Lawmakers Fail to Slow Million Solar

The California Public Utilities Commission's brand of the Million Solar legislation was criticized by key lawmakers this week. Before regulators' vote, the chair of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee, Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys), urged the CPUC to postpone adopting its initiative to ensure that the program "truly leads to cost-effective installation of solar energy." Senator Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles), author of the Million Solar bill, insisted that the program include measures to prevent money being spent on "inferior products" and unreliable power projects. In a January 9 letter, Levine asked that the total cost of rebates be capped and that incentives be performance-based. He warned that the decision was energy-efficiency deficient. "The Commission must develop minimum energy standards that projects must meet before the customer will be eligible for state rebates," he stated. In a January 11 letter, Murray urged the commission to include "eligibility requirements and minimum standards, appropriate siting, installation requirements, system ratings and long-term warranties for the systems themselves." He also objected to 5 percent of the annual funding going toward research. He said he was also concerned that the public-agency ratepayers could tap into the rebate but not have to pay for it, unlike investor-owned utility customers. Levine and Murray also pointed out the need for a large consolidated program, for munis to pay into the program, and for expansion of net metering - all of which must be handled legislatively.

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Lawmakers Fail to Slow Million Solar

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