By Jessica Wolfrom : sfexaminer – excerpt
The contentious battle over the future of rooftop solar in California has come to a dramatic conclusion this week as the California Public Utilities Commission voted to approve changes to the way Californians generate and store solar energy in their homes.
Thursday’s vote locks in new rules for a policy known as net metering, or NEM 3.0, a billing mechanism that allows residents who generate power to receive financial credit for any surplus energy they send to the grid.
The updated policy will reduce payments that homes and businesses receive for sending excess energy to the grid, a move which has been seen as both a necessary adjustment of a two-decade-old policy and an outright attack on the rooftop solar industry that could disincentivize people from investing in solar panels in the future.
It also includes fresh subsidies for battery storage, which the CPUC says will bolster grid stability by encouraging residents to store excess energy generated during the day for nighttime use when demand for energy peaks…
“If you live in the Bay Area, about 11%, 12% of your bill goes to pay for NEM,” said Baker. “And given that it doesn’t quite have the carbon benefits it had in the past, we think that part of this ruling is really important.”…
There is also concern that the new ruling, which doesn’t go into effect until April, will create a run on solar panels before the deadline, with people scrambling to lock in the old rates.…(more)