The Center for Biodiversity, the Foundation to Protect Our Communities and the Environmental Working Group later Wednesday petitioned A California Court of Appeal will review the state’s new rooftop solar policy. The policy, which went into effect on April 15, significantly reduces the credits that new solar users earn from sharing their excess solar energy with the grid.
Legal Action Comes After Commission Chair Alice Reynolds Ignored Requests To Delay Effective Date Until Regulators Resolve An appeal filed by the group in January.
“The commission’s misguided new policy violates California’s climate laws and will stymie the growth of rooftop solar, especially for working-class homes,” said the Center for Biodiversity. said Roger Lynn, an attorney at “California is the epicenter of the climate emergency, and it is outrageous that the Commission is delaying the transition to renewable energy when it needs to move quickly. We hope the courts will force regulators to implement new policies that serve the public interest instead of increasing fossil fuel profits.”
The petition states that the new rooftop solar policy “would devastate solar adoption rates, especially for working-class Californians,” adding that it would “reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide protection against extreme weather and power outages.” It ignores the benefits of rooftop solar, such as resilience and avoidance of land use impacts from reductions.” The need for public transmission infrastructure to keep electricity costs down. “
The new policy will reduce customer credits for electricity generated on the roof and sold back to the grid by up to 80%. This reduces the economic benefits of installing solar systems, which fueled an installation boom before the rule change. State law calls for new policies to ensure the market for rooftop solar continues to grow, especially in the environmental justice community.
Bill Powers, energy expert at the Protect Our Communities Foundation, said: “The real problem is the reckless pursuit of maximum profit by utilities at the expense of reasonable rates and common sense climate measures.”
According to the petition, commercial operators across the country are seeking to eradicate rooftop solar programs because distributed energy resources like rooftop solar threaten public utility business models.new center report Learn about the benefits of rooftop solar and net metering and why utility companies are looking to phase out these programs.
“The board’s outrageous decision to block the state’s residential solar program will keep PG&E and other utilities wasting resources on misguided and costly infrastructure projects that will only exacerbate the climate crisis. You can.” Officers and General Counsel. “With millions of working families making rooftop solar financially out of reach, California could become increasingly dependent on dirty fossil fuel factories to make up for power shortages. there is potential.”
In addition to the Commission, the lawsuit names three large investor-owned utility companies in California: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas and Electric Company. The commission company and utility company must respond to the petition to the First District Court of Appeals in San Francisco within his 30 days.
Information from the Center for Biodiversity