California net metering report biased, claims solar advocacy group

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

A report by California’s utility commission that identified a growing financial burden for non-solar consumers in the state was biased from the outset, a solar power advocacy group has claimed.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) released a report claiming that consumers that do not have rooftop solar panels will pay an additional US$287 million for the upkeep of the grid every year by 2020.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The Vote Solar advocacy group has claimed that the report’s design meant that the findings were skewed against the technology.

“Solar used on-site places no burden on the utility system. It simply means that you’re buying less power from the utility and avoiding use of the grid altogether,” wrote Susannah Churchill on the group’s blog.

“…It certainly isn’t relevant for an analysis of solar’s grid impacts, which is why prior CPUC cost-benefit analyses of net metering never included it. The inclusion of energy consumed on-site inaccurately skewed the draft study’s results to show more costs associated with net metering.”

The CPUC report, compiled by the consultancy Energy and Environmental Economics (E3), found the total cost of net metering in California would hit US$1.1 billion by 2020.

E3 counts many of the largest utility firms in the US among its client base.

Net metering allows households to self-consume and receive credit on their electricity bill for any excess power that they export onto the grid, effectively rolling back their meter.

“So what we have here is a study that was stacked against solar from the start. The truth is that solar delivers widely recognised benefits to solar and non-solar customers alike,” continued Churchill.

Grid operators and utilities argue that this means solar users contribute less to the upkeep of the distribution network.

Efforts are underway in a number of states, including Arizona, Vermont and Colorado to overturn net metering policies.

Vote Solar claims its analysis showed a US$92 million cost-benefit to the Californian grid from rooftop solar.

One-third of US solar installations in 2013 so far have been in California.
 

Read Next

July 11, 2025
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has revealed that several utility-scale solar PV power plants experienced curtailment of above 25% in the National Electricity Market (NEM) in 2024.
July 10, 2025
German renewables company BayWa r.e. has secured a €3 billion (US$3.5 billion) loan for 'operational initiatives and pipeline expansion.'
July 10, 2025
US renewables developer Invenergy has launched commercial operations of 250MW Fairbanks Solar Energy Center in Sullivan County, Indiana. 
July 10, 2025
US solar residential installer Sunnova has entered into a stalking horse asset purchase agreement with Omnidian for some of its assets.
July 10, 2025
A report published by the US Department of Energy (DOE) this week claims that the previous government’s support for renewable energy could cause blackouts to “increase by 100 times” by 2030.
July 10, 2025
UbiQD has signed a supply agreement with First Solar to supply its fluorescent quantum dot technology for use in the latter’s PV panels.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK