Feb 22nd 2019 Bernadette Del Chiaro, Executive Director CalSSA

This bipartisan bill would:

  • Protect the right of all California consumers – homeowners, renters, farmers, schools, etc. – to generate, store and shape their own energy onsite without threat of undue influence or discriminatory behavior of local utilities;
  • Remove barriers to local solar and storage, and other DERs, through streamlining and simplifying interconnection processes statewide, and;
  • Remove barriers to stand-alone storage by requiring storage-only export tariffs be created statewide. 

As you may have heard, CALSSA teamed up with the Solar Rights Alliance andVote Solar to pull together a broad coalition of solar farmers, solar schools, solar homeowners, disability rights advocates, workforce development organizations, environmental groups, and solar and storage businesses and workers to officially launch the Solar Bill of Rights on the steps of the state Capitol this week. You can watch the video of the entire press conference and you can read about the launch here.

Many thanks to our member companies who answered the call to action and came out for the bill launch event: Aztec Solar, Canadian Solar, Capital City Solar, Chico Electric, Clean Solar, Engie, Grid Alternatives, JKB, Luminalt, Natron, Owen Dunn Insurance, SepiSolar, SMA, Solar Technologies, Sunrun, TerraVerde, and Vivint, 

In addition to the crowded steps of the capitol backing the new bill, we have also garnered a bipartisan group of legislators as co-authors. In addition to our principal supports of Senator Wiener (D-SF) and Senator Nielsen (R-Gerber), SB 288 is also co-authored by Senator Jeff Stone (R-Riverside), and assembly members Gallagher (R-Chico), Friedman (D-Glendale), Bloom (D-Santa Monica), and R.Rivas (D-Hollister).

But we believe every legislator should support this bill. Please take a moment to email your local senator and assembly member and ask them to join this bipartisan and diverse group of legislators in co-authoring SB 288, the Solar Bill of Rights today! Click here to take action. 

Photo Credit: REED SAXON/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS California’s Big Idea

For Cutting Emissions: Making You Pay More For Energy

By Rebecca Beitsch
02/19/2019 02:56 pm ET

“Starting in March, the state’s utility regulator will require major utilities to increase prices during the hours when electricity is in high demand and lower prices the rest of the time — a change that’s expected to affect some 6 million households. “

Read More here…

RoofTop Solar

Guest Commentary | Feb. 13, 2019 | CLIMATE CHANGECOMMENTARYENVIRONMENTMY TURNWILDFIRE

” Local solar power paired with batteries can provide reliable energy and keep electricity running for communities in need, particularly at times when a power line needs to be turned off for safety reasons. This technology might also reduce the chances of electric sparks on overhead lines, which could result in dangerous wildfires.”

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Solar Shade Structure

By Matthias Gafni | mgafni@bayareanewsgroup.com and John Woolfolk | jwoolfolk@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group

“The finding sets the stage for the judge to add additional and costly terms to Pacific Gas & Electric’s criminal probation for the deadly pipeline blast — requirements such as inspections and tree trimming the utility says could cost billions of dollars and lead to customer rates rising five-fold.”

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PG&E Logo

By Mark Chediak and Kiel PorterJanuary 13, 2019, 5:24 PM PST

“The San Francisco-based company has begun a search for a new CEO following Williams’ departure, according to a statement issued Sunday. PG&E general counsel John Simon will take the helm in the meantime. Williams, 57, took over as CEO in March 2017 and is leaving after a catastrophic three months for PG&E.”

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Commercial Solar Rooftop Install

By Billy Ludt | January 9, 2019

“Solar modules no longer need to simply wind up in the landfill once they’re decommissioned. Is a panel cracked? Shattered? At the end of its warranty lifetime? That panel can still serve a purpose, whether run through a recycling process and fed back into the supply chain; or repurposed or reused as a replacement panel or a power source for a smaller project.”

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November 06, 2018 08:40 ET Source: Ciel & Terre

“Salad Cosmo USA, a family-owned bean sprout producer in Dixon, California, has made an environment commitment that includes using recyclable packaging, composting waste products for use in the fields, and irrigating with waste water. As part of that commitment, Salad Cosmo wanted a sustainable energy solution for production and hired Sky Power Solar of San Ramon, California, to install a 600 kWp floating solar plant using Ciel & Terre’s floating photovoltaic technology.”

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Ballast Roof Solar System

DECEMBER 5, 2018 WILLIAM DRISCOLL – PV Magazine

” Dynamic or real-time pricing can make room for more solar and wind power on the grid, by shifting consumption to times of high solar and wind generation. Yet the key selling point for dynamic pricing could be its potential to cut costs both for customers, who can buy more of their electricity when prices are low, and for the system as a whole, due to reductions in peak demand. “

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AltSys Solar Inc. ☀️ is a proud sponsor of the 2018 Canned Food Tree Celebration presented by FoodLink Tulare County and Tulare Outlets. This event is to build a healthy, hunger-free Tulare County this holiday season. Here is the AltSys Solar Canned Food Tree below!

Canned Christmas Tree
AltSys Solar Canned Christmas Tree
PV townhome

By JEFF COLLINS | JeffCollins@scng.com | Orange County Register

“California officially became the first state in the nation requiring homes built in 2020 or later be solar powered Wednesday, Dec. 5, after a Sacramento panel endorsed “a historic undertaking” that adds the solar requirement to the state building code.”

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