Sometimes when you write about the news, you miss the news that’s happening that very moment.
That happened yesterday when the News Flash was being prepared. Then we learned of the defeat (temporarily, at least) of AB 1139, the bill in the California Assembly that would have levied large monthly fees on rooftop solar producers.
We want to thank Assemblymember Jim Wood for his vote against the bill. Members of 350 Humboldt’s Legislative Committee met with the assemblyman to convey the importance of defeating AB 1139. Likely many readers also contacted his office. If you did, we want to thank you as well!
But if you didn’t, there may again come a chance to support solar energy. Under Assembly rules, AB 1139 may return next year. Even if it doesn’t, utilities whose business models are upended by the rapid rise in California solar generation will probably lobby the state’s Public Utility Commission to cut solar incentives.
One way utilities could work with solar energy producers — at least a partial fix for their problems — is called “load management.” You may have heard of a firm called OhmConnect (here’s their website) which does just that. If you want to try it on your own, just start by powering down any appliances you can cut out for an hour or two between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. That cuts utility expenses at a time when solar is winding down.
We hope the utilities will see a way to work with people who are just trying to generate renewable power.
Pat Carr for 350 Humboldt