Why California should help schools go solar – Environment America

California schools can support our clean energy transition

California’s schools have played an important role in our clean energy transition, serving as sites for solar panel installations that help school districts meet their energy needs and save on expensive utility bills, often the highest expense for districts after staff salaries. In fact, California’s millionth solar roof was installed at a school in the Clovis Unified School District outside Fresno. 

To meet our clean energy goals, increase resilience against blackouts, and provide much-needed energy bills savings, California must keep solar growing in its schools.

Barriers for solar schools

In November, 2023, state regulators at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) made it harder for properties with multiple electric meters like schools, farms, apartments, and businesses to go solar by slashing the compensation building owners and tenants receive for excess solar energy provided to the grid, and by prohibiting these buildings to self-consume solar energy they generate. This decision went one step further than the CPUC’s December, 2022 decision that slashed rooftop solar incentives for residential properties, which are still allowed to use on-site solar energy.

Schools with solar panel installations now are essentially forced to sell all the solar energy they produce to utilities at a low rate just to buy it right back at the full retail rate, instead of being allowed to use solar generation to offset their energy consumption and save more on utility bills.

We must restore the right to self-consume solar energy

Restoring the right to self-consume solar energy, like residential properties are allowed to do, is critical for maximizing solar in the built environment, like on rooftops, parking lots, and roadside land. Utility customers like schools that generate solar power on their own property with their own solar panels should be able to use that energy to save on utility bills while contributing to a brighter future powered by 100% clean energy.

More solar on school rooftops and parking lots helps California meet its clean energy goals, increases community resiliency, and helps school districts save money. Every school, farm, apartment, and business without solar is a missed opportunity to provide significant benefits to society at large, in addition to helping customers save on utility bills.

Let’s pass SB 1374 to help schools go solar

SB 1374, authored by Senator Josh Becker, will restore the ability for schools, farms, and all buildings with multiple electric meters to use their own solar energy, putting them on an even playing field with residential properties by enabling them to save more money with solar panels. California needs all the solar energy it can get, and SB 1374 will help us take advantage of prime rooftops and parking lots throughout California to fight climate change and reduce pollution in our communities.