The California State Assembly's key fiscal committee has voted today to approve S.B.843, which would create a program to provide customers of the state's major utilities the opportunity to buy clean energy produced by a shared community renewable energy system and receive credit on their utility bills for their portion of the power generated.
The community solar bill, introduced by State Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, now awaits a hearing by the full assembly.
‘This legislation provides access to clean, renewable energy to the three out of four energy customers in California who are currently unable to generate their own on-site power from solar, wind and other renewable energy sources,’ Wolk says. ‘It gives Californians the opportunity to save on their energy bill, and encourages more investment and creates local jobs in an important sector of our state's economy, all without spending any state funds.’
Earlier this year, Vote Solar released a report on the expected economic benefits of community solar in California. According to the report, S.B.843 would deploy 2 GW of new renewable energy capacity and approximately double the amount of rooftop solar currently installed in the state.
