California is poised to kill rooftop solar, damaging climate and health
The primary justification for the proposed rule is that, as more homeowners put solar PV on their roofs, fewer will pay grid charges, so the cost of maintaining the grid will be spread over fewer kilowatt-hours of energy passing through the grid, raising bills to non-PV owners. However, if instead of taxing solar, utilities encouraged replacing natural gas with electricity, the cost of air pollution deaths and illness due to natural gas would decrease and demand for electricity among non-PV owners would increase, not decrease.
In fact, the assumption that the number of kilowatt-hours of electricity will stay constant over time in California is faulty, so the basis for taxing solar is faulty. As California transitions to clean, renewable energy as it must under policies including SB100 (California’s 100 percent renewable electricity law) as well as gubernatorial executive orders B-55-18 (carbon neutrality) and N-79-20 (zero vehicle emissions by 2035), it will electrify transportation, heating and industrial processes, creating new demands for electricity, allowing the grid cost to be spread over more kilowatt-hours of electricity.
In fact, a recent study I co-authored for California found that such electrification will double electricity needs in the state and reduce energy costs substantially while creating jobs. As such, even with a huge growth in rooftop PV, the cost of maintaining the grid will be spread over more, rather than fewer, kilowatt-hours than today.
The primary justification for the proposed rule is that, as more homeowners put solar PV on their roofs, fewer will pay grid charges, so the cost of maintaining the grid will be spread over fewer kilowatt-hours of energy passing through the grid, raising bills to non-PV owners. However, if instead of taxing solar, utilities encouraged replacing natural gas with electricity, the cost of air pollution deaths and illness due to natural gas would decrease and demand for electricity among non-PV owners would increase, not decrease.
In fact, the assumption that the number of kilowatt-hours of electricity will stay constant over time in California is faulty, so the basis for taxing solar is faulty. As California transitions to clean, renewable energy as it must under policies including SB100 (California’s 100 percent renewable electricity law) as well as gubernatorial executive orders B-55-18 (carbon neutrality) and N-79-20 (zero vehicle emissions by 2035), it will electrify transportation, heating and industrial processes, creating new demands for electricity, allowing the grid cost to be spread over more kilowatt-hours of electricity.
In fact, a recent study I co-authored for California found that such electrification will double electricity needs in the state and reduce energy costs substantially while creating jobs. As such, even with a huge growth in rooftop PV, the cost of maintaining the grid will be spread over more, rather than fewer, kilowatt-hours than today.
