February 4, 2022 — After months of debate surrounding the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) proposed rule changes regarding solar energy and storage, a judge on the commission announced Thursday that the matter “will not appear on the Commission’s voting meeting agenda until further notice.”
In response, The Climate Center CEO Ellie Cohen said:
“This decision would not have happened without clean energy and justice advocates across California. We’d like to thank our partners and the thousands of people who mobilized to support the growing solar industry and demand regulations that keep small-scale solar and storage accessible to low and middle-income Californians. This issue united climate activists, solar industry employees, working-class solar customers, and more to stand up for energy resilience, affordability, and equity. People across the state are increasingly demanding local, clean energy resources in the face of wildfires, public safety power shut-offs, and rising investor-owned utility rates. As the CPUC goes back to the drawing board, we urge them to craft a solar rate structure that benefits all Californians, not corporate utilities.”
First unveiled in December, the CPUC’s proposed rules would have imposed a new fee structure that would make rooftop solar and customer-owned batteries cost-prohibitive for the average Californian. Under the existing rules, more than 1 million homes, 2,000 schools, about 1,000 farms, and 300 apartment buildings have become powered by the sun.
In comments sent to the CPUC on January 11, 2022, The Climate Center urged commissioners to “develop equitable policies that create a level playing field for all consumers, not ones that capriciously shift costs at the expense of essential early adopters.”
ENDS
Contact: Ryan Schleeter, Communications Director, The Climate Center: ryan@theclimatecenter.org, (415) 342-2386
About The Climate Center:
The Climate Center is a climate and energy policy nonprofit working to rapidly reduce climate pollution at scale, starting in California. Our flagship Climate-Safe California campaign is a unique and comprehensive effort to make California the first state in the nation to reach carbon negative.
