Is solar energy still a viable option for California homeowners?
Under the sun
BY ARAM ANTHONY
F OR YEARS, CALIFORNIA homeowners wanting to reduce their carbon footprint—as well as their dependency on costly local utilities— have been installing photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on their properties. Times have changed and the number of homeowners in California purchasing solar panels is rapidly declining. There are some, however, who still see a future with solar energy, especially when paired with the new generation of home batteries that have made their way to market over the last few years. Beyond clean energy When properly scaled for the property’s current (and, to a degree, future) electricity use, most solar installations not only produced enough energy to
power the property, they often produced excess energy that the system owner was able to sell back to the local energy company. This practice is known as net energy metering (NEM). Homeowners considered NEM a crucial component to their solar energy system because, when combined with the monthly savings they realized on their electricity use, it accelerated their ability to reach the break-even point on their installation. Recent regulatory changes designed to encourage the purchase and adoption of home batteries, however, have adversely impacted NEM and may have actually backfired. As a result of these new regulations, the price local utilities are required to pay consumers for their energy has been reduced by up to 75%. This price reduction has resulted in significantly
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IN YOUR CORNER ISSUE 17 | 2024
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