Op-Ed: New Jersey Must Protect Low-Income Solar

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Yesterday, I sung the praises of Vote Solar as an organization that does the work behind the scenes to make your job possible. I listed several of their recent efforts and asked you to support their Equinox fundraiser on October 18.

Then I sat down at my computer this morning and found an article in NJ Spotlight by – you guessed it – Vote Solar (and our friends at GRID Alternatives) fighting for low-income solar

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(As a writer, I must also say I’m always impressed when I see a Vote Solar piece because they are not only poignant and on point, but they’re also so well written. So kudos to the team there for knowing how to construct a good piece of writing.)

The article comes on the heels of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signing into law plans for a community solar pilot which, as the piec e points out, is good on so many levels. It should bring at least $5 billion in new investment to the state and create jobs in a state that already has a thriving solar industry.

But with the planned sunset of the solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program, it would be easy to forget about low-income communities when it comes to community solar projects – and Vote Solar and GRID Alternatives want to make sure they continue to be part of the discussion. As usual, Vote Solar doesn’t just talk about making a difference; they have a plant to do what they’re suggesting. As the article states:

While the proposed rules include strong targets for LMI participation, we will continue to advocate for financial incentives to support projects for low-income communities. This is especially important given the sunset of the New Jersey Solar Renewable Energy Credit program. Any SREC successor should also include targeted support for low-income projects, as states like Massachusetts have implemented.

This is more evidence that Vote Solar is one of the most critical organizations in the solar industry. Articles like this bring solar home not just to the industry, but to those outside the industry who might be willing to support us. Outreach like this is why the solar industry continues to expand beyond its traditional constituencies.

So throw a little money into the tip jar to support the Vote Solar Equinox fundraiser. They do the work behind the scenes that you never see but that makes your job immensely easier.

Come Support Vote Solar – After All, They Support You

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Lobbying – and organizing lobbying – is often a thankless job. It requires hours of glad-handing, of having a phone of some sort permanently glued to your ear (well, not literally, but you know what I mean) and often without any recognition of what you are doing and/or accomplishing.

That’s why it’s important to recognize those folks who do an amazing job at keeping solar moving forward at the state level, and that’s why this post is dedicated to the amazing team at Vote Solar who, as luck would have it, are having a fundraiser on October 18. All of us should attend (if possible – I hear it’s a kick-butt party) or at least send your money to support their often heroic efforts to fight for solar policy at the state level. Their accomplishments are many, but here’s just a handful of their most recent successes (and this is literally just in the past month):

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New Mexico Terminates Punitive Charge on Solar Customers – Thanks to intense lobbying from Vote Solar and other solar advocates, New Mexico ordered its largest utility to stop sticking it to solar customers by eliminating a usurious charge called Rate 59. The change is going to save solar ratepayers approximately $300 per year
Vote Solar completed a report that found that the community solar pilot program in New Jersey could generate $800 million in ongoing revenue for the state. The report was issued shortly before the first community solar projects in New Jersey were unveiled – so there’s reason to believe the report had an impact.
Thanks to intense lobbying from Vote Solar and other industry groups, California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 100 into law, establishing an aggressive goal of generating 100% of California’s electricity from clean energy by 2045.
The Arizona Corporation Commission listened to Vote Solar and other solar advocates and told two of its utilities to knock it off with exorbitant fixed charges, freeing future solar consumers for being penalized for going solar.
Vote Solar helped the Nevada Public Service Commission develop a proper framework to improve the ability of renewable resources to be integrated into the state’s electrical grid.

Given that they did all this with the resources available to them, can you imagine what they can do if we all supported their noble efforts?

So throw a little money into the tip jar to support the Vote Solar Equinox fundraiser. They do the work behind the scenes that you never see but that makes your job immensely easier.

Vote Solar Lends Voice To “100% Clean Energy In California” Coalition

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

What Happened: Vote Solar is lending its voice to a coalition of 27 organizations in California that are fighting to move the state to a 100% clean energy future.

Yesterday, one of solar’s most active advocacy groups announced the launching of the organized campaign in support of California Senate Bill (SB) 100.
If SB 100 passes, it would move the renewable energy goalposts again (in a good way), raising the renewable portfolio standards from 60% to 100%.
Besides Vote Solar, the coalition also includes the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and the American Lung Association.

SolarWakeup’s View: See, it’s advocacy like this that makes it imperative for you to attend Vote Solar’s Equinox Party (their spring fundraiser, which takes place tonight).

Vote Solar does the down-and-dirty work of solar advocacy – fighting on a state-by-state level in ways that broader organizations can’t. I mean, keeping on top of all the challenges to the solar industry in all 50 states is a daunting task, and I’m always amazed (and thrilled) by the job that Adam Browning and his team do. Their eyes are everywhere, and if there’s a battle that needs to be fought in almost any state in the union, you’ll hear about it first from Vote Solar.

The coalition it’s involved in this time is working hard to build support for passage of SB 100, which would increase California’s RPS from 60% to 100%, which would be a boon to an already strong solar industry in the state. And broad-based coalitions like this are the way we will win some of the toughest fights ahead of us.

Make no mistake: There are still tough fights ahead, and we all need Vote Solar to continue their incredibly important work.. So throw them a few bucks if you can (and attend their party tonight – I can never make it, snowbound in Cleveland as I am. But from the photos I’ve seen from previous parties, it’s Off. The. Hook.).

(Yann asked me to mention that he is on the host committee of the Equinox and that he personally would appreciate it if you bought tickets and attended the event. So make Yann happy. Buy your tickets here – you won’t be disappointed.)

Don’t let all those smiles fool you – the members of the Vote Solar team are some of the most tenacious solar advocates I’ve ever met. So support them when you can.

More:

California 100% Clean Energy Coalition

Vote Solar

Equinox 2018 Tickets