So California May Be Attacking The Solar Industry - God Knows Why - Wait Till Washington State

[DanieRains]

Stops sending their power south. Someday we may need the power we generate here, here.

California you will fry.

You have all the sun in the world. With good smart incentives most of your citizens can buy into solar farms, or install their own panels. I know this makes control by the utilities less advantageous, but overall is much, much, much better for the environment.

With your own net metered panels you could run your air conditioners no matter how hot it gets.


https://www.utilitydive.com/news/californias-proposed-nem-tariffs-could-halve-residential-solar-market-by-2/617836/

Support Solar 1000% Only an idiot would not approve.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. Maine utilities wanted to put a moratorium on connecting to the grid for homeowners. BS

They ought to realize their business is now grid maintenance and maximizing decentralized / off-grid energy inputs. A shitload cheaper than building another large-scale energy plant that creates more CO2.

[msongs]

2. prostitute politicians will sell out to the mega corps like edison and PG&E and kill

the effectiveness of rooftop solar

[FreeState]

11. Your forced to sell them your power already

No off grid allowed. Our January usage was just under the same usage as last year. The bill was $45 more than last year. SDGE - they are making us pay for their fires.

[roody]

3. Governor Newsome is totally

lame on this. He has not taken a position on the solar tax. That is a position.

[temporary311]

4. Regulatory capture is no joke.

I think utilities should revert back to state ownership. Privatization was, and is, a mistake.

[Buckeyeblue]

7. Yes. One of the many lies Uncle Ronnie promoted

Was that decentralization of utilities would drive down prices. Just the opposite.

[former9thward]

12. The law deregulating electricity in CA was passed in 1996.

Long after Reagan left the scene.

The California Law: In 1996, the California Legislature unanimously approved legislation backed by the utility industry to "deregulate" electricity. The Legislation promised competition and at least 20% lower electricity rates by 2002.

https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/feature/history-deregulation-debacle

[Buckeyeblue]

14. The movement to do that started with Reagan though

[ripcord]

5. There are huge solar farms all over the California desert

We wouldn't want to interfere with their profits would we?

[usonian]

6. I bitched to the governor early and often!

The CPUC proposed this. They say (and who asked/told them to say it, I don't know) that non-solar users and low income people are subsidizing solar users. Well, I use so little electricity that solar is not cost-effective for me, but I am glad to subsidize solar if it helps energy reach a tipping point away from fossil fuels.

FWIW, PG&E is automatically opting in users to time of day rate plans. My major power usage is in summer, basically during those hours. Opting people into plans is a "dark pattern". Their own estimates said that the new default costs me more, so I opted out.

Such sweethearts.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/24/22899095/pge-menace-california-wildfires-probation-lifts

PG&’s criminal probation is ending, but the company remains a ‘menace to California’
‘We remain trapped in a tragic era of PG&E wildfires,’ judge says

By Justine Calma@justcalma Jan 24, 2022, 3:53pm EST

Embattled California utility PG&E ends a five-year felony probation period tomorrow that failed to rehabilitate the company, according to the US District Court judge that oversaw the probation.

“In these five years, PG&E has gone on a crime spree and will emerge from probation as a continuing menace to California,” US District Judge William Alsup wrote in a scathing report released days ahead of the probationary period that lifts at midnight.

“PG&E HAS GONE ON A CRIME SPREE”
The company was placed on probation in 2017 when it was convicted of six felony crimes connected to one of its natural gas pipelines that exploded in 2010, killing eight people. Since a company can’t go to prison for committing a crime, PG&E faced a $3 million fine and the maximum length of probation.

Since then, PG&E has caused even more devastation, Alsup writes. While on probation, according to Alsup’s report, PG&E was responsible for at least 31 blazes that killed 113 people and scorched 23,956 homes and buildings. The deadliest and most destructive was the 2018 Camp Fire, which burned the town of Paradise to the ground and for which PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 involuntary manslaughter charges. PG&E faces dozens more charges for other blazes.

[mitch96]

8. "Attacking The Solar Industry"...following the money will give you answers.. Who got paid off?nt

[DanieRains]

10. Capitalizzum!!!!

Bend over.... and your children will get to live in an oven.

[hunter]

9. Aggressive renewable energy schemes in places like California, Germany, and Denmark have failed.

They are fundamentally unfair to lower income consumers and have only increased our long term dependence on fossil fuels, especially natural gas.

There's enough gas in the ground to destroy the natural world as we know it, and our civilization as well. It should be left where it is. Hybrid natural gas / renewable energy systems will not save the world.

The current rate structure for solar destabilizes the electric grid and transfers wealth from lower income consumers and apartment dwellers to people who are already wealthy.

I've discussed this on DU in quite a few places. Here's a recent post on rate structures:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/104028611#post2

I'm a radical environmentalist and I used to be a radical anti-nuclear activist.

Hell, if I was Emperor of Earth I'd ban all personal vehicles with engines larger than 10 kilowatts. I'd also ban the entire factory farm meat and dairy industry. Good thing I'm not Emperor, you say?

But seriously, my politics are practical and Democratic. My Emperor of the Earth proposals are thought experiments.

That being said, I've changed my mind about nuclear power. At this point it's a mature 75 year old technology and the only energy resource capable of displacing fossil fuels entirely.

As the human population approaches 8 billion we've worked ourselves into a very tight corner. At least 99% of us are dependent on high density energy sources for food, clean water, and shelter. Without these high density energy sources (now provided by fossil fuels...) about 40% of us would suffer and eventually die. That's about the same number of us who will suffer and eventually die by climate upheavals if we don't quit fossil fuels.

I'm some sort of socialist. I believe EVERYONE in the world deserves healthy food, clean water and indoor plumbing, comfortable shelter, and a reliable source of electricity. That can be accomplished with nuclear power, and with minimal danger compared to fossil fuels.

[Sympthsical]

13. In a supermajority Democratic state no less

We're getting solar this year. The new potential regulatory scheme gave us serious pause about it. But, on balance and because we can afford it, we're going ahead.

PG&E is an object lesson on why you do not deregulate public utilities, but that ship has sailed. So much money has been spread around politicians, there's just no getting around that they will continue to get away with things. Rising costs, worse service.

I'll be happy when I'm a little less beholden to them.

This is assuming their lack of maintenance doesn't burn down my neighborhood eventually.