California to Revisit Net Metering Reform

By Christian Roselund

Months after quietly abandoning its efforts to make big changes to California’s fundamental policy to compensate rooftop solar, California regulators are again revisiting the proposal. On 9 May, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) re-opened the docket to alter the state’s net metering policy, requesting public comment on certain aspects of the proposal. This comment period will be open through 24 June, 2022, meaning that a new policy could be implemented as early as July 2022.

The CPUC’s proposal in December elicited strong responses from the state’s solar industry, with hundreds to thousands of workers demonstrating against the change. It was also criticized by celebrities and political leaders including Governor Newsom and former Governor Schwarzenegger. CPUC withdrew the proposal on 3 February, 2022 (see the 10 February U.S. Energy Transition report for more details).

But despite the widespread popularity of the policy, an analysis by Canary Media suggests that the two sides of the debate are no closer to a compromise than they were in February. And the CPUC may not be backing down; California Solar and Storage Association Executive Director Bernadette Del Chiaro has noted that the CPUC is not seeking public comment on a costly “grid access fee” on rooftop systems.

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News coverage/analysis: California heads back to drawing board on solar net-metering policy (Canary Media)