California clean energy industry rocked with widespread jobs losses, bankruptcies, following state’s dismantling of rooftop solar program::undefined
“SAN FRANCISCO – California’s once-thriving residential solar industry is in ruins after state officials slashed rooftop solar incentives, causing thousands of job losses, said clean energy advocates and solar industry representatives during a recent virtual briefing.
The incentives played a crucial role in outfitting solar panels on approximately 2 million homes, establishing the state as the leader in the clean energy revolution. But the California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, bowed to demands from Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric to roll back those incentives.”
Of course the gas/electric company hates it.
gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Frankly, it’d be far better for the state, its finances, its residents, its energy infrastructure, and fire prevention across the state if they dismantled PG&E instead of this rooftop solar program.
MechanicalJester@lemm.ee 11 months ago
It’s almost as if deregulation of the energy industry was a bad move…
gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
The amount of infrastructural, environmental, and societal damage done in the name of “deregulation” is truly appalling.
phoneymouse@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Well - they kinda need the grid for this program. Basically, the incentive was you could install solar and send your excess power to the grid. Whatever you put on the grid, you could take back 1:1 when you needed it (ie. at night). Essentially, you could treat the grid as your battery, without needing to pay for a battery. This made the break even time horizon super short.
It also meant solar customers weren’t paying much for grid infrastructure and transmission costs.
Now, you can only draw back 25% of what you send to the grid. Getting a battery now makes more sense, but it’s also a big upfront cost.
Don’t get me wrong. PGE is evil incarnate and its execs should be sent to prison. The company should be seized by the public. Rates should be lowered on the backs of executive bonuses and salaries.
But, as a non-solar owner, I do think the previous deal was only going to increase costs for non-solar customers. It couldn’t last forever. Hopefully, the state does improve the current incentives just a bit though.
gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
I’m talking about a permanent and irrevocable state takeover of the company. I grew up in California, and still have family there. PG&E has demonstrated that they are wildly inept - perhaps criminally so - for basically my entire life. They do not deserve to be a company.