The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday approved a plan that leaves the state’s rooftop solar incentives program largely intact, vindicating environmental and consumer advocates who went up against private interests looking to ratchet up the initiative’s price points.
In a 3-2 vote, CPUC upheld the program, which gives subsidies to homeowners who transition to renewable energy. More than half of the solar-paneled households in the U.S. are in California, which has long been a leader in environmental innovation.
In fact, as fossil fuel power increasingly falls out of favor, many states around the country are likely to look toward CPUC’s decision on Thursday to inform their own options for investing in renewable energy.
One crux of the plan allows homeowners to sell unused energy back to their utilities, a policy known as net metering which proponents say reduces bills and encourages consumers to lower their electricity use.
“State leaders around the country should follow California’s example, and maintain and strengthen programs that ensure that every family, business, and community that wants to go solar, can go solar,” Bret Fanshaw of Environment America said following the vote.
The program, written by CPUC president Michael Picker, faced a last-minute push by Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric that would have made going solar more expensive for consumers.
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT