The California Public Utilities Commission delivered a major win for rooftop solar and a serious blow to the utility industry Tuesday, proposing to leave mostly in place a program that encourages homes and businesses to go solar.
Southern California Edison and other utilities had lobbied the commission to slash the rates at which solar customers are paid for the electricity they generate, and to approve new monthly charges. Under Edison's proposal, the average solar customer would have seen her or his monthly bill increase from $65 to $135 — a difference of more than $800 per year...