A freshman Republican legislator from the Tampa area has come to the aid of Florida’s powerful utility industry in its prolonged battle against the rooftop solar industry in Florida.

Rep. Lawrence McClure of Dover asked the Public Service Commission to review its net metering rule, a billing mechanism that requires utility companies to credit solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to theelectrical grid. The rule has been in place since 2008 and, according to the latest report from the PSC, only about 60,000 customers use net metering.

The PSC agreed to McClure’s request, and scheduled a three-hour workshop for Thursday, the first step to changing the rule. It heard presentations from both utilities and solar advocates. The public was not invited to participate.
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