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In March, Sacramento area solar users banded together and stopped their local utility (SMUD) from hitting solar users with a punishing $40-$60 / month fee. Encouraged that their voices were heard by SMUD, these solar users are now campaigning to help SMUD become a “The Utility of the Future.” Solar users would have paid $40-60 more per month…just for having…

“…your officials have an interest in getting re-elected. Meeting with them, expressing your point to them directly, I think it can have a big impact.”  – Irvine resident Raj Pandey We agree with Raj. The Solar Bill of Rights was approved unanimously by the Senate Energy Committee in April in large part because the room was packed with 50 supporters,…

It isn’t just private utilities like PGE who are trying to kill the Solar Bill of Rights. Lobbyists for the public utilities serving LA, Sacramento, Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, Anaheim, Riverside and many other cities are also working to preserve their ability to charge anti-solar fees. In case you missed the news: in May, State Senators gutted the Solar Bill of Rights…

SunPower, the country’s largest domestic solar panel manufacturer, has stepped up in a big way to support your right to make solar energy without utility interference. Norm Taffe, SunPower’s Executive Vice President of Products, wrote this week in a blog post: “SunPower has always done its part to fight for interests of the solar industry and solar customers through local and…

In April, the Sacramento-area utility withdrew a terrible anti-solar fee after over a thousand local solar users spoke out. It was a triumph of people power, but underscores how none of us are safe from discriminatory fees that punish us for doing the right thing. Solar users would have paid $40-60 more per month…just for having solar At issue was…

In front of a packed room of solar supporters (see below photo), a panel of powerful state lawmakers advanced the Solar Bill of Rights (SB 288) by a vote of 11-0 at the State Capitol in April. This, despite aggressive, misleading arguments against the bill by a crush of utility industry lobbyists. The bill is not law yet, and has…

The international solar inverter company SMA recently interviewed Solar Rights Alliance Executive Director about the organization and priorities. We’re grateful for the exposure, and the opportunity to unpack how the Solar Rights Alliance is working to defend the rights of all solar users, current and future, to make their own energy from the sun without utility malarkey. Read the interview.

Bottom line? More planned electricity outages are on the way, but solar and storage can help. Here’s seven takeaways (and one cool photo): Read the LA Times article here. 1) Expect more planned electricity outages if you live in a fire-prone area. “The state’s biggest investor-owned utilities, Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison, are expected to de-energize power…

Dave Rosenfeld and Yann Brandt dig into why the Solar Bill of Rights could be awesome for solar, and how consumers and solar companies can work together to make it happen. Listen to the podcast here.