SAN DIEGO, Oct. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, San
Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) will share its progress
connecting customers with rooftop solar in a California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC)-hosted public workshop on the Net
Energy Metering (NEM) program. Employee-driven technology
innovations and continuous improvements have empowered customers to
install solar faster, with less hassle and for less money. The
result: SDG&E customers are on track to fill up the available
room in the existing solar rooftop program by summer 2016.
Over the last decade SDG&E has worked aggressively to
increase the amount of renewable energy used by San Diego and southern Orange County homes and businesses. Today, the
company is the only utility in California to deliver 33 percent of its energy
primarily from wind and solar.
"We are committed to partnering with our customers to deliver
clean energy solutions to their energy challenges," said
Caroline Winn, chief energy delivery
officer for SDG&E. "It is in this spirit that we've developed
new tools and technologies that have helped nearly 70,000 of our
customers to integrate their clean energy technology with our
reliable power grid to reduce fossil fuel dependence and provide
clean air."
Established by state law more than 20 years ago to jumpstart the
rooftop solar industry, economic incentives were developed for
California's electric customers
who install certain clean energy technologies.
A limit for how much electricity is generated within the program
rules was also established with the intent to change or dissolve
the program once the limit is reached. Regardless of what happens
once the limit is met, state law mandates that rules in place for
current customers with rooftop solar will remain in place for 20
years from the date the customer's solar panels were connected to
the power grid.
Customers and solar installers can view daily progress updates
on connecting customers' solar rooftops, wind and fuel cells to the
power grid by visiting SDGE.com and selecting "NEM Cap
Remaining."
The CPUC will hold a forum about the NEM Cap from
1 to 4 p.m., October 28 at the City of San Diego
Administration Building.
CPUC to develop new program rules before the limit is reached
–
Ending growing costs at the center of SDG&E's
proposal
The cost of living continues to rise in
San Diego and southern
Orange County, and unnecessary
costs being added to customer bills are threatening the livelihood
of hardworking families.
Today, families without solar panels— nearly 95 percent of
SDG&E's customers—pay an extra $100 per year to support the current program. If
the current program structure and subsidies continue, these same
families without solar panels are forecasted to pay an extra
$360 on their utility bill annually
by 2025.
With the CPUC now working to make a timely decision on the
future structure of the program–one that should balance the
interests of all customers-–SDG&E remains committed
to building support for a new policy that recognizes two
key considerations:
- That non-solar customers should not be burdened with additional
costs to support the program; and
- The new program rules need to ensure that new solar customers
pay for their use of the grid.
There is a misperception that customers installing solar panels
are "going off the grid." In fact, all customers continue to use
the grid, especially at night and when the sun is not shining.
"Our customers are seeking choices that must be delivered by a
modern electric grid, and SDG&E has made significant
investments to turn the grid into an innovative platform for
integrating and maximizing all clean energy technologies," said
Winn. "These investments are necessary and will continue as our
customers connect solar panels, electric vehicles and eventually
energy storage to the power grid. The structure needs to align with
these clean energy investments to fuel future innovation and create
an affordable clean energy future. This is why getting the program
rules right is so important."
SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and
reliable energy service to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4
million electric meters and 868,000 natural gas meters in
San Diego and southern
Orange counties. The utility's
area spans 4,100 square miles. SDG&E is committed to
creating ways to help customers save energy and money every
day. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a
Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San
Diego. Connect with SDG&E's Customer Contact Center at
800-411-7343, on Twitter (@SDGE) and Facebook.
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SOURCE San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)