Two leading environmental charities are calling on the community to take a stand against “unfair solar charges” following the imminent introduction of an electricity tariff restructure.

The Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce and Greenrock are organising a peaceful public demonstration tomorrow in protest of the Regulatory Authority's approval of increased monthly facilities charges that they say triple the cost for residential solar customers.

The event will begin at City Hall and continue to the RA’s offices on Wesley Street, where participants will call for an immediate review of the policy they say “threatens Bermuda's renewable energy future”.

A petition launched last week on change.org by Robbie Godfrey, the chief executive of solar energy company BeSolar, also calling for an independent review, has surpassed its initial goal of 500 signatures, with 744 now listed in support.

The RA and Belco have been contacted for comment on the petition and the protest.

The regulator said previously that the restructure enables customers to contribute more fairly based on their usage while supporting a reliable electricity grid.

Belco earlier stated that the new rates will be “unbundled for greater transparency” as part of the move and are “not a penalty on solar”.

The new tariff structure is scheduled to take effect on August 1.

Representatives of BEST and Greenrock said: “The RA's decision sends exactly the wrong message.

“Instead of rewarding Bermudians who invested in renewable energy, it makes solar a far less attractive investment.

“Some homeowners are now discovering that their monthly electricity bills could actually be higher than they were before they installed solar panels.”

The new Belco facilities charge places an additional monthly cost on residential customers who invested in rooftop solar after being incentivised to do so by successive governments, to reduce Bermuda's reliance on imported fossil fuels.

The charities said that the policy unfairly penalises families who made substantial investments in clean energy while “undermining Bermuda's stated commitment to sustainability”.

One incentive for solar energy adoption came from the Government in 2018 with the solar energy rebate programme offering benefits in the areas of solar electricity and solar water heating.

BEST and Greenrock also highlighted the potential larger economic impact of the restructure, noting that investment in rooftop solar supports local electricians, engineers, installers and small businesses.

They said that the move discourages new solar installations which threatens jobs, reduces local investment and shifts more of Bermuda’s energy spending overseas through imported fuel purchases.

They called on the RA to review the facilities charge and adopt “a more equitable approach that reflects actual grid usage while recognising the environmental and economic benefits that distributed renewable energy provides to Bermuda”.

The charities said: “BEST and Greenrock believe Bermuda’s energy policies should encourage innovation, reward responsible investment and accelerate the transition to clean, affordable energy — not discourage the very people who answered the call to help build a more sustainable Bermuda.

“Members of the public, environmental organisations, businesses, solar customers and anyone concerned about Bermuda’s energy future are encouraged to attend.”

On the unveiling of the new price structure this month, Donn Foggo, the RA’s director of communications, said: “We understand that, due to some customers expecting to see changes to their bills, there will be questions — but a main objective of the redesign is to enhance transparency.

“Every customer pays for electricity and every customer also depends on the grid.

“This redesign helps ensure those two things are better aligned by making bills easier to understand, ensuring customers contribute more fairly based on their usage and supports a reliable electricity grid for the island.”

The regulator has published a detailed report on its website.