Rooftop solar rally in San Diego, organized by the Sierra Club's My Generation campaign in September 2015.
As the California Public Utilities Commission determines the future of rooftop solar power in California this week, they should consider the contrast of the ruptured gas line in Porter Ranch with the glittering new panels shining on rooftops across the state.
In Porter Ranch, sulfurous fumes from an out-of-control gas line leak have forced thousands of people out of their homes, disrupting their lives in ways that most of us can't imagine. The emissions from this leak are greater than three million cars, and the breach is already being called one of the biggest environmental disasters since BP’s Deepwater Horizon Spill.
In contrast, rooftop solar power is booming. Our state now has more solar workers than employees at the top five utilities in the state, and together our tens of thousands of solar installations are generating as much electricity as a major power plant.
Is it any surprise that when people are given a choice between solar power and fossil fuels, they choose clean energy? And make no mistake, the battle over rooftop solar power in California is about choice for schools, businesses and residents against the opposition of the utility monopolies that have had exclusive control over energy for so long.
For years, utilities like San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) have had a captive audience. They could reliably squeeze their customers with rate hikes and fund the construction of expensive infrastructure projects, like gas pipelines, power plants, and transmission lines. If a customer didn’t like it, there was very little they could do about it, because SDG&E enjoys a monopoly over electric power.
Rooftop solar has changed all that. As solar prices have come down, electricity customers have found that they can generate some of their own power. SDG&E’s parent company, Sempra Gas, has spent money on ads saying that rooftop solar is only used by the wealthy. But in fact it is exactly the opposite - rooftop solar is now coming within reach of people of all income levels. That’s why Sempra is so terrified and spending money on ads in the first place. The utilities know that when Californians are given the option, they choose rooftop solar over monopolies and their fossil fuels.
Rooftop solar panels don’t need hundreds of miles of gas lines. They don’t need big transmission projects. When they have a spill, it’s called a sunny day. And collectively, California’s thousands of rooftop solar panels are replacing the need for many of the dirty power plants that run on Sempra’s fossil fuels.
What if the gas pipeline currently spewing into the air above Southern California wasn’t just a disaster waiting to happen, but actually obsolete? What if the damage being done could be replaced by millions of individual families and businesses with their own solar panels? As Californians make their energy decisions in the years ahead, we must preserve rooftop solar and consumer choice as we move towards that brighter and safer future.
The California Public Utilities Commission has proposed a reasonable plan for accommodating the growth of rooftop solar power, which they are set to decide on January 28. Contact the CPUC and let them know that you support protecting energy choice, and urge them to ignore the last-minute efforts from Sempra Energy and others to undermine it.