Your right to go solar and get full credit for the electricity you send back to the grid is threatened. Not just in California and Arizona and Hawaii — but also at virtually every single investor owned utility (the aptly named IOUs) in the country. Net metering is the simplest and (arguably) the fairest way to compensate solar customers for the energy they send back to the grid during the day. But from an IOU’s perspective, net metering carves away at the foundation of their profits by reducing their need for new assets and reducing their revenues. It’s a war between the Guaranteed Profit Utilities and millions of potential solar homeowners.
The next battle in the war against net metering is in California. The California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA), along with Vote Solar, SEIA and dozens of other companies and organizations are mobilizing the troops to preserve net metering. In particular, they are lobbying to prevent changes to the rules that apply to current solar customers. To help join this battle, sign the Solar Customer Petition in favor of preserving current net metering rules.
My guest on this week’s show is Brad Heavner, Policy Director for CALSEIA. Brad explains the current net metering discussions that are going on at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and the risks faced by both current and future solar customers if net metering is limited or fixed charges are applied. As Jimmy Carter said, “whatever starts in California … has an inclination to spread.” So please click and sign the petition — and listen up to this week’s Energy Show.
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