Vote Solar delivers 130,000-strong petition in support of California net metering

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Vote Solar delivering thousands of petition responses late last week. Image: VoteSolar.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has received a petition with more than 130,000 signatures calling on it not to enact controversial proposals to reform net metering in the state.

The petition, organised by pro-solar coalition Vote Solar, was delivered last week and is claimed to comprise the largest number of public comments recorded by the CPUC on any issue.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Consumer, environmental, public health and business organisations contributed towards the petition, which Vote Solar said was the result of a “growing outcry” from Californians in response to proposals put forward by state-owned utilities PG&S, SCE and SDG&E to end California’s net metering policy and add fees to new solar installations.

Vote Solar said the policies would make solar “two to three times more expensive” than it currently is. “If approved, the proposals would halt consumer solar adoption and would put local jobs, public health benefits and climate progress at risk”, the organisation said.

The petition comes on the back of a poll of Californians last month which revealed that 80% of them rejected a repeal of net metering and just over a month after governor Jerry Brown signed legislation mandating the state to meet half of its total energy demand from renewable sources by 2030.

Dan Jacobson, programme director at the Environment California Research & Policy Center, said that the petition showed that solar was a “top priority” for Californians.

“Eliminating the primary policy that has made California the number one solar state in the country would fly in the face of public opinion, our newly minted 50% renewables law, and California’s ability to be a strong leader at the United Nations climate change summit in Paris next month,” he added.

Jacobson’s sentiments were echoed by Strela Cervas, co-director at the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA), who said that weakening rooftop solar initiatives would “only give utilities the power to build more dirty energy”.

“CEJA strongly urges the California Public Utilities Commission to continue to make net metering available to build upon California’s thriving rooftop solar industry that will help more low-income families and communities of color participate in and benefit from a growing equitable energy economy for all Californians,” Cervas said.

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

Premium
September 12, 2025
Vote Solar's Sean Garren tells PV Tech Premium that Georgia Power's latest IRP is 'skewed so heavily towards fossil fuels'.
September 11, 2025
Madison Energy Infrastructure has raised US$800 million to accelerate the deployment of clean energy assets across the US. 
Premium
September 11, 2025
PV CellTech USA: US cell manufacturer ES Foundry’s CEO Alex Zhu discusses his company's rapid ascent, strategic technology choices and the challenges of operating in a shifting policy environment.
September 10, 2025
At RE+ 2025, companies launched AI-driven platforms, terrain-following trackers, low-carbon modules, and advanced energy management solutions for solar and storage.
September 10, 2025
Renewables developer rPlus Energies has secured US$100 million in tax equity financing for its 125MW solar PV plant in the US state of Idaho.
September 10, 2025
Cordelio Power has started commercial operations at its 150MW Winfield solar project in Lincoln County, Missouri.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines