SACRAMENTO and WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a revised proposal to change the state’s net metering rules. The proposal replaces retail rate compensation with a net billing structure for new solar and storage customers.  

Following is a statement from Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) on the proposal: 

“Maintaining a strong distributed solar and storage market is critical to California’s clean energy future. The CPUC rightly rejected proposals to impose unprecedented grid access fees on new solar and storage customers. However, additional work is needed to ensure a more gradual transition to net billing so that all Californians, including schools, farms and low-income residents can adopt solar and storage. 

“Congress just passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which is the largest clean energy investment in our nation’s history. Our progress now depends on states taking the baton and advancing policies to rapidly deploy clean energy and decarbonize the grid. California should be at the front of the pack. 

“Distributed solar and storage projects help to strengthen the grid and boost community resilience, which will only help communities that are already bearing the brunt of climate change. SEIA will continue to advocate for solutions that benefit all ratepayers and properly account for the value of solar and storage to the grid.”