Massive thanks to the nearly 350 solar users, solar workers, and solar businesses who went to the State Capitol in Sacramento on June 6th for Solar Lobby Day!
Purpose of Solar Lobby Day
The purpose of Solar Lobby Day is to meet face-to-face with state lawmakers and their staff about why California needs to do more to promote rooftop solar.
Utility lobbyists are at the State Capitol in Sacramento every day, spreading misinformation about rooftop solar to your lawmakers. Your elected officials need to hear directly from you, and Solar Lobby Day is one of several opportunities throughout the year to make that happen.
Rooftop solar is a crown jewel of California
We have come a long way since California launched the Million Solar Roofs Initiative over fifteen years ago. California now has nearly two million solar rooftops, spanning households of all types, schools, farms, churches, and businesses.
- These rooftop solar systems are helping millions of households, businesses, and community institutions reduce their utility bills.
- For those who have battery storage, solar is helping people avoid blackouts—and paving the way to help the entire community keep the lights on when the grid goes down.
- Your solar is also saving all ratepayers money by reducing the burden on the electricity grid.
- And, your solar is cleaning up the environment, a critical part of the state’s renewable energy goals.
California should be working overtime to make it possible for millions more to get solar and batteries.
However, the utilities see your solar as competition and are working to make it harder and more expensive for people, businesses, and community institutions to get solar.
You are the key to helping lawmakers understand why we must keep rooftop solar growing
Lawmakers need to hear more from you. They need to hear your answers to these questions:
- Why did you choose to invest in solar?
- How are you personally benefiting from solar?
- How does your community benefit from your solar choice?
- Why should California do more to make it possible for more people to get solar and batteries?
And we need to ask our lawmakers what they think.
- Do they agree that California should keep rooftop solar growing?
- How will they, as your representative, work to make this happen?
Next steps after Solar Lobby Day: conversations with your state lawmakers locally
You don’t have to wait until next year’s Solar Lobby Day to have an impact on your state lawmakers. Look up when they are holding their next local “Town Hall” meeting. If you are available to attend, do it! Contact us at [email protected] if you want tips on ways to have a productive interaction with your lawmakers at local events.
Recently, a group of Davis residents showed up at a local event where their U.S. Congressmember Mike Thompson was speaking. They got a chance to personally thank him for organizing a pro-solar letter last year to the CPUC in opposition to drastic cuts to the rooftop solar program. These kinds of interactions are so important!
Thank you again to those who attended Solar Lobby Day
If we stay persistent and continue to show up and make our voices heard, we will keep pushing back against the monopoly utility efforts to kill rooftop solar, and we’ll keep spreading the freedom and independence of solar across California.
