The Coalition for Community Solar Access says the 3-1 vote ignores the need of the California Legislature and the broad coalition of ratepayer, fairness, environmental, labor, agricultural, and enterprise teams demanding useful neighborhood photo voltaic. program for over a decade.
As anticipated, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted down adjustments to its utility-backed neighborhood photo voltaic program regardless of sturdy opposition from business teams, neighborhood photo voltaic builders and even Assemblymember Chris Ward who launched the unique model of the invoice (AB 2316).
The photo voltaic neighborhood allows small companies and residents who lease or who can not set up photo voltaic on their roof to subscribe to a share of an off-site photo voltaic facility, receiving a credit score on the utility invoice for the facility it produces. In California, roughly 45% of California households are renters who don’t personal their roofs and, due to this fact, can not set up a photo voltaic system.
The Community Renewable Energy Act (AB 2316) launched by Assemblymember Ward was sponsored by the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA), and supported by the Solar Industries Energy Association, GRID Alternatives, Vote Solar, Sierra Club, and others. In explicit, investor-owned utilities, which serve 75% of the state’s electrical energy use, opposed the invoice.
Riding the tail of the CPUC’s internet metering reform, which has induced a significant blow to the residential photo voltaic business, builders and different business consultants anticipate this new laws to forestall development. of neighborhood photo voltaic in California.
California was once the main photo voltaic vitality state; nonetheless, the tide turned. Aaron Halimi, founder and president of Renewable Properties, a neighborhood photo voltaic developer, mentioned this latest resolution by the CPUC will forestall California from changing into a pacesetter in neighborhood photo voltaic. More and extra states are implementing pro-active neighborhood photo voltaic insurance policies because the market begins.
Calling the brand new guidelines a “flawed resolution”, Halimi mentioned it is unlikely the business will spend money on constructing photo voltaic and neighborhood vitality storage initiatives in California.
“The CPUC’s resolution primarily advantages the monetary pursuits of utilities and doesn’t help the State’s local weather targets or the objective of decreasing electrical energy payments for low-income Californians, which is the aim of AB 2316,” Halimi mentioned.
Derek Chernow, Western regional director for the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) launched an announcement saying the ruling “ignores the need of the California Legislature and the broad coalition of ratepayer, fairness, environmental , labor, agricultural, and enterprise teams have been demanding a useful neighborhood photo voltaic program for over a decade”.
The laws handed with a 3-1 vote, and CCSA thanked the lone dissenter, Commissioner Darcie Houck, for her vote and feedback on how this Decision will fail to attain the total potential of neighborhood photo voltaic. .
The CCSA described the CPUC’s selection to simply accept the utilities’ proposal as a duplication of failed packages that “didn’t — and won’t — construct a viable neighborhood photo voltaic market that gives reasonably priced vitality to residents. California in want of aid”.
“It’s additionally extra proof that California’s utilities are doing every thing they’ll to forestall distributed vitality era as a way to tighten their grip on the state’s energy grid. The vote strengthens the world of California is close to the underside of neighborhood photo voltaic markets nationwide, offering management to different states to really democratize photo voltaic vitality and meet nationwide vitality fairness targets,” CCSA mentioned.
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