To the editor: Having put in photo voltaic in 2024 at a value of $36,500, I’m appalled that the California Public Utilities Fee is considering another “hit” to solar homeowners who wish to cut back their utility price and assist cut back the demand for fossil fuels.
The primary hits have been modifications that considerably diminished the quantity credited to prospects who return extra power to the grid. Personal utility firms are making their newest request to scale back credit within the identify of equality — they are saying nonsolar prospects pay greater than their “fair proportion” for infrastructure upgrades and grid upkeep.
It seems the CPUC is extra involved concerning the utility firms incomes income than motivating prospects to avoid wasting prices and assist the local weather.
What have been the consequences of the CPUC modifications to this point? In accordance with the business commerce group Photo voltaic Insure, rooftop photo voltaic installations have plummeted by 80%. In accordance with the California Photo voltaic and Storage Assn., there have been greater than 17,000 layoffs within the business and plenty of photo voltaic firm bankruptcies.
The CPUC and Gov. Gavin Newsom ought to do not forget that they serve the residents of California, not profit-making utilities.
Frank Deni, Lake Forest
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To the editor: I used to be outraged to learn concerning the CPUC’s plan to additional reduce power credit for rooftop photo voltaic householders like me.
We went photo voltaic in 2002 — not for ourselves however to do what we may to combat local weather change that’s now accelerating even sooner than scientists predicted. We took out a small line of credit score a number of years later to increase our system.
Right now, regardless of all this, my Southern California Edison invoice is about 10 occasions what it was.
Most vital, the cost-shifting thought is an utter fable that’s been debunked by quite a few research. One latest evaluation reveals that California’s nation-leading 17 gigawatts of rooftop photo voltaic has saved prospects about $2.3 billion on their utility payments final yr.
The CPUC should cease attacking photo voltaic prospects and disincentivizing clear power that advantages all.
Zan Dubin, Santa Monica
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To the editor: We now have to start out residing inside our ecological footprint, now. Meaning swapping nonrenewable fossil fuels for cleaner and renewable photo voltaic power. That’s carried out by utilizing all these thousands and thousands of rooftops which are simply sitting there anyway.
There was a contract to incentivize this needed step, and now the businesses that have been alleged to be structured for the individuals — the utilities — are reneging on that contract.
Give up it please. The entire planet can’t afford for grasping middlemen to insert themselves in the course of this plan and upend it.
Due to The Instances and reporter Melody Petersen for bringing this to gentle.
Sara Roos, Los Angeles
