Net Metering

The proposal, which came under fire from industry leaders, environmentalists, and working Californians, was called a rooftop solar-killing measure. Meanwhile, a new state board granted PG&E a provision to raise electric rates to recover its losses from the wildfires for which it was found liable.

Sierra Club Canada calls on Nova Scotians to demand energy democracy after the utility proposes to charge a premium on net-metered solar installations.

An attempt to circumvent the state’s already-limited net metering guidelines has been overturned in court, in a decision that distributed generation advocates see as an important step in strengthening the state’s market.

Also on the rise: Verizon and Leeward Energy sign two PPAs totalling 360 MW. Researchers suggest that six terrawatt hours of energy storage would bring US to net zero. Duke Energy launches grid resilience testing with ‘Bring Your Own Battery’ program.

Net Energy Metering (NEM) 3.0 is expected to crush rooftop solar as proposed. In an Environmental Working Group (EWG) webinar, experts debunked NEM’s assumptions, forecast the damage the proposal would cause to California’s environment and communities. The group issued a call Governor Newsom to shut down the proposal, which many are calling a “tax on the sun”.

Andy Sendy of SolarReviews explained to pv magazine why he believes the proposed decision would kill the California solar industry, and to offer a possible alternative.

Utility rate design expert and economist-at-large Dr. Ahmad Faruqui appeared on a webinar led by Philip Shen, managing director at ROTH Capital Partners, and explained why he views the proposed California solar net metering rate design as disastrous and called upon Governor Newsom to intervene.

Also on the rise: Beaming solar from space is one step closer to reality. Wisconsin looks to add 165 MW of solar. Batteries to the rescue: Changes to California’s net-metering program may seriously erode the value of rooftop residential solar without the aid of battery energy storage. Missouri solar project acquired by Scout Clean Energy.

Batteries are considered a necessary part of a residential solar array to achieve energy bill savings under the proposed changes of California’s NEM 3.0. But the way batteries are expected to be utilized as a result will be a loss for society.

California, the nation’s largest rooftop solar market, will soon learn what the financial compensation will be for its net-metered capacity.