Standing up for rooftop solar

Today I spoke in opposition to the proposed solar billing structure NEM3.0 at the California Public Utility Committee meeting. The CPUC proposed on Monday to assess a monthly solar penalty fee to all solar and storage customers, slash net metering credit by 80% and reduce the agreed upon billing structure for existing solar customers. At today's meeting participants had one minute to voice their response. Here is my statement: 

Solar power

I’m Laura Deehan, State Director for Environment California and Environment California Research and Policy Center 

The state’s joint agency report says we need to triple rooftop solar to get to our SB 100 goals. 

However- our recent report, Rooftop Solar at Risk, found that cutting incentives has an immediate chilling effect on rooftop solar adoption. 

The proposed NEM 3.0 monthly solar penalty charge would discourage solar and storage adoption

Drastically slashing net metering credits would discourage solar and storage adoption

Cutting the guaranteed length of time for existing solar customer billing would discourage solar and storage adoption AND all future clean energy adoption from consumers.

That’s the last thing we should be doing 

California can lead the nation and the world and accelerate our transition to a clean energy grid, solar and storage can help us get there but this proposal would jeopardize this goal.

Please reject the preliminary decision.

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Laura Deehan

State Director, Environment California

Laura directs Environment California's work to tackle global warming, protect the ocean and fight for clean air, clean water, open spaces and a livable planet. Laura stepped into the State Director role in January, 2021 and has been on staff for over twenty years. She has led campaigns to make sure California goes big on offshore wind and to get lead out of school drinking water. As the Environment California Field Director, she worked to get California to go solar, ban single use plastic grocery bags and get on track for 100% clean energy. Laura lives with her family in Richmond, California where she enjoys hiking, yoga and baking.

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