Fires are coming. But PG&E and some cities are holding up battery backups

By SAMMY ROTH STAFF WRITER, LA TIMES

It’s been six months since Dan Terre, his wife and their two children were forced to flee their home in Sebastopol, a small city near the coast in Sonoma County wine country, as the Kincade fire threatened to burn through town.

Sebastopol was ultimately spared. But even if Terre’s family could have stayed, they would have been stuck without electricity for five days, the result of Pacific Gas & Electric shutting down its power lines to prevent them from sparking additional blazes — a fire-prevention tool made necessary in part by the company’s long history of not adequately maintaining its infrastructure.

This year, Terre wanted to be ready with a solution: solar panels on his roof and a big battery in his garage to keep power flowing to his family’s lights, refrigerator and pollution-filtering air conditioner the next time PG&E decided to shut off the electricity.

But as the coronavirus brought much of daily life to a halt, problems mounted for Terre’s solar-plus-storage project. Sebastopol had closed its permit office. And PG&E had stopped doing the on-site work that many home solar installations need to move forward.

“I don’t know how much lower I could think of PG&E at this point. But they’re not even providing the basic services for us to be able to protect ourselves from their negligence,” Terre said.

With California’s next fire season just a few months away, companies are scrambling to install rooftop solar panels and electricity-storing batteries at customers’ homes to help them keep their food cold and their phones charged during the power shutoffs to come.

But with most economic activity shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, solar firms say they’re stuck navigating confusing local rules that have made it difficult to do business in parts of the state, especially the San Francisco Bay AreaSome solar workers have been ordered down from rooftops after neighbors called the police, even in places that have nominally allowed solar and battery projects to continue, according to Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar and Storage Assn., an industry trade group.

Uneven enforcement of unclear local stay-at-home orders is just one problem facing installers, Del Chiaro said. Another issue is that some cities and counties have shut down their building permit offices, or are refusing to issue permits for solar and storage projects.

“We could ask every single building department in the state, and there are over 500,” Del Chiaro said. “And they would all have a different answer” about their ability to issue permits.

Then there’s PG&E, the San Francisco-based utility company that filed for bankruptcy protection last year in the face of tens of billions of dollars of potential liabilities from fires ignited by its infrastructure, including the Camp fire, which killed 85 people.

Under pressure from the solar industry, PG&E ultimately changed course on rooftop projects, announcing that beginning May 1, it would start disconnecting and reconnecting customers like Terre who want to add solar or batteries to their homes.

“We want to make sure that obviously we move cautiously, and continue to keep our customers protected, and make sure that our field workers are protected in doing that,” Maril Wright, senior director of PG&E’s energy savings assistance program, said during a Public Utilities Commission workshop last week.

For the solar industry, local governments might be a harder nut to crack.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office issued a directive last month that included the electricity sector on a list of industries exempt from stay-at-home orders, but it didn’t mention solar projects explicitly. The California Energy Commission got more specific on Monday, releasing a statement clarifying that solar and energy storage installers are considered essential electricity industry workers.

The Energy Commission “supports local enforcement agencies continuing to permit building construction and energy projects, including [solar] and battery storage installations for both newly constructed and existing buildings,” the commission said.

It’s yet to be seen if cities and counties might respond by making life easier for solar and battery installers.

In the meantime, companies continue to grate against local rules they feel are unnecessary and counterproductive.

Take Santa Clara County in the Bay Area, an early hot spot for coronavirus infections. County officials initially allowed installations only of solar-plus-storage systems, since those systems can provide backup power. Adding solar panels without batteries “should be postponed if the system would not provide backup power in the event of an outage,” the county said on its website.

The county changed its policy this week, issuing a new shelter-in-place order, effective May 4, that allows all rooftop solar projects to proceed.

But to solar providers, the county’s original policy missed a key point: that rooftop panels can help people keep their energy costs down at a time when millions of Californians have filed for unemployment and residential electricity use is up as much as 20%. Some solar installers offer no-money-down deals that allow homes to start reducing their monthly electricity costs immediately.

“We have been asking [Santa Clara County] to clarify that solar is essential, and explaining to them how we’re very much a part of the electricity sector,” said Anne Hoskins, chief policy officer at San Francisco-based Sunrun Inc., the largest U.S. rooftop solar installer.

“Small-scale solar counts as essential, as does Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant,” she added. “The state does not differentiate.”

Although some economists dismiss rooftop solar as an expensive sideshow to big, centralized solar farms that generate electricity more cheaply, it has grown rapidly in California in recent years, in part because of the cost savings it offers to consumers.

Federal data show that electricity generation from solar installations smaller than 1 megawatt — which mostly consist of rooftop panels on single-family homes, commercial businesses and other buildings — more than tripled in California between 2014 and 2019. The state got more electricity from small solar projects last year than it did from wind turbines.

California also hit its longtime goal of 1 million solar roofs last year.

And there are growing signs that small-scale solar could play an important role in the future of the power grid.

East Bay Community Energy, a government-run electricity provider in Alameda County, signed a contract last year with Sunrun for half a megawatt of “resource adequacy” — an important energy service that has long been the domain of large power plants.

Just last week, Public Utilities Commission staff proposed that utilities evaluating how much value they would get from small solar installations must consider the cost savings from not having to build new transmission lines to import power from faraway solar farms. It’s a change that would help fuel the construction of local solar facilities that can help communities keep the lights on when long-distance lines are shut down to prevent fires, said Craig Lewis, executive director of the nonprofit Clean Coalition.

“Not only do you get cheaper energy, but you get the resilience benefit for free,” Lewis said.

Like most of the rest of the economy, the solar industry has been hurting over the last two months.

The California Solar and Storage Assn. surveyed more than 200 of its member companies this month and concluded that 15,000 people have likely been laid off or furloughed, about 20% of the sector’s overall workforce in the state. Smaller companies reported laying off a higher percentage of their employees. More than 90% of solar installers surveyed said business is down.

Brad Heavner, the trade group’s policy director, described a problem where solar and storage companies can’t develop a project pipeline without employees, but can’t pay employees unless they have projects in the pipeline.

“The longer this happens, the harder it will be to crawl out,” Heavner said during a Public Utilities Commission workshop.

It’s not possible for solar installation crews to maintain six feet of distance, the public health guideline for avoiding transmission of the novel coronavirus, at all times. Carrying a heavy lithium-ion battery into a garage, for instance, may require two people.

But solar firms say they are minimizing risk to their customers and employees.

More than two dozen companies sent a letter to Santa Clara County outlining the steps they have taken to abide by public health guidances, including conducting sales calls online and aiming for “zero physical contact with customers” during installation.

Nate Otto, president of Hot Purple Energy in Palm Springs, said he’s limited crew sizes and instructed workers to drive to job sites separately. He said his employees have been wearing masks and gloves since before it was required by Riverside County.

For weeks, Palm Springs refused to issue permits for Hot Purple Energy to install solar and storage projects. But the city changed course this week, Otto said, after he convinced officials that building inspectors could do their work without going into homes.

“Now they’ll issue the permits, but it’s still going to be slow,” Otto said. “Just because of all the difficulties of COVID.”

Unlike some of his industry peers, Jeff Mathias, co-owner and chief financial officer of Synergy Solar in Sonoma County, thinks solar-only installations are nonessential and ought to stop for now. But he sees solar-plus-battery systems as a critical backup power source for people worried about sheltering in place during the preemptive power outages that are likely to come this fall.

Mathias has been frustrated by a rapidly shifting landscape of city and county rules defining “essential work.” He also pointed to a Santa Rosa retirement community where, he said, the architectural committee has stopped approving any new solar system designs. It’s the type of place where some older residents may depend on electricity to power life-sustaining medical equipment.

“We have to get these jobs done before September, and every day we can’t work is one more job we can’t install,” Mathias said.

Like Pacific Gas & Electric, the state’s other big investor-owned utilities — Southern California Edison and Sempra Energy subsidiary San Diego Gas & Electric — both shut off electricity to some customers at times last year in an effort to avert fire ignitions.

But those outages were more limited. And Edison and SDG&E have continued to disconnect and reconnect solar customers as needed.

It’s typically been easier to get solar and batteries installed in Southern California during the coronavirus outbreak, companies say.

The California Solar and Storage Assn. pointed to Los Angeles County as one of a few jurisdictions that adopted virtual inspections well before COVID-19. The cities of Irvine in Orange County and Oceanside in San Diego County have followed suit since the pandemic began. The trade group also lauded the city of Los Angeles and San Diego County for offering online permitting with quick turnarounds.

The energy storage business could get a boost on May 1, when the Public Utilities Commission starts accepting applications for more than $600 million in incentive funding for battery installations in homes that could see their power shut off come fire season.

The funding will be available to homes in areas that are at high fire risk and whose residents are low income, depend on electricity-powered medical devices or have seen their power shut off in two previous five-prevention outages. Critical facilities in high-risk areas — including police and fire stations, hospitals, cooling centers, homeless shelters and grocery stores — can also apply for incentives.

Rooftop solar advocates hope the Public Utilities Commission will get the money flowing quickly.

“This is the time for us to access that and aggressively go out and work with customers to help them be prepared,” Sunrun’s Hoskins said. “It not only provides a resilient source of energy, but it helps support these companies. This is a source of jobs.”

Terre, whose family evacuated during the Kincade fire, was able to get solar panels and a battery — but only by skirting the rules.

He had a contractor install the system this month despite not being able to get a building permit from Sebastopol. The city reopened its permit office last week and retroactively issued a permit, he said. As for PG&E, Terre said he talked with a lineman who called his employer’s work restrictions “bogus” and promised to come back next week to get everything ready to go.

Terre said he’s long wanted to go solar and get off fossil fuels. The threat of blackouts made the decision more urgent.

“I want the battery because I want the security,” he said.

READ ARTICLE ON THE LA TIMES’ WEBSITE >>

Solar batteries can power California through crisis and into the future.

Article written by CALSSA Executive Director, Bernadette Del Chiaro, for the Sacramento Bee

California has become a tinder box with more than 75 communities most at risk of severe wildfires: physically, socially, and financially.

PG&E’s response to the high fire risk – pulling the plug – brings our lives to a standstill. We lost roughly 200,000 MWh of power in the 2018 and 2019 blackouts. In human terms, that means schools shut down, food goes to waste, businesses shutter, wells stop pumping, traffic slows, and people in critical need of power for medical assistance are stranded.

The writing of sustained fire danger may be on the wall: PG&E’s blackouts are not the economically or socially sustainable answer. There is a better solution.

Recent PG&E blackouts are the most significant outages in our state’s history, but California has always had the most unreliable power service in the United States—outpacing runner-up Texas by almost double the number of power-cuts in the last ten years. Where do we begin to find solutions for a problem as systemic and pervasive as ours?

The solution has been shining on us all along: the sun.

We are seeing more businesseshomes and government agencies turn to solar and storage for a reliable energy alternative. Today’s solar battery is not only affordable, it allows us to make the sun shine at night to power our homes, and in the future our electric cars.

Solar installations paired with storage improve air quality and address the very real threat of climate change in actionable, accessible ways. In addition to significantly reducing energy costs for all utility customers, local solar and storage technology is also job-intensive: mobilizing the workforce in safe, skilled, and secure working conditions in the communities we live.

The blackouts necessitate local energy supplies and provide conditions for them to thrive, but outdated policies and barriers from utilities impede consumers from getting cost-effective, clean and reliable solar and storage technologies. Solar and storage could be powering communities in need, particularly in times of crisis, and saving energy, money, and lives, but the reliance on a broken, unsustainable electric grid endures. California should be doing more.

California needs to put forward energy solutions that are as big as the problems that need to be solved. Toward that end, Governor Newsom should announce a plan to build a million solar batteries in five years. This will support the creation of more resilient homes, businesses, and communities throughout California.

Local, smart energy resources like solar roofs and garage batteries can transform our energy system into one that puts consumers first, keeps the lights on for everyone, helps prevent more grid-caused disasters, and is one of the most concrete and tangible ways to engage everyone in fighting climate change.

What Governor Schwarzenegger did for solar panels in the wake of the 2001 energy crisis - with the Million Solar Roofs Initiative - Governor Newsom can do for energy storage with the Million Solar Batteries Initiative. In an energy landscape bolstered by storage, the state would be empowered by a comprehensive solar and storage policy that pays for itself over time. A clear and sustained initiative would give companies the certainty they need to ramp up manufacturing, streamline installations, and lower costs.

The cost of going solar dropped 80% during Schwarzenegger’s Million Solar Roofs Initiative. We can do the same for energy storage with the help of big, bold leadership.

The need of the hour is to empower consumers and communities to build a safer, more resilient local energy supply. We need to re-imagine a creative, brave future where millions of people can keep the lights on with local clean energy.

We need to prioritize and incentivize solar and storage technology for individuals, low-income housing, businesses, and schools in order to lower costs and remove barriers. We need to support a local, clean energy revolution, where communities lead the way in building local energy that is safe and reliable. The time is now.

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California now has 1 million solar roofs. Are 1 million batteries next?

Article written by SAMMY ROTH of the LA Times.

For Clovis Unified School District outside Fresno, the economics of solar power have been too good to pass up. And for the solar industry, the district’s investments in sun-generated electricity have helped fuel a milestone 14 years in the making.

For Clovis Unified School District outside Fresno, the economics of solar power have been too good to pass up.

And for the solar industry, the district’s investments in sun-generated electricity have helped fuel a milestone 14 years in the making.

Clovis Unified has installed solar systems covering parking lots and play areas at 47 of the 52 school sites it operates — and more installations are planned. Five high schools also have lithium-ion batteries, which store energy for use after the sun goes down.

Michael Johnston, Clovis Unified’s associate superintendent of administrative services, said the district was avoiding $4 million a year in costs through lower energy bills. The solar panels also provide much-needed shade and help to reduce air pollution in the smoggy San Joaquin Valley.

“If we’re going to use the dollars we have wisely and be good stewards of public dollars,” Johnston said, “then this is something we can’t ignore.”

The solar panels and energy storage system at Buchanan High School in Clovis provided the backdrop Thursday for a gathering of clean energy advocates and elected officials. They were celebrating a landmark that California reached this summer: 1 million small-scale solar systems.

The event featured former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who in 2005 set a statewide target of 1 million solar installations and launched a program that would ultimately set aside more than $3 billion for solar rebates. In an interview, Schwarzenegger credited those rebates with growing the market.

“Exactly what we predicted would happen did happen, which is that the price of solar came down. So now we don’t need any more subsidies,” he said.

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, who in 2005 set the statewide target of 1 million solar installations, and Dan Jacobson, director of Environment California.

Even as they celebrated, clean energy advocates were talking about what would come next — and warning that climate change demands faster action.

Schwarzenegger’s successor, former Gov. Jerry Brown, warned that rising global temperatures posed a serious threat to California. He listed rising seas, the spread of disease-carrying insects and an increase in cross-border migration as a few of the many climate change effects relevant to the Golden State.

“We’re in big trouble,” Brown said at the event. “And if we don’t do something, things will get a lot worse.”

Now that California has reached 1 million solar roofs, some activists are looking at battery storage as the next frontier for lawmakers.

Dan Jacobson, director of Environment California, thinks the state should aim to install 1 million batteries by 2025. Those systems could store solar power for use in the evening — and help homes keep the lights on when utility companies intentionally shut off power to reduce the risk of wildfire ignitions.

Jacobson said state policies could help spur the nascent battery storage market in much the same way they did for rooftop solar power.

“A rebate program would create the incentive that we need to drive down prices and increase the numbers,” Jacobson said.

Solar panels at Buchanan High School in Clovis, Calif. Clovis Unified has installed solar systems at 47 of the 52 school sites it operates — and more installations are planned.

Austin Perea, a senior analyst at the energy research firm Wood Mackenzie, said 1 million batteries by 2025 would be difficult but not impossible.

The rooftop solar market is already growing fast, with Wood Mackenzie reporting Thursday that California was one of 15 states to install record amounts of residential solar in the third quarter of 2019. The firm attributed the surge in part to the growing use of “public safety power shut-offs” by Pacific Gas & Electric and other utilities, with installers reporting that as many as 40% of new customers want to pair energy storage with their solar panels, Perea said.

State subsidies could help reduce battery prices in much the same way they helped drive down solar costs by growing demand, Perea said.

“Costs only came down because [California] provided sufficient financial incentive for those manufacturers to scale up,” he said.

But Perea cautioned that several factors outside Sacramento’s control would affect the home storage market.

One of those factors is the federal investment tax credit, which is scheduled to gradually drop from 30% in 2019 to zero in 2022 for residential solar-plus-storage projects. The solar industry has been lobbying for an extension, with House Democrats unveiling legislation last month that would extend the tax credit an additional five years.

Another policy that has fueled the growth of rooftop solar is net energy metering, which requires investor-owned utilities to compensate rooftop solar customers at retail rates for the electricity they export to the grid.

The California Public Utilities Commission maintained net metering over the objections of PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric in 2016. But the agency is expected to begin reconsidering the rate structure next year.

Some experts say the costs of net metering and other policies that promote rooftop solar and storage may outweigh the benefits.

James Bushnell, an energy economist at UC Davis, said solar-friendly electricity rate structures had allowed rooftop solar customers to avoid paying their fair share of the costs of maintaining the bulk power grid. If state officials continue requiring utilities to offer net metering, those power grid costs will increasingly be shouldered by homes and businesses that don’t have solar panels — especially if solar customers also add batteries, Bushnell said.

For Bushnell, public support for rooftop solar and home batteries makes little sense when large-scale solar farms and storage systems are cheaper.

“From a societal perspective, that’s a tremendous waste of resources,” he said.

Bernadette Del Chiaro, now executive director of the California Solar and Storage Assn., lobbied the Legislature to approve Schwarzenegger’s Million Solar Roofs initiative in 2006.

Rooftop solar advocates disagree. They say distributed energy resources reduce the need for polluting power plants and costly grid investments.

California’s millionth solar system was a long time coming for Bernadette Del Chiaro, who lobbied the Legislature to approve Schwarzenegger’s Million Solar Roofs initiative in 2006. She said the decision to hold Thursday’s event at a Central Valley high school showed how mainstream solar had become.

“It defies all stereotypes that people tend to think about solar. Certainly this was true in 2006,” said Del Chiaro, who now serves as executive director of the California Solar and Storage Assn., in an interview before the event. “My most quoted quote back then was, ‘People think solar’s just for backwoods hippies and Malibu millionaires, but it’s not. And we’re going to make it more mainstream through this program.’ And it has absolutely come true.”

Data collected by the state back up that claim.

Of the 950,000 solar projects in a database covering most of California, nearly 400,000 are located in inland counties. And although the vast majority of those solar projects are on residential rooftops, about a third of the overall power capacity is installed at businesses, schools and government properties.

Around 6.6% of utility customers in California have installed solar, according to additional data collected by the California Solar and Storage Assn.

There are big differences across the state. For instance, 150,000 of the 1.4 million homes and businesses served by San Diego Gas & Electric have gone solar, compared with just 34,000 customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which has roughly the same number of accounts as SDG&E.

An average rooftop solar system in California costs $3.50 to $4 per watt, Del Chiaro said, which at the high end comes out to $20,000 for a five-kilowatt system. Homes typically see a “payback period” of six to seven years, after which cumulative energy-bill savings surpass the up-front costs of the panels.

“We’re just at the beginning stages of developing that market and getting batteries tied to every solar panel,” Del Chiaro said. “It’s going to take the same level of commitment by the state to make that happen.”

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New Poll: Nearly All Americans Want Congress to Extend Clean Energy Tax Incentives

Extending Clean Energy Tax Credits Would Fulfill 25% of U.S. Paris Climate Agreement

A new survey released today shows that Americans overwhelmingly support extending tax incentives for clean energy and would change their vote based on the issue.

Leading Climate and Clean Energy Organizations Supporting Clean Energy Tax Incentives

Leading public opinion research firm Global Strategy Group (GSG) surveyed voters across the country, including in key battleground states and districts, and found that 89% of voters support extending clean energy tax incentives for solar, wind and energy storage. Voters overwhelmingly believe that these tax credits are not only an effective tool to combat climate change, but also benefit the economy and public health.

Support is overwhelming across all demographic and partisan groups, with 95% of Democrats, 86% of Independents and 83% of Republicans in favor. The poll also found that a candidate who supports extending clean energy tax credits sees up to a net 21-point boost relative to the generic ballot when matched against a candidate who opposes an extension.

"These are remarkable results," said Andrew Baumann, Senior Vice President at Global Strategy Group. "Not only to see such overwhelming cross-partisan consensus at such a polarized time, but to see how many voters would shift their vote based on the issue."

The findings complement a recent analysis by independent research firm Rhodium Group, which found that a robust clean energy tax package "could represent this Congress' largest opportunity to advance clean energy and reduce emissions," and that extending tax credits for solar and wind "could fill up to 25% of the gap between U.S. emissions under current policy and its Paris commitments."

Analysis conducted by Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables similarly found that extending tax incentives for solar and other renewables will create more than 100,000 jobs, generate $87 billion in investment, and eliminate emissions equivalent to those of 93 coal plants.

ACORE
"This poll highlights the reality that clean energy is a clear political winner," said Gregory Wetstone, President and CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE). "Over 80% of Americans from across the political spectrum back clean energy tax incentives, and will support politicians who do the same. It's another good reason for Congress to include clean energy tax incentives in any must-pass legislation this year."

American Wind Energy Association
"We're thrilled to see such strong bi-partisan voter support for renewable energy, especially as we enter election season when their voices are important to be heard. Policies that help grow wind and solar have been a great investment for Americans, leading to well-paying jobs in all 50 states, significant new growth opportunities in farming and factory towns and coastal communities along the eastern seaboard, and affordable clean energy.

We hope members of Congress will heed their constituents' call to action and extend tax credits for onshore and offshore wind, putting the industry a step closer to tax policy parity with other energy sources as it helps champion efforts to alleviate climate change." Aaron Severn, Senior Director, Federal Affairs, American Wind Energy Association

Center for American Progress Action Fund
"Staving off our climate crisis requires that we take bold action to build a 100 percent clean future," said Christy Goldfuss, senior vice president of Energy and Environment at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. "Not only are investments in clean energy solutions like solar, wind, and battery storage popular with the American public, they can create good-paying jobs, reduce our climate impact, and protect communities from harmful pollution."

Environment America
"Americans want more clean energy because it just makes sense for our health, for clean air and water, and for the future of the planet," said Rob Sargent, Environment America's Clean Energy Program Director. "This poll shows why people from every part of the country are demanding swift action to keep up the momentum on renewable energy, energy efficiency and electric cars. We're counting on legislative leaders to act before they adjourn for the year."    

Environmental Defense Fund
"Americans overwhelmingly agree - tax incentives are a critical piece of the climate solutions puzzle.  We must seize this opportunity for bipartisan action that will cut pollution and promote clean energy entrepreneurship."  Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President, Political Affairs, Environmental Defense Fund

League of Conservation Voters
"This poll demonstrates once again that clean energy is wildly popular with people across the country," said Matthew Davis, League of Conservation Voters' Legislative Director. "These findings should put wind in the sails of Congressional leaders to update and extend critical tax incentives for wind, solar, and energy storage this year."

National Wildlife Federation
"Climate change is fueling severe storms, floods, fires and hurricanes — threatening people, wildlife and our way of life. We need to use every tool available to confront the climate crisis, including the tax code. This poll only underscores that Americans understand we need to invest in clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect wildlife before it's too late." Laura Daniel Davis, VP for Conservation Strategy, National Wildlife Federation

Sierra Club
"Clean energy tax credits are popular with Americans across the board because they bring hundreds of thousands of jobs nationwide while dramatically reducing the amount of harmful air, water and carbon pollution being produced in our communities. Congress should immediately seize this incredible economic, public health, and clean energy opportunity before the end of this year." Matthew Bearzotti, Deputy Legislative DirectorSierra Club

Solar Energy Industries Association
"This survey finds bipartisan public support for tax policy that injects billions of dollars in investment into the economy and creates tens of thousands of jobs," said Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. "The data clearly shows that candidates who take action to encourage improved air quality and address climate change will have a better chance of getting elected regardless of party affiliation."

Sunrun
"Clean energy incentives like the Investment Tax Credit have given millions of people across the country access to solar and fueled innovation on batteries that provide backup power and support reliability," said Alex McDonough, Sunrun's Vice President for Public Policy. "Solar is still less than 3% of our nation's energy supply - now is not the time to walk away from this important policy."

Union of Concerned Scientists
"The latest polling data from Global Strategy Group demonstrates enormous support for clean energy among the majority of voters in the 2020 election, regardless of their political affiliation. According to the poll, an astounding 89 percent of voters nationwide support federal tax incentives for solar, wind, and energy storage projects. A majority of voters feel such clean energy tax incentives will make a positive impact on public health, job creation, and the well-being of future generations – it's up to Congress to deliver on that potential by passing tax incentives for clean energy before years' end." Rob Cowin, Director of Government Affairs, Climate & Energy, Union of Concerned Scientists.

Survey Findings Memo Available here

Survey Slides Available here

Media Contact: Josh Rosenfeld | Jrosenfeld@kivvit.com | 212.929.0669

SOURCE Global Strategy Group