The California Supreme Courtroom on August 7 unanimously dominated {that a} decrease court docket should revisit its earlier choice upholding NEM 3.0, in accordance with nonprofit newsroom Cal Matters. The Supreme Courtroom mentioned the appeals court docket relied on the improper authorized customary when upholding the California Public Utilities Fee (CPUC)’s photo voltaic net-metering coverage.
The problem stems from a 2022 court docket problem by the Middle for Organic Variety, The Defend Our Communities Basis and the Environmental Working Group questioning the legality of the state’s NEM 3.0 coverage, which lowered home-owner compensation for rooftop photo voltaic by as much as 80% and led to huge layoffs within the residential photo voltaic market.
“California wants a big, thriving rooftop photo voltaic market to fulfill its clear vitality targets,” mentioned Bernadette Del Chiaro, former president of the California Photo voltaic & Storage Affiliation (CALSSA) and present senior vp for California with Environmental Working Group. “The market is at the moment being stifled by the CPUC’s misguided NEM 3 choice threatening to undermine not solely shopper selection and grid stability but in addition the state’s formidable clear vitality targets. We look ahead to spotlighting simply how unlawful and out of step with California the CPUC has grow to be.”
The case will now have one other day in court docket, with clear vitality advocates working to show NEM 3.0 broke state legal guidelines requiring that net-metering insurance policies assist the rooftop photo voltaic market develop, particularly in deprived communities.
