California s public utilities are going down swinging in their fight against extended solar credits.
The state s three investor-owned utilities filed appeals with the California Public Utilities Commission on Monday, seeking to reverse regulators January decision that extended credits for new solar customers.
PG&E is seeking to vacate the ruling. A spokesman for the company said the commission failed to consider the costs to traditional, non-solar customers. PG&E estimates the solar credits will increase the average residential users monthly bill by $50 in the year 2025.
Solar advocates cried foul. The PUC decision already took 22 months — extended a month past the deadline — and included the review of mountains of filing, an industry group said. Overturning the decision would prevent customers in the PG&E service area from installing solar later this year, according to the California Solar Energy Industries Association.
Rather than working in partnership with solar companies and striving to reduce costs for customers, utilities would prefer to be obstructionists and muck up the market, said Bernadette Del Chiaro, the association s executive director.
A PG&E spokesman said in an email that the utility supports continued growth of rooftop solar, but feels rates are tipped too far in the favor of solar customers.
PUC commissioners decided in a 3-2 vote to extend credits for solar customers selling their excess power back to the grid. The new rules impose a one-time connection fee of between $75 and $150 for new solar customers.
The PUC decision highlighted the friction between utilities and the solar industry over pricing. Nevada regulators rolled back the so-called net metering provisions in December, causing local companies Solar City and Sunrun to pull out of the state. Solar companies and consumers are battling in court.
Photo: Bay Area News Group file
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