Renova Energy is hosting its “No to NEM 3.0” solar rally on Tuesday, with its employees to protest the state's rooftop solar proposal.
The rally is from 11 to 11:30 a.m. in front of the Renova Energy corporate center on the corner of Cook Street and Hovley Lane in Palm Desert.
“You can expect to learn about some of the proposed changes within NEM (Net Energy Metering) 3.0 for future and current solar customers,” Emily Langenbahn, Renova Energy Policy and Public Relations manager, told the Coachella Valley times. “Essentially, Renova wants to raise awareness on this issue so the CPUC understands that the proposed policy changes only favor the utilities, not the ratepayers or the solar industry.”
California's solar and battery advocacy group, California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA), is hosting a protest at the same time in Sacramento outside the Capitol. Since Renova Energy could not bring all 300 of its employees there, it decided to host its own rally in Palm Desert.
Renova Energy is Coachella Valley’s leading solar installation company and is known for installing systems that can withstand extreme desert conditions. The company has installed 60 megawatts of rooftop solar since being established in 2006.
The new NEM 3.0 policy would drastically impact Californians looking to go solar. If the proposed changes are adopted, existing solar customers will be grandfathered into their original net metering policy, but there would be far fewer benefits for new owners who want to switch to solar.
Utilities are recommending two fees for solar customers that, combined, could cost new PG&E, SCE and SDG&E solar customers more than $100 per month on average; a news release from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said.
Some of the notable changes in CPUC’s proposal for the new NEM 3.0 policy include forcing solar customers to utilize "time of use tariffs" currently used by customers with electric vehicles or batteries, as well as reducing grandfathering terms for existing customers from 50 years to 5 to 10 years, and cutting solar credit value by up to 75%.