Growing Local Solar and Storage at All Levels of Government
For nearly fifty years, CALSSA has worked to put in place and defend solar and storage policies and programs that have made California one of the biggest and most successful solar markets in the world.
Through the years, CALSSA has played a leading role in legislation such as the California Solar Initiative, the Solar Hot Water and Efficiency Act, the Solar Rights Act, and recent laws limiting permit fees and boosting clean energy incentives. We intervene in CPUC proceedings such as Rule 21, net metering, demand response, and rate cases. We are at the table when code changes threaten the solar and storage market. We push for well-structured consumer protection initiatives and work to keep all our elected officials informed of the benefits of distributed solar and energy storage.
If you have any questions about our program work please, reach out to our team.
INTERCONNECTION
Every customer that installs solar and storage must submit an interconnection application to the utility. In order to meet our clean energy goals efficiently, it is essential that the utilities carry out this work without disruptive delays that increase project costs. Contrary to this goal, utilities provide terrible customer service in carrying out their interconnection duties. Too often, they process applications slowly and impose requirements that are not based on reasonable safety concerns.
CALSSA is working to streamline the interconnection process through proceedings at the CPUC and direct discussions with utilities. We work with the utilities to resolve obstacles on individual projects that can set good precedent for other projects. We shine the light on utility delays and press for enforcement of timelines
……….
We have resources for our members on this topic in the Members-Only section of our website, including FAQ pages, factsheets, recorded webinars and more.
COMMUNITY ENERGY
Solar-charged batteries, electric vehicle chargers, and smart appliances are networked and can be managed remotely. Community Energy programs, sometimes called virtual power plants (VPP), can harness these devices to provide reliable power at a cheaper price than traditional power plants. We can avoid costly grid expansion by giving customers the incentive to use their batteries and smart appliances to change the timing of energy consumption within cities and towns throughout the state.
California should create a level playing field in energy markets, removing barriers that restrict networks of customer devices from offering services at lower cost than faraway power plants. We must build market structures that share savings with the customers who use their investments for common benefit.
We can also increase utilization of the grid capacity that customers have already paid for. Utilities should not be spending money on grid expansion when networked devices can reduce the need to build a bigger grid. Paying customers to squeeze extra energy from their batteries on the hottest summer days can be cheaper than building new substations.
……….
We have resources for our members on this topic in the Members-Only section of our website, including FAQ pages, factsheets, recorded webinars and more.
Unnecessary red tape adds cost and slows customer adoption. For decades, CALSSA has fought alongside our members to simplify, standardize, and streamline permitting for both commercial and residential solar and energy storage systems. In 2014, we passed AB 2188, mandating standardized permitting throughout the state. In 2022, we passed the Solar Access Act (SB 379), mandating online automated permitting for small systems with standard configurations. We have also established caps on permit fees, and we assist members when jurisdictions exceed those fees.
We also work at the code development panels to fix obstacles and avoid new barriers. When energy storage placement and safety are debated, CALSSA is at the table. When a new wave of inverter requirements are under consideration, CALSSA brings in the right experts.
……….
We have resources for our members on this topic in the Members-Only section of our website, including FAQ pages, factsheets, recorded webinars and more.
CODE DEVELOPMENT AND STREAMLINED permitting
NET METERING
From the passage of AB 327 in 2013, which directed the CPUC to revisit net metering, to the adoption of the net billing tariff in 2022, CALSSA pushed for any changes to net metering to be gradual. Most importantly, we opposed any solar tax that would charge customers for self-generation that never touches the grid.
Since the transition to net billing, we have worked hard for fair treatment of legacy systems and helped create a workable process to add capacity to older systems without losing NEM status. We will continue to watchdog the process and oppose attacks on customers that responded to state-approved tariffs by investing in clean energy generation.
……….
We have resources for our members on this topic in the Members-Only section of our website, including FAQ pages, factsheets, recorded webinars and more.
The Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) has been the state’s largest incentive program to encourage the adoption of customer-sited energy storage systems. The program has provided over one billion dollars in rebates to California customers. We also played an active role in the Residential Solar & Storage Equity budget, which opened in 2025. We work with the program administrators and the CPUC when changes are proposed, and we educate our members on how best to comply with painfully complicated program rules.
……….
We have resources for our members on this topic in the Members-Only section of our website, including FAQ pages, factsheets, recorded webinars and more.
The Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP)
DEVELOPING FAIR RATES
CALSSA represents solar and storage interests in rate cases at the California Public Utilities Commission. Utilities have large teams of analysts and lawyers that influence the Commission on rate design. It is essential that we take a seat at the table and present our analysis of the impacts of rate changes. We submit testimony, cross-examine utility representatives, write legal briefs, and meet directly with Commission officials.
Demand charges are an outdated pricing structure that should be phased out. Monthly fixed charges should not be higher for solar customers than other customers, and should be contained at reasonable levels. There is tremendous opportunity to develop rates that customers with energy storage can use to reduce their bills while also reducing grid costs for everyone. CALSSA is also on alert for utility rate proposals that discourage solar and storage.
……….
We have resources for our members on this topic in the Members-Only section of our website, including FAQ pages, factsheets, recorded webinars and more.
Contractors and home improvement salespeople (HIS) in California must comply with various consumer protection requirements. These include home improvement contract law, enforced by the CSLB, as well as disclosure requirements from the CPUC that are regulated in the interconnection process. CALSSA advocates at the CPUC, CSLB and Legislature for rules that are manageable while protecting consumers from bad actors. We work with our members to comply with changing rules.
……….
We have resources for our members on this topic in the Members-Only section of our website, including FAQ pages, factsheets, recorded webinars and more.
Consumer Protection
The Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is a federal tax credit for individuals and businesses that purchase qualifying solar and storage technologies. CALSSA is a resource for our members to comply with various facets of the law. We help members understand eligibility for adders, FEOC rules, transferability, and other issues.
……….
We have resources for our members on this topic in the Members-Only section of our website, including FAQ pages, factsheets, recorded webinars and more.
FEDERAL Tax Credit
Solar WATER HEATING
Solar thermal technologies capture heat energy from the sun and use it to heat water and air for homes, businesses and industrial uses. It is California’s oldest form of solar energy, and is more efficient than PV at converting sunlight into usable energy. CALSSA is working to ensure that solar water heating is a core piece of the state’s strategy for meeting both greenhouse gas reduction and zero energy building goals.
Solar water heating has a long history of reducing natural gas for water heating in homes and businesses. It also is an important strategy for electrification of buildings, replacing gas-based heating altogether. It can be used as a stand-alone technology or in conjunction with heat pump water heaters in multifamily and commercial settings. Solar thermal technologies are an effective option for industrial water heating that is traditionally done with heavy consumption of natural gas.
We have multiple resources for our members in the Members-Only section of our website, including FAQ pages, factsheets, recorded webinars and more.