California FIT & Net Metering Bills Signed

Unfortunately, these bills are worse than useless, after having been gutted by the utilities. You are still not allowed to oversize your rooftop system, and you are still penalized for producing more clean energy than you use because they will set the rates at such a lousy level that we will all go broke if we do the right thing.

As usual, it's all about trying to look green, but totally pandering to Big Energy, while they race forward with their massive, centralized, wilderness-killing, water sucking Big Solar and Big Wind and Big Transmission boondoggles. I can't believe that Environment California would even leave their name on this bill since it is such a travesty.

Unless and until someone in our state legislature grows a pair and gives us a REAL FIT that REALLY pays for ALL excess energy, WITHOUT penalizing us and restricting us, all the jabbering about AB 32, clean air, global warming, clean energy, sustainability, etc. is just a lie.

Point of use solutions are BY FAR the fastest, cheapest, cleanest, fairest option for reducing waste and ramping up clean energy while creating the most LOCAL jobs and improving property values. There is NO NEED for a single centralized solar or wind power plant in this state. NONE.

While the tone of the previous comment may be a bit extreme, the gist is right on target, unfortunately.

Sad to say so, but the first commentator is right. Conspiracy or not, the CPUC has yet to demonstrate the will to stand up to the utilities and rule in favor of renewable energy.

Why would the California Public UTILITIES Commission stand up to itself? Guess we should be thankful for small favors though. It's better than nothing... barely. Apparently, the powers that be don't take the climate change and energy scenario very seriously. Closer to the cliff...

Why so jaded ? In Arizona we went from no incentive and no net-metering to now having incentives of about 50% fron utilities and retail net-meterign with carry over for a full year.
Florida now has a county, Melborne paying FIT at 2 /12 times what they charge. There are a few other areas with FIT at higher rates.
We also need to push the REC Renewable Energy Credit market place. These make Solar even more valuable.

You can always over size your system, then have a advanced lithium battery Electric Vehicle like my plugin prius and replace gas with electric. They the pay off it about 80 cents in AC to replace a gallon of imported pollution fuel now at about $2.40. Who says solar doesn't pay ?

Jim Stack is on the right track, but just needs to take it one step further - go totally off-grid. Oversize your system if you want, turn to the EV, and get a small wall of batteries to hold your solar/wind/thermal-generated AC. I'd suggest NiMH batteries, but plain old lead-acids can still do the trick.