Tag Archive for: california

The Solar Access Act bill implements instant, online solar permitting in cities and counties in California.

California cities and counties now required to switch to instant, online residential solar permitting by 2024

Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco)’s legislation, SB 379, the Solar Access Act, passed both houses of California’s legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The bill implements instant, online solar permitting in cities and counties. This legislation will greatly decrease approval times for residential solar and solar + storage systems, cut permitting costs for local governments and homeowners and help California meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. SB 379 is co-sponsored by SPUR and Environment California. Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) is a coauthor of the bill.

Climate change is a dire threat, and California must accelerate its transition to clean energy in order to meet its target to become carbon neutral by 2045. Widespread installation of residential solar systems has helped push California towards these goals. However, while the cost of solar technology has decreased in recent years, the high costs associated with installation — including local permitting and inspection requirements — have remained prohibitive for many. Delays due to long permit and inspection wait times also hurt solar implementation across the state. Automated permitting solves both of these issues; the Solar Access Act will allow California to implement a timely and comprehensive solution.

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Source: Solar Power World

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a package of bills aimed at moving away from reliance on fossil fuel-based energy

California governor signs sweeping climate legislation

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping package of bills Friday to expand California’s reliance on clean energy and reduce carbon emissions, moves he said further establish the state as a global climate leader.

The new laws include proposals aimed at reducing exposure to gas and oil pollution in communities of color, expanding clean energy jobs and accelerating the state’s timeline for getting most of its electricity from renewable energy sources. Newsom signed them following a record-breaking heat wave that forced California to rely more heavily on natural gas for its electricity production.

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Source: ABC News

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Last week, California’s power grid was strained to the limit in the midst of a searing heat wave but was saved by their consumers.

Opinion: Californians saved the grid again. They should be paid more for it

Last week, for the second time in three years, California’s power grid was strained to the limit by record-high demand in the midst of a searing heat wave. But just like they did during the state’s grid emergencies of 2020, California consumers came to the rescue.

At around 5:45 p.m. on September 6, as state grid operator CAISO was preparing to initiate rolling blackouts to stave off grid collapse, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services issued a statewide text message alert asking people to ​“conserve energy now to protect public health and safety.” Over the next half an hour or so, demand dropped more than 2,000 megawatts below its record-setting peak of just over 52,000 megawatts.

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Source: Canary Media

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California’s new program will go beyond conventional community-solar design by stipulating requirements to serve equity and just-transition goals

California is finally unlocking community solar for the masses

California leads the nation in rooftop solar installations by a long shot. But it has never managed to craft a viable community solar market for people who can’t put panels on their own roofs. That’s been a glaring oversight in a state where median home prices in major cities have soared above $1 million, pushing home ownership out of reach for millions of residents.

But a late-summer legislative breakthrough could unleash community solar statewide in the next couple of years. AB 2316 passed the legislature by a broad majority last week with widespread support from interest groups — not just solar developers, but also environmental justice organizations, consumer advocates, the homebuilding industry and utility workers. By learning from successes and shortcomings in other states’ community solar programs, California designed its version to benefit customers, developers, workers and the overall power system at the same time.

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Source: Canary Media

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Growing California power system reliability threats could be relieved by a price signal based on RTP linked to smart customer-owned resources

Real-time pricing and demand flexibility targeted to ease California outages

Growing California power system reliability threats made vivid by early September Flex Alerts called by the state’s system operator could be relieved by a price signal based on real-time pricing, or RTP, linked to smart customer-owned resources through new enabling technologies, according to the California Public Utilities Commission Energy Division’s June 22 ”CalFUSE” proposal.

The new approach could transform California’s high penetrations of customer-owned distributed energy resources  into a response to electricity market supply and load fluctuations, commissioners agreed in a July 14 order opening a proceeding to investigate the proposal’s potential.

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Source: Utility Dive

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Soaring temperatures above 100 degrees that causes blackouts in California shows the need for more rooftop solar

More rooftop solar needed as heat and drought threatens California’s electric grid

SAN FRANCISCO – Temperatures are soaring in much of central California – above 100 degrees in places – and the resulting higher demand on the electricity grid could cause blackouts.

More clean solar power could help avoid this outcome.

The scorching heat wave could continue at least until Friday, according to the National Weather Service. To reduce the risk of blackouts, the California Independent System Operator, or CAISO, which manages the state’s power supply, is urging utilities to suspend any maintenance projects between noon and 10 p.m. every day until temperatures drop.

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Source: ewg

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The CALSSA is expecting the CPUC to release its proposed decision on net metering on or before September 29

New CPUC proposed decision on NEM 3.0 expected by September 29

After many months of solar industry protests, the California Solar & Storage Association (CALSSA) is expecting the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to release its proposed decision on net metering on or before September 29. Based on the 90-day window that began with the July 1, 2022 deadline for intervenor comments on the CPUC proceeding on net metering, a new proposed decision is expected to be released on or before September 29, 2022. The timeline for the new proposed decision is not expected to be changed by a recent procedural ruling extending the statutory deadline for the overall proceeding. 

The CPUC issued an initial proposed decision in December 2021 that would have added new grid-use charges and shifted to a net billing structure, which combined would have resulted in lower incentives for rooftop solar customers. In February 2022, after outcry from solar supporters, the new commission president Alice Reynolds asked for more time to analyze the record and consider revisions to the proposed decision on NEM 3.0. A public comment period ensued in May 2022, and CALSSA organized protests to keep advocating against any new solar fees.

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Source: Solar Power World

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A bill to allow renters and low-income Californians to access renewable energy has passed the State Senate Appropriations Committee.

Community solar bill moves out of California Senate Appropriations Committee

A bill to allow renters and low-income Californians to access renewable energy by subscribing to community solar projects passed the State Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday.

Assembly Bill 2316 would enable direct access to solar to people who currently don’t have any way to get it.

By getting through the appropriations committee before the deadline this week, the bill could be approved this year, rather than becoming a two-year bill.

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Source: The Business Journals

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A California agency is seeking more time on how to reform a solar-incentive program that’s helped rooftop solar flourish in the state

California seeks more time to overhaul rooftop-solar subsidy

A California agency is seeking more time to determine how to reform a solar-incentive program that’s helped rooftop solar flourish in the state.

A draft proposal before the California Public Utilities Commission would extend the deadline by a year to Aug. 27, 2023, according to a filing.

The commission is attempting to overhaul an incentive program — known as net-metering — that helped make rooftop systems mainstream but has drawn criticism for raising power bills for poor and middle-class Californians. The commission’s initial proposal sparked a fierce debate over how to balance the fight against climate change with a push to bolster social and economic equity.

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Source: Bloomberg

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The climate bill contains numerous provisions that could aid the efforts of ordinary Californians to reduce emissions.

There’s a lot for Californians in the federal climate bill. Here are the details

The sprawling climate bill that the U.S. Congress could pass in the coming days contains numerous provisions that could aid the efforts of ordinary Californians to reduce emissions.

The bill, called the Inflation Reduction Act because it includes deficit reduction as well as climate and health provisions, “contains the strongest climate action we’ve ever taken in American history,” said Sheryl Carter, an expert on electric power with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Passage is going down to the wire, with Congress’ August recess imminent. Democrats appear to have just succeeded in getting the endorsements of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. — key votes given the essentially even partisan split in the Senate.

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Source: San Francisco Chronicle

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