NORTHSTATE, Calif. — The California solar industry is pushing back on a proposed state bill some say could hurt people using solar panels. Proponents say it will stop solar from being subsidized by conventional customers.
AB 942 is the bill, which would make changes to Net Energy Metering (NEM) agreements. These include, when properties are sold or transferred, new owners with rooftop solar would have to take service under the Net Billing Tariff, meaning lower values for solar credits.
Caleb Kennedy, sales director with Top Hat Energy in Redding, told KRCR about how it could affect property owners.
“Who it is impacting is homeowners who are potentially going to sell, and I guess the real estate market as well because it dramatically decreases the value of the solar on the home which, for us, is a selling proposition,” Kennedy said. “If you go solar, it increases the value of your overall property, but this is essentially robbing from that value.”
Kennedy noted that the bill focuses on homeowners with roof mount systems and it would not impact people with ground mounts, adding that their team is always happy to answer other questions homeowners may have.
Assemblymember Lisa Calderon is the author of AB 942. Her office said the subsidies from the NEM program have led to “a significant shortfall of the electric grid maintenance costs,” which they said is being subsidized by non-solar customers’ energy bills.
The Assembly Committee on Appropriations will hear the bill next.
