The California Public Utilities Fee (CPUC) this week finalized portions of its group photo voltaic program that photo voltaic advocates proceed to explain as “unworkable and destined for failure.”
“California stays dedicated to delivering on clear power choices for all clients,” mentioned CPUC President John Reynolds. “Our resolution makes positive that aggressive group photo voltaic packages develop responsibly, balancing affordability, fairness, and grid reliability.”
AB 2316, signed into law in September 2022, required massive utilities serving greater than 100,000 clients to create and implement packages that “allow ratepayers to take part instantly in offsite electrical technology amenities that use eligible renewable power assets,” corresponding to group photo voltaic. In 2024, the CPUC rejected a proposal from photo voltaic advocacy teams that will help group photo voltaic within the state, as a substitute placing extra decision-making power into native utility arms. State legislators then attempted last year to pass a new invoice designed to strengthen and increase the preliminary framework for California’s group photo voltaic + storage program, guaranteeing affordability to low-income clients, amongst different stipulations. The state can be currently deciding on AB 1813, which might additional make modifications to the group photo voltaic program which might be supported by trade advocates.
Yesterday’s CPUC vote applied the group photo voltaic program as-written, with out help from photo voltaic advocates. CPUC finalized that the state’s group photo voltaic program will use CPUC’s current Renewable Market Adjusting Tariff (ReMAT) pricing construction, that will “guarantee non-participating clients don’t pay on their electrical energy payments for greater than the prevented wholesale value of the electrical energy generated.”
“Right this moment’s vote is a doubling down on failure. Within the midst of an affordability disaster and rising utility charges, the CPUC has as soon as once more handed the keys to the utilities — the identical utilities which have spent years working to make sure group photo voltaic by no means will get constructed — and referred to as it a program,” mentioned Derek Chernow, Govt Director, Californians for Native, Reasonably priced Photo voltaic and Storage (CLASS). “California ratepayers are drowning in electrical energy payments. The Legislature handed AB 2316 4 years in the past with clear path to ship a workable group photo voltaic and storage program. As an alternative, the CPUC produced a program that bought zero tasks constructed, forfeited $250 million in federal Photo voltaic for All funding, and is now being voted via once more in primarily the identical packaging.
“Ratepayers in additional than 20 different states are saving cash via packages California refuses to construct. Each month of delay is one other month households, renters, and small companies within the Central Valley and throughout the state go with out the aid they have been promised. The Senate should go AB 1813. It’s the solely path to a program that really works.”
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