Energy Civil Rights: The Case For Solar Net Metering

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AB 560 seeks to raise the net-metering cap in California, allowing owners of solar systems to be compensated for feeding power back into the grid. This creates a more democratic access to the benefits of energy production for all producers, large and small, according to those who argue for the connection between civil rights and energy. An interesting nexus with both political and policy implications. As with much jargon in the renewable energy sector, the term net metering is not easily understood at first glance. Energy Democracy might be a better catch phrase, but certainly "energy civil rights" puts the issue in a context that most folks think they understand or can grasp.


Source: RenewableEnergyWorld.com

The California State Legislature has just begun consideration of a little-noticed piece of legislation that figures prominently in the future of solar power in America. California's current net-metering legislation limits the total amount of rooftop solar power that can be connected to the electric grid to no more than 2.5% of the state's total electric load. AB 560, sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), seeks to raise this net- metering cap and unshackle the solar industry from an arbitrary cap.

Thanks to the $3 billion California Solar Initiative and net metering, the Golden State's solar industry has installed more solar power in the last two years than the previous 25 years combined. Because of these policies, California today represents 60% of the solar market in the United States. But with 50,000 solar energy systems now providing clean power in the state, California is expected to hit the 2.5% cap as soon as next year, which could undermine this burgeoning market.

Net metering should be understood as the civil rights legislation for customer-owned solar energy, ensuring that clean power generated by customers is treated equally to conventional electricity from the grid. First created in California in 1995 and now in place in 44 states, net metering allows homeowners and business owners who install solar panels or other clean energy systems to feed any surplus electricity back to the grid for the benefit of other customers. In return, the solar owners receive a credit on their electricity bill at a rate equal to what the utility charges.