Wearing a pointed crown and a golden cape, an environmentalist dressed as the sun was surrounded by activists holding signs printed with solar panels in front of the Idaho Capitol. Then actors dressed in suits — representing Idaho’s governor, Legislature and Public Utilities Commission — stepped out of the Capitol and walked down to the sun and her coterie, pushing the solar panels away from the energy source.
A Star Wars-themed battle ensued: a performer in a Darth Vader costume — representing “monopoly” electric utilities — versus citizens in favor of solar. In the end, the solar-backers won, and gave their antagonists cut sunflowers to end the conflict.
The street theater skit was part of a Saturday rally held by Idaho environmental groups who are upset that state leaders have not embraced rooftop solar and other local renewable energy projects. The protest arrived seven months after Idaho Power won a contest with local environmentalists at the Public Utilities Commission over how much residents with rooftop solar should be reimbursed for sending power back onto the grid, a system that for years has allowed people who invested in solar power to recoup their costs.