California’s Governor Jerry Brown signed into law at the end of September new rules allowing the 75% of California residents who are renters to purchase 100% renewables-sourced electricity from the state’s largest utilities.
Under S.B. 43 the state’s major utilities – PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E – purchase power from small to medium-sized solar and other renewables projects, and sell it, undiluted with energy from conventional sources, to customers who then receive a credit on their utility bill for the clean energy produced.
State representative and the bill’s author, Lois Welk, said, “Finally, the 75 percent of Californians currently unable to utilize solar power or other renewable energy, all the renters in California, all the businesses who lease, all those living in apartments and condos, everyone with low income or poor credit scores, will now be able to do so.”
The program requires no state subsidies, has no cost to non-participating ratepayers, and is set up to deliver cost savings to participants over time as electric rates rise and solar costs drop.