California energy regulators on Thursday adopted a new framework for the state’s community solar program that infuriated some renewable energy developers hoping to participate in it.
What happened: The California Public Utilities Commission voted to set a new standard for how much money developers of community-based solar projects get paid for their installations, adopting a lower rate than a coalition of developers had wanted.
Why it matters: The 3-to-1 vote is another blow in a long series of losses for advocates of the community solar model, in which residents and businesses are able to get energy from nearby, mid-sized solar energy projects. A $250 million federal grant was previously the centerpiece of California’s ambitions, but the Trump administration canceled the Solar for All program last year.
“Today’s vote is doubling down on failure,” Derek Chernow, executive director of Californians for Local Affordable Solar and Storage, a coalition of developers, said in a statement. His group’s press release said that the program is “unworkable and destined for continued failure.”
