Eighteen California legislators submitted a joint letter on November 25 to the California Public Utilities Fee (CPUC) concerning delays to activate customer-owned photo voltaic and storage on the state’s two largest utilities. The letter urges the CPUC to carry Pacific Fuel & Electrical (PG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE) accountable for repeatedly lacking state-mandated timelines.
“Californians deserve an vitality system that accelerates our local weather objectives – not one caught in delays,” stated Assemblymember Daybreak Addis (Morro Bay). “We lead on clear vitality, however PG&E and SCE must cease slowing us down. Each missed deadline prices households and companies cash and stalls our local weather progress. With main federal timelines approaching, the CPUC should implement the principles and guarantee utilities ship.”
Clients looking for to put in photo voltaic panels and batteries should request utility approval to activate their system. This approval course of, often called interconnection, is ruled by Rule 21, which establishes mandated timelines for every step within the course of. PG&E and SCE routinely ignore these timelines and trigger intensive delays for photo voltaic installations.
The CPUC established a regular in 2020 that utilities meet the established timelines for 95% of initiatives and ordered the utilities to submit quarterly reviews on their efficiency. These reviews present that three steps of the overview course of have compliance charges as little as 27% to 45%, and timelines for 3 different steps are met solely 53% to 81% of the time. The CPUC now has practically 5 years of knowledge exhibiting routine violations, however motion to implement these guidelines has not occurred.
“Guidelines should not guidelines if an organization is aware of they will get away with ignoring the necessities,” stated Kevin Luo, coverage and market improvement supervisor on the California Photo voltaic & Storage Affiliation. “PG&E and SCE are able to following the principles and would comply if there have been penalties.”
These delays gradual the state’s progress in the direction of its clear vitality objectives and lift prices for purchasers putting in photo voltaic and storage. Whereas prospects watch for the utilities, they proceed to hold loans and pay curiosity for unpredictably lengthy intervals of time. They’re additionally compelled to proceed paying excessive charges to the utilities whereas their clear vitality investments stay stranded.
The state has many essential objectives that depend upon well timed motion by the utilities, together with the speedy energization of latest EV charging stations and housing developments. Whereas the state has solely lately begun to ascertain mandated timelines for these objectives, the longstanding lack of enforcement for interconnection timelines bears unwell for utility compliance extra broadly.
The CPUC is at present reviewing what measures are warranted to enhance utility timeline efficiency. A choice is predicted within the coming months.
Information merchandise from CALSSA
