I am an economist. Since 1979, I have consulted with 66 utilities, commissions and ISOs, but not for the solar industry.
AB 942 is based on a claim that rooftop solar raises electric rates. Dr. McCann has conclusively refuted this claim. A dozen experts including me agree with him. This should give you pause.
AB 942 will violate a contract, causing 2 million households and businesses, or 6 million people, to lose trust in California.
Every IOU customer who installed solar panels prior to the Net Billing Tariff signed a 20-year contract with their utility. The terms are attached to the system, not to the individual who installed it. These terms were debated thoroughly and adjudicated by three CPUC judges over 10 years. The CPUC’s Consumer Guide calls it a “guarantee”. The State should honor it.
If AB 942 is approved, 6 million people will see higher bills, making them less likely to electrify their homes and their cars, a setback to California’s Net Zero plan.
AB 942 will also end net metering once the property is sold. The house will sell for less and cause financial distress to the owner.
Runaway utility spending is causing rates to rise, forcing customers to install solar panels. It’s not the other way around. AB 942 has got causation backwards. Please vote NO. Focus, instead, on reining in utility spending.
