Tag Archive for: cpuc

The CPUC voted to approve a ‘proposed decision’ changing the state’s VNEM scheme for multiple-meter properties and small businesses.

“The only winners here are big utilities” – Solar industry reacts to CPUC VNEM changes

The California Public Utilities Commission yesterday (16th November) voted to approve a ‘proposed decision’ changing the state’s virtual net energy metering (VNEM) scheme for multiple-meter properties and small businesses like schools, farms, apartment blocks and shopping centres.

The now-approved VNEM proposal reduces the compensation paid to building owners and tenants for excess power produced by a rooftop solar system, by requiring them to buy their own electricity back from the grid at retail prices set by utility companies.

Ahead of the vote, the CPUC proposal was changed to allow net metering for multi-meter residential properties like apartment blocks. However, communal areas like EV charging stations, hallways and gyms are exempt, which raises questions over the financial incentives for building owners to install solar.

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Source: PV Tech

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The CPUC released a new proposed decision on November 8 regulating how solar is used and credited on multimeter properties.

California regulators release revised proposal for virtual solar net metering

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) released a new proposed decision on November 8 regulating how solar is used and credited on multimeter properties. CALSSA says the new proposal would still make solar unaffordable for California schools, farms, apartment buildings and businesses with multiple tenants.

A vote by the CPUC on the proposal is scheduled for November 16, following multiple delays. A coalition of advocates and solar consumers are pressing for more changes in advance of the vote this week.

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Source: Solar Power World

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California's 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco will hear a legal challenge to the state’s recently adopted rooftop solar rules.

Appeals court will hear challenge to California’s new rooftop solar rules

California’s 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco will hear a legal challenge to the state’s recently adopted rooftop solar rules.

Three groups challenged the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) decision to slash the value of electricity generated from solar panels and install $15 monthly fees for residents who add solar panels to their rooftops.

The Center for Biological Diversity, the Environmental Working Group, and the Protect Our Communities Foundation challenged the CPUC’s adoption of the new rules.

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Source: kpbs

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CA regulators are proposing a plan that could make it impossible for people in apartments, schools and small farms to reap the benefits of solar.

Rooftop solar benefits for apartment buildings, schools in crosshairs of California energy regulators

California energy regulators are proposing a rooftop solar energy billing plan that, if adopted, could make it impossible for people in apartments, schools and small farms to enjoy the environmental, financial and other benefits of the clean power source.

The California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, on August 2 introduced its proposed changes to two key solar programs, Net Energy Metering Aggregation, or NEMA and Virtual Net Energy Metering, or VNEM. The changes could thwart multifamily properties’ use of the energy their rooftop solar generates, forcing them to sell the energy to the state’s electric utilities before purchasing it back at higher retail rates.

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Source: ewg

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California energy experts generally agree that the state’s interconnection processes need a broad overhaul, since CAISO’s queues are overwhelmed with hundreds of requests every year

California’s ‘zonal’ approach could revamp clean energy planning, shrink interconnection queue: experts

California energy experts generally agree that the state’s interconnection processes need a broad overhaul, since CAISO’s queues are overwhelmed with hundreds of requests every year from potential developers. The latest window for applications was this April, and the system operator received a total of 546 applications, amounting to 354,000 MW of new resources.

While a previous proposal from CAISO called for 46 transmission projects estimated to cost $9.3 billion, the final version approved by the board of governors last week left out one project pending additional analysis. The vast majority of these projects will be built in California and each costs between $4 million and $2.3 billion, according to the ISO.

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Source: Utility Dive

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Environmental groups argue that the CPUC acted illegally when it slashed compensation payments for power generated by solar panels.

Environmentalists sue California over reduced solar incentives

The fate of California’s wildly successful rooftop solar incentives will be decided in court.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday — and shared exclusively with The Times — three environmental groups argue that the California Public Utilities Commission acted illegally when it slashed compensation payments for power generated by solar panels. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appointees failed to consider all the benefits of rooftop solar, and also ignored instructions from the state Legislature to ensure that solar adoption “continues to grow sustainably,” the environmental groups say in their lawsuit.

They’ve asked the California Court of Appeals to throw out the Public Utilities Commission’s December decision and order the agency to go back to the drawing board.

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Source: Los Angeles Times

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Dozens of groups will tell the CPUP to revise the new rooftop solar plan to make solar more affordable for low-income communities.

More than 100 groups ask CPUC to delay NEM 3.0

California regulators should revise a new rooftop solar plan to make solar more affordable for low-income communities, dozens of groups will tell the California Public Utilities Commission at its meeting Thursday. The commission’s plan drastically slashes the credit new solar users would get for sharing their extra solar energy with the grid.

More than 100 groups are urging the commission to delay implementation of the plan until it can resolve issues raised in an administrative appeal for rehearing filed in January by the Center for Biological Diversity, Protect Our Communities Foundation and the Environmental Working Group.

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Source: Solar Power World

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The CPUC is considering asking electricity providers in the state to procure 4GW of new capacity to ensure grid reliability.

CPUC proposal would order an additional 4 GW of clean energy resources to bolster grid reliability

In June 2021, the CPUC approved an 11.5 GW procurement package of clean energy resources to come online between 2023 and 2026, in order to replace the then-planned retirement of the 2.2-GW Diablo Canyon nuclear plant as well as a series of natural gas plants slated to retire. Regulators ordered power providers to bring online 2 GW of resources in 2023, another 6 GW in 2024, and installments of 1.5 GW and 2 GW in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

However, circumstances have changed since that initial order was approved, regulators say. New forecasts point to increasing electric demand, beyond what regulators initially anticipated, likely due to extreme weather, a greater expected increase in electric vehicles, higher usage of air conditioning, and electrification of the built environment. At the same time, California expects to have less access to imported electricity from its neighboring states, as they face similar trends.

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Source: Utility Dive

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A trio of environmental groups wants the CPUC to upend last month’s decision that overhauled the rules for rooftop solar.

California slashed rooftop solar payments. Now opponents want a rehearing

A trio of environmental groups wants the California Public Utilities Commission to upend last month’s decision that overhauled the rules for Californians who install rooftop solar on their homes and businesses, reducing payments to new solar customers for the electricity they generate.

The Protect Our Communities Foundation, the Environmental Working Group and the Center for Biological Diversity filed an application for a rehearing and a reversal of the Dec. 15 ruling by the commission.

“They made a mistake,” said Bill Powers, an engineer and board member of the Protect Our Communities Foundation. “This was the wrong decision.”

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Source: Los Angeles Times

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Ivy Energy saw the lack of advocacy for VNEM solar projects and actively joined the proceeding representing the multifamily customer class.

Massive win for multifamily solar in CPUC proceedings

The highly controversial CPUC (California Public Utilities Commission) NEM 3.0 proceedings began in early 2021, and have been ongoing ever since. The Commission recently released its new proposed decision (PD) and voted on it December 15, 2022. It set out to revise the Net Energy Metering (NEM) tariff, which is the key policy allowing customers to install and monetize solar panels. One of the sub-tariffs, Virtual Net Energy Metering (VNEM), was included in the PD and several consequential changes were being proposed that would impact the compensation mechanism for clean energy projects at multifamily properties. Ivy Energy, a shared solar software provider saw the lack of advocacy for VNEM solar projects and actively joined the proceeding, exclusively representing the multifamily customer class.

Ivy’s policy team reviewed the initial stakeholder comments and found that the multifamily market was severely underrepresented. Furthermore, the CPUC’s initial analysis and proposal did not specifically study the impact on multifamily properties, yet was anticipating to change the entire program based on data strictly originating from the single-family home market. VNEM multifamily solar projects account for 1% of the live California solar projects. This was both eye-opening and alarming to see, as apartments and multifamily buildings have not seen the same level of market adoption of solar as single-family residential and have different challenges and opportunities. Changing the VNEM tariff without robust analysis would have had consequences on future market growth opportunities and the ability of multifamily owners to invest in solar. With the long-term impact in mind, Ivy stepped up huge with policy leadership to advocate for multifamily buildings in California’s solar transition.

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Source: Multi Family Dive

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