

thousands of Nevadans were outraged

that somebody else was making money

of the solar energy we paid to produce.

We want them to say just how many people care about solar and energy freedom.

Solar customers in Nevada now blasting the state's decision to phase out net metering,

the incentive program that reimbursed residential customers at retail rates

for excess power generated by their rooftop panels.

In 2016, the Nevada Public Utilities Commission,

or PUC, rolled back a program that made solar power

a financially viable option for thousands of solar customers.

So you're a homeowner that's decided to make solar power your choice for energy generation.

Every day you harness the sun to create power.

Any of that power you don't use goes back into the electrical grid.

And with net metering, you receive a credit for that excess power which reduces your bill.

Years ago, a price for producing solar energy was through the roof.

Only environmental fanatics would think about investing in solar energy.

It rises like a mythical mushroom out of the pines and pomeadows of South Day.

Is it a home for a habit or a druid convention home?

Solar panels are an integral part of the home.

The future could very well look like this.

It really wasn't profitable.

They were doing this because they were the kind of bearded,

excuse me, California types.

They figured solar energy is just cool and I'm going to do this

because I'm going to thumb my nose at the oil guys, right?

But when net metering started, you could actually bring your bill to zero.

Nothing.

Zero.

Solar power is getting cheaper and cheaper,

which means the way you get electricity,

it could ostensibly change forever.

We have a chart that shows how solar power is going to overshadow existing coal and gas plants.

Net metering laws are a part of the fuel that fired up demand for solar panels.

The number of houses producing solar in states where net metering was in place skyrocketed.

Some people in areas drenched with sun were zeroing out their bills

and making a profit from the solar cells on their roofs.

Utilities are losing money because now you and your house

have control over what electricity you use and from where.

With billions at stake, utilities were fighting back.

Freedom.

Freedom.

Freedom.

This is turning into a very serious heated debate.

There were so many people at today's meeting that some of them had to wait in the hall for their turn to speak.

Existing customers are now being subjected to unfair new tariffs

that will make our large investments worthless.

Thank you.

Maybe we need to organize ourselves and vote you out.

Yes!

Yes!

Thank you.

The administration was five hours of public comment,

but just about five, ten minutes ago the PUC voted to uphold the solar rate height.

The actions you're taking today are taking from the mouths of the people

and giving it to a single monopoly utility.

You're stealing from the people and giving to the rich.

You're like the anti-Robin hoods.

So who is winning the fight against energy freedom?

Even or not, the biggest winners as a group are utilities. Yes, utilities.

When most people think of public utilities, we imagine nonprofit organizations

built to benefit your community. Because Nevada is our home, and we want what you want.

Well, nothing could be further from the truth.

You like utilities? I love utilities. Last year we were up about 21% in our utility sector.

Utilities are sexy right now, up 30% in the last 12 months.

Virtually all utilities are private companies and they are definitely built for profit.

I say the only guy who's buying the utilities is Buffett.

Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, will buy Nevada's largest utility company,

and the energy from $5.6 billion.

All over the US, some very rich people are spending billions so they can make trillions.

Solar panels could cost thousands of jobs in Colorado.

The cost of going solar in Arizona, that is going up.

Our companies around the country are changing the rules, making solar power,

and investment that could take several lifetimes to actually pay off.

It's clear to me that the utilities reap all the financial benefits

while we suffer the loss of our own.

The cost of going solar in Arizona, that is going up.

It's clear to me that the utilities reap all the financial benefits while we suffer the consequences.

I want to find out how the system got so broken because if the fight out there is anything like Nevada,

we're losing.

Welcome to the South.

You know, a lot of this part of the country reminds me of where Drew and I grew up.

There is a lot of agriculture, a lot of farms.

I spent a lot of time on the ranch, so I really feel like I know these people.

How long have you been running this piece of property?

Oh, it's been in the family since back in the early 1900s.

Oh, wow. So you can't take any credit? No, none at all.

What's sort of the perception of solar out here?

Two years ago, you couldn't talk to anybody about it.

But now, more and more people are trying to get them put on their homes and everything.

Like a lot of America, Georgia is filled with farmland.

Vast sunny countryside, perfect for solar to assist with the incredible cost of growing crops

and raising animals.

So not only do you have to get all the water pumped to all of this,

then you need to get all of this refrigerated.

Absolutely.

Yes, I'm my package head.

I have a cooler that I maintain 30, 40 degrees.

During packing season, when I'm running the plant, my utility bill won't plan along the runs.