It is discouraging to have to fight our own state agencies in order to get climate-friendly actions.
350 Humboldt is asking you to let the CPUC know that a proposal due to be voted on November 16 is unacceptable. For years, the utilities have unsuccessfully tried to block homeowners from making their own solar energy. Now they are working to block rooftop solar for California renters, schools, and farmers. Hundreds of climate, environmental justice, school, farm and low-income groups are opposing this proposal.
The CPUC has proposed to stop apartments, farms, and schools from using their own rooftop solar to reduce their electricity bill
· Here’s how it works: rooftop solar energy directly powers your property when the sun is shining, which reduces the amount of electricity you buy from the utility.
· But this summer the CPUC proposed that properties that have more than one electrical meter be blocked from directly using their rooftop solar energy. This would include apartments, farms, schools, factories, and other businesses.
· The CPUC just released a new proposal that does restore the opportunity for some – but not all – renters to go solar. This proposal is limited to residential accounts. Schools, farms, resiliency hubs, community health centers, and even the common areas in multifamily housing – such as those that are needed to provide access to EV charging infrastructure for renters – are still cut out of the ability to reduce their utility burden through solar. Under this scheme, they would lose all of the savings that single-family homeowners get. The fact that there are multiple meters on a property should not result in completely different treatment compared to single-meter properties.
What You Can Do
1. Send a comment directly to the CPUC.
- Go to the CPUC website and click “Add Public Comment”.
- Complete the public comment form and hit submit. You can say something like: “Please cancel CPUC’s proposal to block rooftop solar that could power schools, farms, resiliency hubs, community health centers, and even EV charging infrastructure for renters.”
2. The CPUC Commissioners are appointed by the Governor, so you can call the Governor at (916) 445-2841 between 9am and 5pm. You will get a chance to leave a message. Say something like: “Please stop the CPUC’s proposal to block rooftop solar that could power schools, farms, resiliency hubs, community health centers, and even EV charging infrastructure for renters.”
3. Attend the CPUC meeting. If you want to coordinate what you say with groups organizing resistance to the CPUC proposal Sign up to speak at the November 16 CPUC voting meeting. If you want to make your own independent comment by phone, Additional information about the public comment process is available here.
Thanks for taking action!
350 Humboldt Steering Committee
More Information
CPUC’s proposed decision to gut solar for multi-family homes, farms and schools
· Fact sheet about solar for renters
· Letter from renters’ advocates, affordable housing developers, and community groups to CPUC
· Letter from multi-family housing developers to CPUC
· Letter from elected officials to CPUC
· See some of the public comments the CPUC has received in opposition to their proposal
· Proposals from the utilities and the CPUC Public Advocate to gut rooftop solar for renters, farmers, and schools.