Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SoCal Edison) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) – are pushing for dramatic changes in the net metering policies that have helped the state become the nation’s leader in rooftop solar adoption. The utilities’ proposal would create the nation’s highest fixed charges for solar customers while slashing net metering payments. The changes would severely hamper the state’s solar market at a moment when the state must accelerate clean energy deployment to meet its climate and energy goals. The California Public Utilities Commission is expected to rule on the future of net metering in the state near the end of 2021.
Thursday 06/24 California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted to cook the books on rooftop solar.
Despite another notable display of grassroots support for solar, the CPUC unanimously approved changes to the methodology they use to calculate the value of rooftop solar, as compared to large-scale renewable energy. The changes reduce the value of rooftop solar down to 1/3 of the previous value, and sets the stage for the CPUC to gut net metering later this year.
350 Bay Area and the Indivisible Green Team helped mobilize dozens of people to provide well-informed testimony against the change, and leaders also spoke from Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, the School Energy Choice Coalition, Local Clean Energy Alliance, CA Alliance for Clean Energy, Sunrise Movement, San Diego Green New Deal Alliance, Center for Community Energy, Clean Coalition, Santa Cruz Climate Action Network, CA Democratic Party Environmental Caucus, Environment California and several others.
Meanwhile, over 7,000 people submitted a written comment against the change.
The CPUC won't make a final decision on net metering until the end of the year. But there's no doubt our fight just got harder. That said, we have always known that the CPUC are unelected, unaccountable political appointees and that Governor Newsom will be the real decider in this fight. This week's CPUC decision clarifies that.
1) Get 200,000 public comments to the Governor tell him to keep solar growing and reject the Utility Profit Grab. Over 30,000 people have already done so. Now we must step it up. Folks can use the Save California Solar online petition, host their own, collect comments on paper - whatever works for you.
2) Flood his phone lines. Gathering those public comments is just the first step. We must then mobilize our supporters to make phone calls to the Governor - by the hundreds, every week, through the summer and fall. As with the above, use the Save California Solar phone tool, or organize your own phone action days.
Links and info can be found at
Save California Solar