Just to follow up on a previous thread, AB 560 (the bill to lift the net metering cap in California) passed a key hurdle today, passing out of the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications committee by a vote of 9-1. The bill was amended–instead of lifting the 2.5 percent cap on net metering to 10 percent of utility system peak load, the bill now lifts the cap to 5 percent. While that’s half of what we wanted, it’s still twice the status quo, and as a direct result, Pacific Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison (though not Sempra, the third investor-owned utility in the state) are now in support. I got to say, I found the hostility of some of the Senators to this program really surprising. We’ll take the win.

The bill now goes to Senate Appropriations Committee, and then to the Senate floor (if all goes well, likely in August).

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