Governors' Wind Energy Coalition

The California Public Utilities Commission’s proposal to gut solar incentives for homeowners appears to be at odds with a California Energy Commission mandate for solar power in new homes. The California Energy Commission’s 2-year-old mandate requires the panels remain within the financial reach of homeowners, but investors are saying the CPUC proposal would make them practically worthless investment unless paired with expensive batteries.

CPUC’s proposal would hit net metering by introducing monthly fees for home solar owners and reducing incentives, with carve-outs for homes with batteries. The proposal is meant to make sure solar owners pay their fair share for grid maintenance, but it has garnered fierce backlash from solar advocates, who say it will squeeze out a key element of the clean energy transition. The proposal is coming up for a vote in the coming weeks.