After over a 12 months of debate and quite a few iterations, the California Public Utilities Fee (CPUC) has released its final proposal for the state’s subsequent section of the net-metering program and can maintain a vote right now, Dec. 15, at 11 a.m. PT.
When photo voltaic arrays produce extra vitality than a house or enterprise wants, the proprietor can put a few of that vitality again onto the grid and obtain compensation. The CPUC has been deliberating on the subsequent section of California’s compensation program since 2021.
The brand new plan is a shift to internet billing, which differs from internet metering as a result of prospects are promoting vitality again to the utility at decrease “averted price” or wholesale charges (what the utility pays for vitality), relatively than the upper retail charges (what utility prospects pay for vitality) which might be paid in net-metering packages, in response to EnergySage.
The CPUC made minimal revisions to the earlier proposal within the ultimate determination. Listed below are the details within the ultimate determination the CPUC will vote on right now:
- New net-billing construction that options base hourly export compensation charges with a unique 24-hour profile for every month and for weekends vs. weekdays. These additionally fluctuate by utility
- 5-year “glide path” with a 75% common lower of exported vitality worth from NEM 2.0 in 12 months 1, in response to CALSSA
- Residential prospects in PG&E and SCE territory obtain averted price “adders” to create this glide path. The adders lower by 20% yearly till they attain zero. Within the ultimate determination, the PG&E adder was elevated however others stayed the identical
- The ruling excludes SDG&E prospects from receiving any adders as a result of their photo voltaic methods will repay in lower than 9 years resulting from SDG&E’s larger electrical energy charges
- Business prospects don’t obtain adders or glide path
- Revised ultimate determination preserves present worth of photo voltaic for multi-family housing and farms till additional evaluation will be executed
- No later than 120 days from this vote, Internet Metering 2.0 sundown shall be applied. Clients that full an interconnection software earlier than that interval will stay beneath NEM 2.0
- Clients that file interconnection functions earlier than NEM 2.0 sundown are required to submit ultimate constructing allow sign-off inside three years to stay beneath NEM 2.0
- NEM 1.0 and a pair of.0 prospects will stay beneath their packages unchanged
The California Photo voltaic & Storage Affiliation (CALSSA) issued a press assertion expressing its displeasure with the proposal.
“The CPUC’s ultimate proposal is a loser for California on many ranges,” stated Bernadette Del Chiaro, government director of CALSSA. “For the photo voltaic trade, it should lead to enterprise closures and the lack of inexperienced jobs. For middle-class and working-class neighborhoods the place photo voltaic is rising quickest, it places clear vitality additional out of attain. For our grid reliability wants, it fails to vow strong development in battery storage. And for California’s race to wash vitality, it places us behind our targets and out of step with the nationwide pro-solar agenda. The proposal is a step backwards once we actually have to be transferring ahead with photo voltaic and battery storage. It’s a darkish day in California when the utility regulators attempt to block out the solar.”
Click here for call-in data for the CPUC’s voting assembly.
