SAN DIEGO — Dozens of clean energy advocates and solar workers held a “Don’t tax the sun” rally in Downtown on Tuesday morning.
“We are calling on Governor Newsom to protect rooftop solar,” said Karinna Gonzalez with Hammond Climate Solutions. “Make solar more accessible and reduce the amount of dirty energy we rely on,”
Their concern is that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is considering a plan to revise the rates for new solar customers.
Basically, creating a tax that would force solar customers to pay higher monthly fees.
“This is insanity,” said Dr. Scott Kelley with SanDiego350. “Killing one of the simplest, easiest, most effective sources of clean solar in the sunniest state in the United States in the midst of a climate catastrophe. Who would do this? It's utter madness,”
But those in favor of the plan argue it's about fairness. They say utility companies have fixed transmission costs and people with solar aren't paying their fair share.
That’s forcing non-solar customers, who are typically lower income, to pay more to pick up the slack.
“To be clear, people with solar panels still rely on the electric grid every single day,” said Kathy Fairbanks, Spokesperson for Affordable Clean Energy for All. “They rely on it at night. They rely on it during the wintertime when the sun isn't shining. And so, they should contribute toward its maintenance and under today's new metering program, they are not,”
The plan's supporters also say that most people pay off their solar panels within five years but get 20 years of benefits.
They believe modifying the program makes it more equitable for everyone and SDG&E agrees, sending CBS 8 a statement that says the current rate structure, "must be reformed to reduce the cost shift burden on customers who have not installed solar on their homes, but are being forced to pay about $250 more than solar customers each year to support the power grid."
The protestors fear a new tax could cut the solar market in half by 2024 and say Tuesday’s rally was to raise awareness because the CPUC is currently in the process of revising its net energy metering plan.
There’s no set date on when that plan will be announced.
WATCH RELATED: California Public Utilities Commission propose tax for solar users (May 2022)