New California Solar Proposal Met With Backlash From Climate Activists

Martha Guzman Aceves, one of five members of the California Public Utilities Commission, is proposing a change to the state’s net metering system to combat a seasonal emissions peak and to reduce the demand for fossil fuels and natural gas, The Los Angeles Times reports. According to Guzman Aceves, California’s power grid is flooded by solar energy during the afternoon but strained on hot evenings during the summer, when residents depend on air conditioners to keep their homes cool. 

Her proposal encourages solar customers to add battery storage systems to their homes that can bank clean energy for after dark, but many solar executives and climate activists argue that the move would impose discriminatory charges on solar use families unable to implement the new system. 

Walker Wright, vice president of public policy at San Francisco-based Sunrun, the nation’s largest rooftop solar installer, was similarly displeased, saying in a written statement that Guzman Aceves’ proposal would “impose the highest discriminatory charges on solar and energy storage customers in the U.S., putting rooftop solar and batteries out of reach for countless families.”

Wright also said the proposed changes are “contrary to the state’s objectives of addressing climate change and eliminating frequent blackouts” — a reference to the utility industry’s practice of shutting down the electric grid in certain places during dry, windy conditions to prevent wildfire ignitions. Solar supporters see those “public safety power shutoffs” as a powerful argument for encouraging rooftop systems paired with batteries that can serve as a backup power source when the grid goes down.

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