Establish the true value of rooftop solar

We have the power to harness clean, abundant energy from the sun right from our rooftops using solar panels. However, recent cuts to successful rooftop solar incentive programs caused the bottom to fall out of California’s nation-leading rooftop solar market, with new installations down 80% since the cuts were implemented. State regulators justified slashing rooftop solar incentives by only considering certain economic benefits and costs in their valuation of rooftop solar, neglecting to consider solar’s significant environmental and public health benefits. 

Given California’s long standing solar leadership that has led to nearly 2 million solar rooftops and counting, and our urgent need to transition away from dirty fossil fuels to clean energy like solar power, it makes no sense for California to undervalue rooftop solar and bring its growth to a screeching halt. 

We are calling on California lawmakers and Governor Newsom to pass AB 2256 (Friedman), which would get rooftop solar back on track by directing the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to consider all benefits of rooftop solar when determining how to compensate solar panel owners for the electricity they supply to the grid. By establishing rooftop solar’s true value, including its environmental and societal benefits, California can ensure that solar panels become economically viable for more households and that owners are compensated fairly for the energy they produce.

We cannot meet our state’s clean energy and climate change goals without rooftop solar growing at a robust pace, especially when 90% of California’s rooftop solar potential is still untapped. Homeowners, business owners, and apartment dwellers should be able to help their communities by going solar, knowing that their investment will pay off within a reasonable time frame.

To build momentum behind fully valuing rooftop solar’s benefits we are working to win the support of lawmakers throughout California, build a strong coalition of over 100 organizations, amplify a supportive narrative for rooftop solar and clean energy in the media, and have 10,000 people contact their state decision makers in support of the bill. 

Environment California has fought for and won significant laws to power our lives with more solar energy, including the Million Solar Roofs Initiative, California’s 100% clean electricity requirement by 2045, and a bill to unlock the solar energy potential of California’s roadside land.

Environment California Research & Policy Center has done groundbreaking research on powering our lives with clean renewable energy, including their recent Solar on Superstores and Solar on Warehouses reports which demonstrate the potential of these large commercial rooftops to power over 5.8 million households in California. They have also made The Environmental Case for Rooftop Solar Energy and measured the benefits of rooftop solar with The True Value of Solar report. 

You can help convince your state legislators to be a part of the solution by supporting AB 2256 to value all of rooftop solar’s environmental and societal benefits. Urge your legislators to put our state on a path to a cleaner, greener future with robust rooftop solar growth. Take action here:

We have an opportunity to accelerate California’s clean energy transition. By urging our state leaders to keep rooftop solar growing quickly by properly valuing all of its benefits, we can make immediate clean energy progress here in the Golden State while also blazing the trail for nationwide action.