Letters to the Editor: Edison CEO on why California rooftop solar rules must change

To the editor: Your Nov. 10 article, “California pushes a brand new plan to chop rooftop photo voltaic incentives,” propagates the photo voltaic business model of the “large lie” that the expansion of rooftop photo voltaic in California hurts the enterprise mannequin of investor-owned utilities like Southern California Edison.

Reforming outdated incentives for rooftop photo voltaic is a a lot bigger risk to photo voltaic business giants, evidenced by their greater than 20% inventory worth good points instantly after the brand new plan was introduced — as a result of the proposal’s reforms didn’t go far sufficient.

Reforming web vitality metering in California won’t have an effect on the profitability of investor-owned utilities as a result of they don’t earn a revenue based mostly on retail electrical energy gross sales; they earn a return, licensed by the California Public Utilities Fee (CPUC), for constructing, working and sustaining the electrical grid that serves utility clients.

With out important reform to California’s web vitality metering laws, households with out rooftop photo voltaic ― primarily renters, lower-income households and seniors ― will proceed to pay a whole lot of {dollars} extra on their electrical payments annually. Amid record-setting inflation, now isn’t the time to proceed outdated, extravagant subsidies on the shoulders of the folks least in a position to bear them.

Pedro J. Pizarro, Rosemead

The author is president and chief government of Edison Worldwide.

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To the editor: I’m mystified by the newest CPUC proposal concerning rooftop photo voltaic.

It’s an enormous enchancment from the earlier one, nevertheless it nonetheless would have a considerable dampening impact on getting rooftop photo voltaic onto extra roofs, an vital consider assembly the state’s climate-change objectives.

I’m involved by how the general public may understand this CPUC proposal. It provides one a robust cause to not belief authorities, particularly unelected officers. It displays poorly on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration.

The CPUC ought to urge utilities to make rooftop photo voltaic a part of their capital-improvement budgets. Utilities ought to do that moderately than growing distant photo voltaic and wind farms, which require constructing environmentally damaging transmission strains to inhabitants facilities.

They might then lease these installations. This makes environmental and monetary sense, and will end in huge financial savings for utilities associated to transmission line upkeep and wildfire threat.

Dennis Lees, Encinitas