BY THE SACRAMENTO BEE EDITORIAL BOARD

The last thing California needs is a new barrier to clean energy production. Yet the state Public Utilities Commission is poised to add one at the behest of private companies that see rooftop solar as a threat to future revenue.

California’s utility regulator could vote as soon as Thursday on a proposal to undercut the net energy metering program, which has led to rooftop solar installations on more than 1.3 million California households — the most in any state. Under the program, utility companies credit solar customers for the surplus energy they export to the grid, driving down their monthly bills and paying off the installation costs faster.

According to private utilities, customers who don’t use solar pay an estimated $3.4 billion a year more as a result, subsidizing the program through higher monthly bills. Utilities such as Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric Co. have weaponized this so-called cost shift to compel the PUC to act, claiming vulnerable, lower-income customers are harmed the most.