SACRAMENTO – Solar workers traveled to the state capital on Wednesday to rally in support of solar energy, calling on lawmakers to keep California a solar state.
The solar industry is experiencing business closures and significant job losses in every part of the state after the decision of the California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, to slash overnight by 70 to 80 percent the value of solar energy contributed back to the grid.
Since then, the solar industry has lost more than 17,000 jobs, representing 22 percent of all solar jobs in the state. A steep 87 percent decline in solar installations is also pushing California off its path to meeting renewable energy goals that are critical to the fight against climate change.
“Solar energy is an essential part of California’s clean energy future,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar & Storage Association, or CALSSA, which organized today’s event. “Rooftop solar brings many benefits, including consumer savings, more jobs and protection of open space. California lawmakers must take action today to keep California a solar state,” she said.
“It's utterly baffling that the state with the nation’s most ambitious record of advancing renewable energy and climate crisis relief has now sabotaged its own rooftop solar program,” said EWG President and Bay Area resident Ken Cook.
“Without a thriving residential solar sector, essential to allowing millions of working families to embrace clean energy, California’s emissions reduction targets under Gov. Gavin Newsom are mere pipe dreams,” said Cook. “The CPUC’s disastrous move last year dealt a severe blow to solar in the state, but there’s still hope if the legislature swiftly implements these critical measures.”
To help keep California a solar state, legislators introduced a series of bills aimed at expanding solar access, bringing back clean energy jobs and getting California on track in the fight against climate change. These bills include aligning net metering policies with the state’s ambitious clean energy goals, ensuring all of the benefits of solar energy are included in policy decisions, blocking high fixed charges, and making solar energy the official form of energy in California.
Less than a year ago the CPUC, appointed by Newsom, made drastic reductions to net energy metering – the program responsible for lowering the costs of solar and making California a solar leader. Since then, the industry has experienced devastating results in the form of business closures and depression-level layoffs.
Not only did the CPUC’s decision crater the largest solar industry in the nation, it has made solar installation less financially viable for working- and middle-class families. The resulting decline in solar installations is also making it unrealistic for California to meet its own renewable energy goals, which are critical to the fight against climate change.
Despite the consequences, the CPUC has continued to stifle the growth of solar. Just three months ago, the commission voted to exclude schools, farms, apartments and small businesses from the benefits of solar. The CPUC is currently considering a new costly “fixed charge” scheme proposed by the utilities, which would not only increase energy bills for millions of working- and middle-class households, but would further harm the solar market.
Legislation introduced to keep California a solar state includes:
- AB 2619, Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael). Requires the CPUC to revise its net metering tariff to better align with California’s 100 percent clean energy goals.
- AB 2256, Laura Friedman (D-Burbank). Requires the CPUC to properly calculate all of the values of distributed generation, including societal benefits.
- SB 1374, Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park). Restores the rights of consumers with multimeter properties to self-consume on-site solar energy.
- AB 1999, Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks). Places a reasonable cap on residential fixed charges, blocking the charges of $30 a month or more currently on the table at the CPUC.
- AB 2054, Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda). Extends to 10 years the period during which CPUC commissioners are barred from employment by a regulated entity after leaving the commission.
- SB 938, Dave Min (D-Irvine). Prohibits electrical and gas corporations from lobbying with ratepayer dollars.
- SB 1305, Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles). Requires utilities to procure from virtual power plants to meet resource adequacy requirements.
- AB 3118, Wallis (R-Rancho Mirage). This bill would establish solar energy as the official energy of California.
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About CALSSA
The California Solar & Storage Association, or CALSSA, has advanced the common interest of the solar and storage industry for over 40 years, making California the most robust market in the U.S. The association is the state’s largest clean energy business group, with over 780 member companies representing an array of businesses that manufacture, design, install, finance and provide other resources to the growing local solar and storage market in California. Learn more at www.calssa.org.
Note: This release originally appeared on the CALSSA website.
