New Coalition Aims To Protect Solar Net Metering In California

Posted by weijing3333 on October 22nd, 2015

A coalition of public health leaders and solar energy companies has formed a new organization, Californians Against Utilities Stopping Solar Energy (CAUSE) in order to combat what the group describes as monopoly utility efforts to kill rooftop solar.CAUSE, which has not yet announced a public website, is dedicated to maintaining a thriving solar market in California, as well as promoting the health and economic benefits that solar delivers to all Californians.

According to the group, the state's investor-owned utilities are trying to end net energy metering, a successful policy in 43 states that gives consumers fair credit for the solar electricity they deliver to the grid. Los Angeles-area physicians Luis Pacheco and Deonza Thymes are serving as co-chairs of CAUSE to help preserve Californians' ability to switch to solar electricity."Ending rooftop solar in California would be a disaster for local job growth and environmental sustainability," says Pacheco. "It would mean more carbon-emitting power sources and more dirty air. That's not a path toward the long-term wellness and economic health that our state needs."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Green Power Partnership has released an updated list of the Top 50 organizations that are choosing to use electricity from renewable sources such as solar.Intel Corp. continues to top the list, using green power to cover 100% of its electricity load. Microsoft Corp. moved into second place by increasing its green power use to more than 1.9 billion kWh annually. Apple Inc., new to the Top 50 list, ranks number 10 with 85% of its nationwide electricity now coming from green power.

The top 10 partners appearing on the Top 50 list include the following companies and agencies:1. Intel Corp.2. Microsoft Corp.3. Kohl's Department Stores4. Whole Foods Market5. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.6. U.S. Department of Energy7. Staples8. Starbucks company-owned stores9. Lockheed Martin Corp.10. Apple Inc.For the first time, the EPA also released a list of partners that have committed to purchasing green power for a period of five years or more.

These organizations send a strong signal to renewable energy developers, stating that they are committed to green power for the long term, according to the EPA.Among the partners with the longest-running contracts are the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, The Ohio State University, Iowa State University and the University of Maryland. Of the 47 partners appearing on the list, 15 are higher education institutions.In all, as part of the EPA's Green Power Partnership, more than 1,400 organizations are purchasing more than 27 billion kWh of green power annually.

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