Important Rooftop Solar Decision Due Tomorrow

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is expected to vote tomorrow (24 May) on a proposal to essentially increase the number of utility customers who can benefit from net metering, where the utility credits the customer for the full retail value of energy their panels produce.  If the proposal is passed, the number of net metered solar installations would nearly double.  The Sierra Club has been a vocal proponent of the proposal, and over 60,000 residents spoke up in favor. 

Rooftop solar panels happily basking in the sun, generating energy without requiring the destruction of wildlands.
As a recent Huffington Post piece mentioned, rooftop solar is not a tool for the rich and famous. The majority of rooftop solar installations have been in zip codes with median incomes.  Rooftop solar also generates local jobs, and reduces the need for toxic "peaker plants" which fire up to generate energy during peak demand hours and pollute our air.

If the proposal passes, we still have a long fight ahead of us. The proposal would allow 4,600 megawatts of net metered solar.  California can and must do much better than this. Governor Jerry Brown asked for at least 12,000 megawatts of distributed generation.  And our cities and populated areas have the potential to host even more rooftop solar.  The County of Los Angeles alone has over 19,000 megawatts of rooftop solar potential, according to a UCLA study, enough to feed local energy demand.  Let's pass this proposal tomorrow, and look ahead to meeting even more ambitious goals.

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