Why Biden needs California to build more solar

Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

May 09, 2024 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell A community solar project in Gloversville, New York. | Courtesy of Nexamp and the Coalition for Community Solar Access California has a reputation as a clean energy hot spot. But when it comes to community-based solar that serves multiple households, the state hasn’t found its footing. That could be a problem for President Joe Biden’s climate agenda, given California’s outsize role in the country’s solar market, writes Jason Plautz. Earlier this year, the Energy Department set a goal for community solar developers — whose customers can include renters and cash-strapped households — to more than double the nation’s installed capacity by next year. Advocates are now putting pressure on California’s public utility commission to beef up incentives for community solar developers. They say the state’s current program is too hard for both developers and customers to understand, with burdensome caps on how much utilities can build and restrictions on who can draw electricity from individual projects. A proposal to revamp the program — which is pending before the commission — would alter how developers and customers are compensated and how project enrollments are capped. But solar advocates say it doesn’t go far enough. The lobbying campaign against the policy includes former leaders of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and Biden’s climate adviser, John Podesta, have also reached out to California leaders to discuss the proposed changes, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions. A vote had been scheduled for today, but the commission punted to the end of the month at the earliest. Community solar backers hope that the delayed vote means there will be time to strengthen the proposal. The stakes: Community solar is considered a key component of the nation’s solar build-out. Unlike rooftop panels that serve one home, community projects generate electricity from a moderate-sized solar array for a group of customers in a geographic area. That makes solar power available for renters, homeowners who can’t afford rooftop panels and homes with physical limitations. Plus, the projects can be financially structured in a way that does not require hefty upfront costs for customers. Subscribers pay a monthly fee and then get credits on their electric bills when excess power goes back to the grid. In states like California that are setting stricter pollution limits for residential buildings, community solar projects can also help developers meet those requirements without installing solar panels on every roof.   It's Thursday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF ENERGY POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what's next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries, like energy, equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world's best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other. Our energy reporting team—including Ben Lefebvre, Alex Guillen and Kelsey Tamborrino—is embedded with the market-moving legislative committees and agencies in Washington and across states, delivering unparalleled coverage of energy policy and the energy industry. We bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY.   Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Zack Colman breaks down why the country is entering a more challenging era in its climate negotiations with China. Power Centers West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. | Jeff Dean/AP GOP-led states attack climate rule Twenty-five Republican-led states have kicked off the latest legal fight over the Biden administration’s climate rule for power plants, write Lesley Clark and Niina H. Farah. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey — the Republican who scored a major win at the Supreme Court in 2022 that limited the Environmental Protection Agency's climate authority — has promised a repeat courtroom victory against EPA and its new rule targeting emissions from existing coal-fired power plants and new gas facilities. Between promise and peril Biden's top science adviser Arati Prabhakar wrestles every day with questions that could make or break the future of humankind: What safeguards are appropriate for artificial intelligence? When is it OK to share someone’s genetic information? Should humans attempt to reverse global warming — even if the methods are risky? In an interview with Chelsea Harvey, Prabhakar said it's critical that the people in charge continue to ask whether the promises of scientific advances are worth the peril. EU investigates airline greenwashing The European Commission is investigating 20 airlines for potentially making false claims about the companies' small carbon footprint, writes Tommaso Lecca. Airlines have been attempting to lure climate-conscious passengers by advertising guilt-free, low-carbon flights. In Other News Fossil fuel panoply: What Trump promised oil CEOs as he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign. Jobs: The geothermal industry is looking to tap oil and gas workers to expand clean energy.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today.   Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. | Royalbroil/Wikipedia A federal appeals court green-lighted the final mile of a contested Midwest transmission line through the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is set to unveil a major rule to solve a problem that has stymied the building of critical power lines across the country: Who should pay? The survival of Washington state’s carbon market could come down to how much voters believe it's raised gasoline prices. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://login.politico.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service