Skip to main content

Energy Industry Pushing Against Renewables, Says CA Assembly Member

Support Provided By
Nancy-Skinner-7-12-12-thumb-600x450-32318

Assembly member Nancy Skinner speaks in favor of K-12 school energy efficiency | Photo courtesy office of Assembly Member Skinner

California Assembly member Nancy Skinner, a strong advocate for renewable energy in the California Legislature, told a group of solar industry executives yesterday that the energy industry is mobilizing to fight renewables in Sacramento. According to Recharge correspondent Benjamin Romano, who observed the conversation in the hallways of this week's Intersolar North America conference in San Francisco, Skinner spoke bluntly about the power companies' attempts to obstruct renewables in California.

"We are experiencing a very big push-back, from the utilities, from various companies," "It's sort of like, 'Oh, you've given those renewable people too much,'" Skinner said.

"Now we are experiencing a very big push-back, from the utilities, from various companies," Skinner continued. "There's really a huge onslaught right now in Sacramento which is anti-solar, anti-renewable energy.... The legislature right now is getting a bit shaky because they're hearing so strongly from voices that will benefit far more from sticking with dinosaurs."

InterSolar North America, a conference of solar industry representatives, wrapped up yesterday in San Francisco.

Skinner, who represents California's 14th Assembly District in the East San Francisco Bay Area, has written a number of bills promoting renewable energy development in California, including 2010's AB 510, which doubled the state's net metering program. That program is one area in which the utilities have "pushed back." In May of this year the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) clarified its interpretation of AB 510, in effect doubling the number of possible new net metering accounts, a huge incentive for property owners to install small-scale solar. Utilities were outraged, and attempted an end-run around the CPUC by sponsoring legislation that would establish a far stricter net metering policy. As the solar lobbying group Vote Solar said in a June 29 blog post,

Opponents quietly amended AB 2514 -- formerly positioned as a harmless bill to study the impacts of net metering -- into a bill that would completely reverse our net metering win. The new proposal would explicitly order the CPUC to use the cap calculation methodology preferred by the utilities - effectively halving the number of California homes, businesses, schools and other energy customers who could receive fair credit for going solar.

Despite being added to the bill in the days leading up to the July 4 holiday, a wave of protest prompted removal of the utility-friendly language from the bill.

As photovoltaics drop in cost and California's energy production inevitably becomes more decentralized, the state's large Investor-Owned Utilities increasingly see their business plans threatened. Skinner and her colleagues almost certainly haven't seen the last of this "pushback."

Support Provided By
Read More
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
A Black woman with long, black brains wears a black Chicago Bulls windbreaker jacket with red and white stripes as she stands at the top of a short staircase in a housing complex and rests her left hand on the metal railing. She smiles slightly while looking directly at the camera.

Los Angeles County Is Testing AI's Ability To Prevent Homelessness

In order to prevent people from becoming homeless before it happens, Los Angeles County officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict who in the county is most likely to lose their housing. They would then step in to help those people with their rent, utility bills, car payments and more so they don't become unhoused.
blue themed graphic including electric vehicles are charging stations, wind turbines and trees, 2023 in reference to year

A Look Back at Climate Solutions In 2023

The U.S. may have a long way to go in its decarbonization goals, but these stories show signs of progress in climate solutions.