California Governor Must Sign SB 700 To Make SB 100 A Reality

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Something magical happened in California yesterday. Governor Jerry Brown signed into law SB 100, which takes the state’s renewable portfolio standards (RPS) to 100% by 2045.

Imagine that. The world’s fifth-largest economy is now on its way to getting 100% of its electricity from non-fossil-fuel sources within the next 30 years. If you had suggested such a thing even seven years ago, when I first joined the solar industry, people would have called you insane (or worse).

But now that it’s done, it’s time to complete the circle and get the governor’s signature on SB 700, the companion bill to SB 100 that extends the incentive program for energy storage.

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Governor Brown himself appears to recognize that the two bills are inextricably intertwined, saying at yesterday’s signing ceremony that the 100% by 2045 goal couldn’t be reached without a significant increase in storage.

“To get to 100% clean energy in a manner that ensures reliability and reduces cost, we must use a variety of strategies,” Brown said in his signing statement. “Energy storage, increased efficiency and adjusting energy use to the time of day when we have the most power will all help with the transition.”

So what’s staying your hand, governor? Get on this and sign SB 700 already.

When SB 700 passed a couple of weeks ago, Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar & Storage Association, said this:

SB 700 will do for storage what SB 1 did for solar over a decade ago, namely create a mainstream market by driving up demand and driving down costs all while creating jobs and clean energy choices for consumers.

From SB 1 we got to SB 100, and it’s time for California to lead on storage as well as it has lead on solar energy. After all, as California goes, so goes the rest of the country – and the rest of the country has a lot of catching up to do.

More:

SB 700 Passes California Assembly – SGIP Program Extended Five Years

California’s SB 700 Moves Forward To Full Assembly Vote; Next Three Weeks Are Critical

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Last week, more than 200 solar + storage advocated descended on Sacramento to push for passage of of a significant energy storage bill.

Their efforts seem to have had the desired effect, as SB 700 – an energy storage bill that fell completely off the legislative radar last year – is now front and center as it moved out of the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee and on to the full assembly floor. The bill would extend the incentives for the popular Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP).

Between it and SB 100, which would move California to a 100% renewable portfolio standard (RPS), the next three weeks could be absolutely critical to pushing the full clean energy agenda forward in The Golden State.

As Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of California Solar & Storage Association, told the attendees of its Lobby Day, now is not the time to get complacent.

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Del Chiaro wrote in a note:

We now have three weeks to put the bill on the governor’s desk. Next week, if all goes well, SB 700 will be put to a floor vote giving all 80 assembly members a chance to vote for it. We need at least 41 votes to ensure its passage out of the assembly. Stay tuned for action alerts on how you can add your voice to this effort.

If we clear the assembly, we’ll head back to the senate for a concurrence vote. The bill passed the senate last year with 23 votes (need a minimum of 21) and faces less opposition this year due to amendments taken in the assembly. But you never know. It is the end of session so things get a little crazy.

We need to be loud and stay vigilant.

The momentum started at Lobby Day next week is the perfect example of what a motivated, strong show of support for solar at the state level can do. We applaud Del Chiaro and urge solar industries in other states to study and learn from California’s example. Together, we are an unstoppable force. Let’s translate California’s success into success across the country.

Oh, and stay vigilant, California – your battle isn’t over quite yet.

California Assembly Considers SB 100, Should Pass It Posthaste

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

California’s Assembly has a huge opportunity before it right now, and they should seize it posthaste.

Before them is a bill to move the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 100% by 2045. It would match the most aggressive RPS in the nation (Hawaii) and put the world’s fifth (or sixth, depending on who you believe) largest economy on a path to 100% renewable energy. And it would be a huge step forward for the United States because, as everyone knows, solar and renewable energy trends start in California and then make their way to other states in the country shortly thereafter.

Have I mentioned the California Assembly should pass this bill immediately if not sooner?

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Bill McKibbon, founder of 350.org, wrote on the subject in The New York Times and said this:

If any place on earth can handle this transition, it’s California, home to some of the planet’s strongest sunshine and many of its finest clean-tech entrepreneurs.

McKibbon speaks the truth. The state has long been home to the most burgeoning solar industry in the country. And despite new challengers emerging each year, California remains atop the Solar Energy Industries Association’s list of Top Solar States year after year after year.

Its grid had already absorbed more solar and wind energy (though it is mostly solar in California, let’s be honest) than any other grid in the United States, and they are well on their way to transitioning from net metering to whatever the next compensation plan for solar users is. And the results have been staggeringly positive.

It’s the perfect laboratory to show what happens when utilities stop fighting the Solar Revolution and embrace it instead, and they’ve shown the path toward rooftop solar coexisting with utility-scale solar and beyond. Why not take the opportunity to give it one last push over the finish line?

The vote could come as soon as this month, and if it passes it could be historic. Let’s make sure the California assembly knows we’re behind them. Let’s make sure they pass this law – and make solar history.