California Bill Opens Solar Market to Homeowners
A new bill passed resoundingly by the California legislature last week will allow more utility customers to sell excess solar electricity back to their power provider. Current law limits the amount of energy utilities can purchase from customers to 2.5 percent. The new bill, which Governor Schwarzenegger reportedly plans to sign, will double that amount to 5 percent.
Supporters of the measure say that it will increase the use of solar technology and help offset high electricity costs. Clean energy advocate Bernadette Del Chiaro of Environment California lauds the measure: “It makes solar power affordable for people,” she said. “You couldn’t do that if you lost all that electricity.” The worry that inspired this Assembly bill was that the current 2.5 percent cap would lock out new solar users, thus discouraging solar power in California.
Opponents’ primary complaint about the bill is that it does not allow the solar energy purchased from customers by the utility to count toward state renewable energy mandates unless the utility pays that customer a surcharge. Subsequently, the detractors claim, the rest of the utility’s customers will have to pay higher rates to cover the added costs. “These customers should be allowed to make solar work, but we’re not out to make them rich,” said Matthew Freedman, an attorney with The Utility Reform Network, a consumer advocacy group based in San Francisco.
California’s mandates dictate that 33 percent of the state’s energy must come from renewable sources by 2030.
Via SFGate
Photo Credit: Standard Solar
Posted on February 26th in Solar Politics by Dan.
March 1st, 2010 at 12:15 pm
–’Clean energy advocate Bernadette Del Chiaro of Environment California lauds the measure: “It makes solar power affordable for people,” she said. “You couldn’t do that if you lost all that electricity.”’
Does she mean if the STATE lost all of that electricity? or the individual consumer? As it is, no consumers have installed residential solar systems that over-produce. Installing a larger system than you need has never made financial sense.
This bill is designed to encourage consumers with solar panels to use less energy, as we all should. Then, their excess (generated from the sun)can be used by others.
This bill allows houses and buildings to become miniature power plants.
Commercial roofs are going to be where the action is!