We urge you to call Governor Newsom at 916-445-2841 and tell him that you support rooftop solar in California and oppose the California Public Utilities Commission proposal to raise fees on rooftop solar installations.
Here is a letter to the editor in the SB Independent from a Fearless Grandmother:
I laud the Independent for publishing John Perlin’s editorial “No More Rooftop Solar?”.PG&E, So Cal Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric have lobbied the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to make consumer solar twice as expensive as it is today — by charging a solar penalty fee between $56 and $91 per month just for putting solar panels on a home, and slashing the credit solar users receive for sharing their surplus energy with the community.
We have a chance to keep solar growing and to grow it more equitably so millions more working class people can get solar, including renters. As more and more solar power is installed solar-powered batteries will become more affordable, allowing more people to install batteries and protect themselves from power outages. This will make our communities safer and more resilient.
The CPUC issued a proposal in December that went along with the utilities’ desire to collect fees on rooftop solar. The CPUC may vote to approve or disapprove the fees as early as January 27. Gov. Newson has indicated that he feels that the CPUC’s proposal needs modification, but has also said he won’t intervene in the commission’s process.
I urge readers to call Gov. Newsom. Tell him you are against the proposed Solar Penalty Fee, and against slashing the value of rooftop solar by 80%.As John Perlin said, this proposal “would allow utilities to own the sun and force everyone else to pay for photons.”
we are deeply concerned that the proposed decision would make rooftop solar less accessible to all Californians, jeopardize its sustainable growth, increase costs to ratepayers, and threaten our ability to achieve these national targets. We respectfully urge you to reconsider this proposed decision and consider supporting reasonable reforms that will ensure the solar and storage industries continue to grow so that we can meet our climate and energy resilience goals.