Slashing solar incentives only helps private utilities. California regulators must back down
BY THE SACRAMENTO BEE EDITORIAL BOARD
California’s most powerful utility companies want you to believe that there is a hidden war taking place between ordinary customers and the 1.3 million households in the state with solar panels on their properties.
Under a program called net energy metering, utility companies credit solar customers for the excess energy they export to the grid after they’ve powered their homes. That provides incredible savings for each solar-powered household, but customers who don’t use solar pay an estimated $3.4 billion more each year, essentially forcing them to shoulder the difference through higher monthly bills.
LA Times Editorial: Don’t slash incentives for California rooftop solar
It’s no accident that California is a solar energy leader. One big reason is a state incentive program that has turned about 10,000 rooftop solar installations 25 years ago into more than 1.2 million today.
Small arrays of panels on homes, businesses and other buildings now account for about 11% of the state’s electricity production capacity. Their proliferation is a cornerstone of the state’s efforts to combat climate change, phase out the burning of fossil fuels and get 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2045.
So it’s a bit of a head scratcher why Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is preparing to make it harder for Californians to go solar.
A threat to California’s solar future and diverse employment pathways
A new ruling creates barriers to entering the clean energy workforce
By Melissa Brewster, Jeanine Cotter and Pamela Quan
Special to The Examiner