Californians rally to save rooftop solar, keep solar incentives strong

On Thursday, supporters gathered for a virtual rally to call on Governor Gavin Newsom to save rooftop solar in California. Environment California and other environmental groups hosted the Save California Solar virtual rally in response to the latest proposal from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which risks stifling rooftop solar growth in the state at a time when we need to build out clean energy more than ever.

Watch the Save California Solar rally!

Attendees heard from Environment California State Director Laura Deehan and other environmental leaders about how the CPUC proposed decision released on November 10th would slash the rate at which new solar consumers are compensated for their extra solar energy by 75%. This would reduce a key incentive for Californians to go solar and drastically alter the state’s proven solar policies that have helped California become the top solar-producing state in the country.

“We need more rooftop solar and more clean energy,” said Deehan. “In fact, the state’s own agency report estimates we need to quadruple the amount of energy from solar roofs. That means we not only need to keep solar growing, but we need to actually accelerate the pace of solar installations.” 

Laura Deehan discussed how rooftop solar can help California meet its climate goals and the importance of keeping solar incentives strong.Photo by Steven King | TPIN

Other speakers included Ken Cook from Environmental Working Group, Laura Neish from 350 Bay Area, Roger Lin from Center for Biological Diversity, Esperanza Vielma from Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, and Pastor Robinson from Faith Church. The rally included a question-and-answer session with these environmental leaders and advocates, which emphasized the need for a better CPUC proposal that fully accounts for the multitude of benefits that solar brings and better aligns with California’s ambitious climate goals.

A call to action

Take action to save rooftop solar in CaliforniaPhoto by Angela Abuda | TPIN

This is a crucial time to make your voice heard in support of better pro-solar policies in California. The CPUC is scheduled to vote on its proposal next month on December 15th. There are several things you can do before that deadline to keep rooftop solar growing in California: here are four easy actions you can take to save California solar.