Benzinga | Dec 14, 2021 10:22AM EST

SunPower Responds To California Public Utilities Commission's Proposed Decision On State Net Energy Metering Program (Full Comments)

Amidst the largest step taken in American history by Congress to tackle climate change with the Build Back Better Act legislation, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a proposed decision impacting the state's Net Energy Metering (NEM) clean energy policy. NEM currently allows California homeowners with solar to save on electricity bills, but today's proposed changes to the policy by the CPUC create financial barriers for consumer access to solar and limit progress toward the nation's clean energy goals.

California represents a third of the overall U.S. solar residential market, leading the nation with more than 68,000 solar jobs and an estimated 1.3 million homes with solar. More than 128,000 people and 600 organizations across California submitted letters to the CPUC and Governor Newsom to raise their voice in defense of the state's NEM program leading up to the proposed decision. Californians from all walks of life understand the far-reaching impact of this decision on electricity bills and grid resiliency. In response to utilities calling for high, fixed fees on solar and storage customers, SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ:SPWR), a leading solar technology and energy services provider, continues to advocate for fair access to distributed energy resources.

"At a time when wildfires and power shut offs are an ongoing problem, today's proposed decision would leave many Californians in the dark. Access to reliable power should be available to every American family, regardless of income or zip code. We believe Governor Newsom will take the right steps via the final decision on the NEM program to help keep California as a leader in our clean energy transition," said Suzanne Leta, head of policy and strategy at SunPower, about the at-risk NEM program that has allowed California to be a leader in the fight against climate change.