Thoughts on Solar by Run on Sun's Founder & CEO, Jim Jenal

Link: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1179/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=28198

Net metering agreements between solar system owners and their electric utility require the utility to buy back the excess energy a solar PV system might provide in any given month and credit that surplus against future usage (thus, “netting out” usage over time).  Thanks to the recently passed AB 920, utilities in California must now pay customers for any surplus energy produced after a year.

Unfortunately, under existing law, utilities need not offer any additional net metering agreements once the capacity of all installed PV systems in their territory amounts to 2.5% of the utility’s peak demand.  That cap was established when utilities lacked experience with widespread installation of solar PV systems, but is antiquated and no longer justified.  Today, both PG&E (in the CA Bay Area) and San Diego Gas & Electric are close to reaching those caps.

AB 510 would double the caps to 5%.  This is an important interim step toward eliminating the caps altogether.  The bill, authored by Nancy Skinner from Berkeley, has already passed in the California Assembly and is coming up for a vote this next week in the Senate.  Please click HERE to send your CA State Senator an email urging support for AB 510.