SACRAMENTO, Calif. — This week the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a proposed decision that rejects a plan to bolster the state’s community solar market and instead approves a utility-backed alternative. 

Following is a statement from Stephanie Doyle, California State Affairs Director for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA): 

“This is a significant misstep in a string of head scratching CPUC decisions that are crushing California’s clean energy progress and preventing thousands of households from accessing the benefits of solar energy. The state legislature made it clear in passing AB 2316 that it wants a robust program to provide community solar to low-income Californians and to support grid resilience for all ratepayers. This proposed decision, if adopted, will harm those efforts and risk California missing out on crucial federal funding by approving a utility-backed alternative that is unlikely to be commercially viable. 

“The solar and storage industry is shocked by the CPUC’s apparent determination to deny an opportunity to take a step forward as a community solar leader. We continue to review the proposed decision and will keep working toward solutions that deliver the clean energy that Californians are demanding.”