State's High Court Sides With Environmentists in Rooftop Solar Battle

Source: The Sacramento Bee  |  By Melody Petersen

The California Supreme Court sided with environmental groups in a ruling last week, saying that state lawyers were wrong in their claim that the Public Utilities Commission’s decision to slash rooftop solar incentives could not be challenged.  The unanimous decision sends the case brought by the three groups back to the appeals court. The groups argue the utilities commission violated state law in 2022 when it cut the value of the credits that panel owners receive for sending their unused power to the electric grid by as much as 80%. The rules apply to Californians installing the panels after April 14, 2023.

Matt Freedman, a lawyer at The Utility Reform Network, a consumer group, said the state Supreme Court ruling could lead to more lawsuits against the commission. “It has been extremely hard to challenge the commission at the Court of Appeals,” Freedman said.