"SCE and the other major utilities PG&E and SDG&E have been pushing the CPUC (California Public Utilities Commission) to make solar expensive for Californians by eliminating net metering and adding unfair fees," said Verengo CEO Anders Dahl. "Fortunately last month the CPUC administrators published a draft decision that for the most part rejected the utilities' misleading assertions and affirmed that net metering is right for California energy consumers. Now the utilities have come back with a new ‘counter proposal' again attempting to cripple the industry — which is what makes the final full Commission vote this week so critical and why we thought it was important to add our petitions to the tens of thousands of Californians who have spoken up for the principal of net metering."
"Despite exponential growth in recent years, the solar industry is still in its nascent stages with tremendous potential to produce many more jobs across our state," said Torrance Council Member Tim Goodrich. "As a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, I'm especially heartened to see that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are finding good jobs in the solar field. In fact veterans' employment in the solar field exceeds the percentage of veteran employment in the overall economy."
"The price of going solar has dropped in half over the past five years, making solar an affordable option for a growing number of Californian energy consumers," said Dahl. "This consumer investment reduces the need for expensive and polluting utility infrastructure, which delivers cost savings and health benefits to communities throughout the state. Today there are more than 54,000 Californians employed in the state's growing solar sector, more than the three major utilities combined. The utilities' net metering proposals would slam the brakes on solar adoption and job growth."
"As a Torrance Councilmember, it's my job to stand up against bad policies that impact the citizens I represent," said Goodrich. "Along with Verengo Solar, one of the nation's largest solar installers, headquartered right here in Torrance, we are aware of how important the vote is this week. That's why Verengo Solar and I delivered these petitions to the Public Utilities Commission office today making sure the voices of the people of Torrance are heard."
