Solar Advocates Applaud California Legislature For Passing Energy Bill

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The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC), an advocacy organization for rooftop solar companies, has applauded the California Legislature for passing Assembly Bill 327, which revises a number of electricity rate design issues and keeps the state's net energy metering (NEM) regime in place for the time being. The bill passed in the California Senate earlier in the week and is headed for the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown, who is expected to sign it in the coming weeks.

‘Passage of this legislation means more Californians will now have access to cleaner, cheaper and better energy,’ says John Stanton, co-chair of TASC and vice president of policy and electricity markets for SolarCity, in a statement. ‘Greater market stability creates the opportunity for more jobs across California's rooftops.’

According to TASC, AB 327 will provide stability for the rooftop solar sector by preserving NEM and removing the ceiling on California's renewable portfolio standard. The organization says AB 327 is a rare example of California's investor-owned utilities, the solar sector and ratepayer advocates all supporting the same bill. In addition to TASC, the Vote Solar Initiative and the Solar Energy Industries Association all filed letters of support.

The California Solar Energy Industries Association, while voicing support for the bill, has expressed concern that language inserts some uncertainty about how NEM is calculated in the future, and that more wrangling between the solar sector and public utilities is to be expected when the issue is taken up by the California Public Utilities Commission.

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