UPDATE: Calif Lawmakers Pass Bill To Boost Solar Net Metering
18 Febrero 2010 - 7:16PM
Noticias Dow Jones
California lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that would allow
more people in the state who generate their own solar power to sell
excess generation to their utility, in a transaction called net
metering.
Existing state law requires California's three largest utilities
to pay customers for renewable power they send to the grid but
limits the program to 2.5% of a utility's peak demand. A proposal
passed by the state Assembly would extend that limit to 5% of each
utility's peak demand.
Expanding the net-metering limit would allow California's
thriving solar market to continue growing--a positive for
solar-panel makers Sharp Corp. (6753.TO), SunPower Corp. (SPWRA),
Solar World AG (SWV.XE), Suntech Power Holdings Inc. (STP) and
others that sell into the California market, as well as
solar-system installers like Akeena Solar Inc. (AKNS) and
GroSolar.
The bill, which the state Senate passed last week, goes next to
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who plans to sign it, a spokeswoman
said Thursday.
"The governor ... looks forward to signing he bill, which will
help California achieve its renewable-energy goal and create more
jobs," said the spokeswoman, Rachel Arrezola.
California offers rebates to homeowners and businesses to
install rooftop solar panels as part of the $2.2 billion California
Solar Initiative. The federal government offers separate tax
credits for solar-system installations.
PG&E Corp. (PCG) utility Pacific Gas & Electric is
nearing the 2.5% net-metering limit, after more than 16,000 of its
customers installed more than 173 megawatts of solar generation,
and as several thousand more have applied for rebates to install 80
more megawatts, according to government data. Customers of
California utilities owned by Edison International (EIX) and Sempra
Energy (SRE) together have installed about 130 megawatts of solar
generation, according to the data.
One megawatt is enough to serve between 750 and 1,000 homes.
Last October, PG&E agreed to increase net metering to 3.5%
of peak customer demand, after a bill similar to the one passed
Thursday stalled in the Legislature.
In addition to the net-metering requirements, California
utilities are required to use renewable sources for a fifth of the
power they sell by the end of this year, with that mandate set to
expand to 33% renewables by 2020 under pending regulations. The
mandate is part of the state's 2006 plan to combat climate
change.
-By Cassandra Sweet, Dow Jones Newswires; 415-439-6468;
cassandra.sweet@dowjones.com
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