The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is expected to vote on the proposed Net Energy Metering (NEM) 3.0 in mid-December. The proposed decision lowers the value of net metering by as much as 76%, a change that has been heavily criticized by the solar industry.
Net metering is the process by which utilities pay rooftop solar owners for exporting electricity back to the grid, and it has been a key part of launching California’s bustling rooftop solar industry, which represents roughly 50% of the U.S. market.
Currently, average net metering rates range from $0.23 per kWh to $0.35 per kWh, and the new proposed decision cuts those rates to an average of $0.05 per kWh to $0.08 per kWh.
The proposed decision comes after a year of rulemaking battles waged between investor-owned utilities and rooftop solar advocates, including environmentalists, employment and labor groups, small businesses, and concerned citizens. This June, a similar rally was held to strike down a proposed fixed charge to solar customers, a policy that was maligned as “a tax on the sun.” The provision was successfully removed, but the revised proposal still contains provisions that are significantly damaging to the value of local, clean energy.
“We urge Governor Newsom and the CPUC to make further adjustments to help more middle- and working-class consumers as well as schools and farms access affordable, reliable, clean energy,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA).
Image: CPUC
Rallies are to be held in 10 cities across California to call for more supportive rooftop solar policy.
SAN DIEGO
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Location: St. Stevens Church of God in Christ at 5825 Imperial Ave, San Diego, CA 92114
LOS ANGELES
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Location: Plaza Olvera at 125 Paseo De La Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012
PALM SPRINGS
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Location: Southern CA Edison office at 36100 Cathedral Canyon Dr, Cathedral City, CA 9223
BAKERSFIELD
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Location: PG&E office at 1918 H St, Bakersfield, CA 93301
FRESNO
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Location: St. Paul Catholic Newman Center at 1572 East Barstow Avenue, Fresno, CA 93710
SAN LUIS OBISPO
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Location: PG&E office at 406 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
SANTA CRUZ
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Location: Discretion Brewing at 2703 41st Ave Ste. A, Soquel, CA 95073
SAN FRANCISCO
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Location: CPUC headquarters at 505 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102
STOCKTON
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Location: Nena’s on B St. restaurant at 2208 S B St, Stockton, CA 95206
CHICO
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Location: CED Greentech at 1215 W 7th St, Chico, CA 95928
Each rally will feature a diverse array of speakers from across the Save California Solar coalition including environmental advocates, energy consumers, faith leaders, students, and more.
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Latest attempt by utility monopolistic hogs to squash competition
Utilities are mostly investor owned and without investors receiving deserved returns on their investments from operating profits, there would be no means to fund expansion for utility scale solar benefitting EVERYONE especially those receiving 30% ITCs.
The alternative would be Tom, Dick and Harry electric companies running independent Transmission and distribution wires on duplicate power poles through overlapping service areas and grids at two to three times their present cost.
Sunshine may be free, but SOLAR IS NOT. AND utility scale solar at 35% higher capacity factor at one fourth the installed cost of rooftop will provide the bulk of our cleaner power at lower rates to ALL ELECTRIC CUSTOMERS; not just the 1% to 12% twelve percent who own a suitable roof with means for solar with tax payer funded 30% kickbacks under the guise of saving the planet.
Rooftop is hurting utility revenue in California. 10% penetration caused NEM shut down in Hawaii back in 2015.
Other states are already pairing back NEM benefits to avoid irreprable harm to utilities they regulate on behalf of their customers.
Surveys show most solar and non-solar customers really don’t care about warming CO2. It’s mostly GREENBACK $avings and lower kWh rates and bills that everyone wants.
https://www.energytoolbase.com/newsroom/blog/solar-nem-tariffs-are-under-threat-nationwide
The 2021 annual report Executive Summary states that 46 states took action in 2021 regarding solar NEM policies or rate design changes.
https://nccleantech.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Q4-21-Solar-Exec-Summary-Final.pdf
See Pg-11 of above:
66% of customers favoring solar said it was primarily for Savings, 16% for independence and 18% for environmental reasons.
The 2005 FETC plan got rooftop solar moving, but its still a fraction of total solar and renewables 17 years later. And becomes a shrinking fraction as utility scale solar builds out to 419 GW by 2030.
https://www.reutersevents.com/renewables/solar-pv/us-solar-capacity-quadruple-2030-texas-lieutenant-governor-calls-reversal-storm-charges
We have rooftop solar in Massachusetts and do it for many reasons. My personal attitude has been “don’r get in our way”. It is fairly straightforward for solar owners to “hoard electrons” and not support community solar, and that’s been my/our plan were the regulatory and utilities winds turned against us. We only do net metering because it is a win for us. We have often thought about and planned what to do if it went away.
Utilities with the name GAS in them, make their money off of fossil fuels both directly to customers and indirectly through fossil fuel powered electrical generation and Transmission. A homeowner that wants to eliminate fossil fuels needs to go off-grid and store their valuable electricity in batteries and not export ANY energy to the utilities that have the name GAS in their titles. The tighter the utilities grip their solar customers, the more that will slip through their greedy little fingers and be off grid independent non-customers. Last Summer, during the high heat event, it was the grid tied solar customers and battery storage that made the difference sending their extra energy to the grid according to the CASIO but once everybody goes off grid, the grid will die every extreme weather event since utilities have not built any new natural gas power plants in the past 10 years. With EV cars and truck coming online for a net gain in demand, utilities will have no reserves to charge them up and will keep asking people not to charge them even when extreme weather events are not happening just because they will have pushed the potential Rooftop solar customers off the grid with the low compensation.
Natural Gas Combined Cycle has grown considerably in the past 10 years through conversion of conventional gas and coal plants to 60% efficient Gas Combined Steam (GCS). Duke and Teco’s new plants in St Petersburg and Tampa Florida are a few examples in the past 10 years.
https://www.power-eng.com/gas/tampa-electrics-coal-to-gas-transition-takes-next-step/#gref
Many more GCS conversions and new plants built and planned across the USA as coal is dialed back.
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=37952
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=39012
Off-grid is a panacea. A mere 0.13% (180,000) of 130-million US households are off grid, many with generators and Coleman Lanterns vs $olar, let alone $olar with Batterie$$$.
Rooftop solar rebates is killing NEM as its penetration increases above a few percent and non-solar customers are taking notice and complaining. Realize they’re the 88% to 99% non-solar voting majority…and politicians are listening…’cause they want to keep their jobs.
Hawaii at 10% rooftop penetration killed NEM in 2015. California at 12% is next, to be followed by other states with overly generous $OLAR $AVING$ that non-solar rate payers and tax payers have seen enough of it.
Most $olar customers are in it like me, for GreenBack $aving$, not sea-levels, health, CO2 or other $ave the planet theorie$. Humans exhale CO2 in proportion to their weight. Consider an Obesity Tax $$s Per Pound-Year overweight…or Tax on 12-million fuel powered pleasure craft. Hmmm…Double-Hmmm.
Florida rooftop solar is a tolerable 1% penetration for now, with full kWh per kWh NEM, including 18% utility fees and taxes for my Duke connected 10kW array WITHOUT batteries. My $3,000 16kW Nat Gas Generac (60A/240Vac) is sufficient for short, infrequent outtages. I’d need 2 to 3 Power Walls at $20k to $30k just to start my heat pump. And replace ’em in 10yrs? Don’t think $o!
Well heeled Utility Haters can go off-grid, but their low carbon bragging rights aren”t even a drop in the sea-level bucket. That’s mostly influenced by China and India where we’ve outsourced our technologies and good paying jobs…hmmm.
Every $Billlion of Federal $olar Giveaway$ cost the average American household $7.50…or $1,875 for the just passed $250-Billion IRA that’s throwing money at the wall to see what sticks.
Remember, Corporations don’t pay taxes OR utility bills, ONLY PEOPLE DO!
Just Implement the 1992 Rio PMP.. POLLUTERS MUST PAY… Principle (and agreed to by thecUSA too) to Offset the EXISTING SOCIETAL COSTS* of $ 0.31/KWhr, CAUSED BY POLLUTION & POLLUTING FACILITIES ..
This Open Wide the Floodgates of Financing for Non-Polluting Energy and Usher in a ZERO POLLUTION EARTH WITHIN A DOZEN YEARS FROM THE $400 TRILLION COLLECTED AROUND THD GLOBE … INCLUDING CALIFORNIA…
DIRECTLY CREDIT $0.31/KWhr for EVERY KWhr to Non-Polluting Solar Energy Producers/Consumers… and ensure a LEVEL PLAYING FIELD TO SOLAR ELECTRICITY PRODUCERS… (Utilities NEVER CREDIT Solar Installations, mostly located in Load-Centric Centers, that enable the Solar Electricity to be “shipped” to their neighbors.. reducing T&D Losses and providing Voltage/VAR Support too.. DURING PEAK LOAD PERIODS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY) …
* Today the 120T KWhrs/yr of Energy is used Globally and causes 9 Million Pre-Mature Deaths annually and 275 Million DALY of Suffering. This creates a Global Societal Cost of $36.5 Trillion/yr.. $1 Million/Victim; $100,000/DALY of Year-Long Suffering and justifies $0.31/KWhr… “Cost-Neutral” PMP LEVY… by Penalizing the Polluters.. aka the PMP PRINCIPLE..
(Nuclear EXCLUDED because of their Lethal & Polluting Nuclear Waste that will SIMPLY NOT “GO AWAY” for 100,000+ years)
There’s no guarantee lowering CO2 will happen in time to make a difference…if ever.
Especially in China, India and Middle Eastern countries along with other oil producers who’s economies depend on oil exports. They also want and deserve industrialization to support high standards of living as much as the western world.
Besides, sea levels have risen (and fallen) more in the past than now, multiple times. Go figure. It’s not just CO2…or dinosaur flatulence. Orbital mechanics has a lot to do with it, along with sun’s periodic and irregular variability. And Superman is dead.
Huge tarrifs in corrupt regimes simply enrich climate and civil rights abusing powers at the top, to hell with the masses.
Fast breeder reactors is where we should be investing for the future when fossil fuel supplies reach their limits for increasing power demands under continued industrialization.
Russia, China and India have fast breeders now or in their future. They can produce more fuel than they consume. California and Illinois just refueled three fission reactors scheduled for decomissioning. Why? Because solar isn’t up to it yet…and never will be as long as earth keeps rotating and creating night.
We should end Jimmy Carter’s 1975 ban on nuclear fuel reprocessing. Those jobs would benefit Americans now and for years to come.
https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/3-advanced-reactor-systems-watch-2030
Nuclear done right is perfectly safe. A better investment than 30% solar kickbacks as I see it. Especially for 4X more costly and 30% lower efficiency rooftop PV compared to utility scale solar that SHOULD NOT NEED OR RECEIVE $OLAR KICKBACK$ mostly paid by Non-Solar Customers who are 97% of Electric Rates and Taxpayers!