This post is also available on the CleanTech Docs‘ blog Renewables Entrepreneur at The Fight for California Solar is at a Boiling Point On January 13, 2022, the largest solar demonstration in U.S. history occurred in California. Approximately 3,000 people rallied to save Californians’ rights to own solar and the over 50,000 jobs in the state’s rooftop solar industry. …

Right now, a lot of misinformation and, simply a lack of understanding, exists among the public about distributed solar (often simply referred to as, “rooftop solar”).  I have worked as an attorney in the renewable energy industry for over fifteen years, including providing legal counsel to solar contractors, developers, financiers and customers. Even many people who work in the solar industry struggle…

Does the California Solar Rights Act (“Act”) limit actions that can be taken by Community Choice Aggregators (“CCAs”)?  Arguably, yes. In California, a CCA’s rates and programs for solar customers are not regulated by the California Public Utility Commission (“CPUC”).  Does this mean that solar customers’ only protection is through the net energy metering (“NEM”) rulemaking process…

Our public utility commissions should support the private cleantech industry demanded by voters in the form of laws that protect the right to own private clean energy sources, such as solar and microgrids (“Distributed Energy Resources” or “DERs”). There are more than 1 million locally owned DERs in California alone, which is the equivalent of…

This article was co-authored by Angela Lipanovich, Esq., Founder of Estriatus Law, PC and Jan Freiwald, PhD, Executive Director of Reef Check.  Ms. Lipanovich is a cleantech attorney with decades of experience in the renewable energy industry.  Dr. Freiwald specializes in marine science and runs Reef Check an international ocean conservation NGO with projects focused on climate science…