State regulators have rejected a proposal by Hawaiian Electric Co. to require solar companies to install expensive remote monitoring systems for small solar photovoltaic systems. 

“The equipment would have enabled the utility the ability to turn off even small residential photovoltaic systems at will,” according to a Blue Planet Foundation press release. 

Solar executives have worried about the ability of the electric utility to “curtail” the amount of solar energy generated from panels. The systems could also raise costs for consumers. 

“We view this as a victory in a sense that nothing got any worse,” Mark Duda, president of the Hawaii Solar Energy Association told Civil Beat. 

Read about the troubles that have been plaguing the local solar industry here.