California environmental justice coalition advocates for solar net-metering preservation

Credit: PetersenDean

The Coalition for Environmental Equity and Economics (CEEE) announced it will be partnering with the Save California Solar campaign to call on Governor Newsom, the California Public Utilities Commission and state leaders to keep solar affordable in California as the Newsom Administration considers changes to net metering.

CEEE is a project of Green the Church, the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water and the Council of Mexican Federations in North America.

“We are happy to be working with rooftop solar advocates to protect and strengthen net metering, advocate for additional policies that will help bring rooftop solar and battery storage to communities of color, and educate solar buyers on their consumer rights,” said CEEE co-founder Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, Sr.

Proposals submitted by the big utilities to gut net metering would drastically reduce the credit solar consumers receive for the excess energy they produce and add a $65-90 monthly solar penalty fee to their energy bills.

“The benefits of rooftop solar are many for the communities we serve. Installing solar panels helps lower the monthly electric bills of families, the industry creates good-paying jobs, and, most importantly, the more rooftop solar, the lower the rate of dirty emissions generally and specifically in our communities,” said COFEM executive director Francisco Moreno.

CEEE is asking California leaders to keep growing and improving rooftop solar to fight climate change and build a more resilient grid. Since many of the state’s low-income solar programs rely directly on net metering to deliver bill savings to vulnerable populations, the alliance emphasizes the need to prioritize equity and continue bringing solar to more people. When coupled with storage, rooftop solar is a consumer’s best defense against spiking energy costs and unpredictable power outages, particularly as wildfire season looms large.

“Communities of color are those most impacted by climate change. They are the communities that live with the health consequences of environmental hazards, and they lack the resources to quickly bounce back from natural disasters. CEEE has a high sense of urgency to ensure California public policy makes the communities we care about a priority,” said Rev. Carroll.

News item from Save California Solar

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Original Source: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/08/california-environmental-justice-coalition-advocates-solar-net-metering-preservation/