Category: California

  • California License Board votes to severely limit solar contractors installing batteries

    The California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) approved a new rule late last week that would prohibit licensed solar contractors from installing new battery storage capacity to existing solar systems. It also prohibits solar contractors from performing maintenance on battery storage systems — including systems they installed themselves. Those projects would now require a licensed……

  • Milestone decision by Calif. regulators approves DER schedules to avoid interconnection upgrades

    The California Public Utilities Commission just issued a significant decision allowing renewable energy systems to be approved to interconnect to the electric grid using an energy export schedule (known as a Limited Generation Profile or LGP) that is designed to avoid grid impacts. This approach, which leverages California’s public grid data, can reduce the need……

  • California lawmaker introduces bill to repeal NEM 3.0

    A California lawmaker has introduced a bill to repeal damaging energy policies that have curtailed the state’s solar industry. Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael) has introduced new legislation to reduce fees and taxes on residential solar projects and restore incentives to Californians who are helping to generate clean energy for our grid. The California Public Utilities……

  • Surviving the NEM 3 California solar market | Power Forward!

    California solar installers experienced a disastrous 2023 as soon as the NEM 3 rate changes took effect. The California Solar and Storage Association reports about an 80 percent drop in rooftop solar projects since April 2023. To make matters worse, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) closed out 2023 by approving further changes that impact……

  • Solar champions outraged by CPUC decisions that (further) gut net billing incentives

    The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved further cutbacks to the state’s net billing incentives for distributed solar and storage systems — eroding economic value of new systems beyond what California’s solar installers (and customers) anticipated. The move is its third iteration of its Net Metering policy, referred to as NEM 3, a reversal of……