"Solar for All" is no more

In April 2009 I contacted my local Assemblyman, Paul Fong, and asked him to make it possible for renters, condo owners, and others to lease solar panels located on solar farms and offset all or part of their electric usage via remote net metering. Essentially, this would give every residential electric customer in the state the same access to leased solar that homeowners have enjoyed for the last 2 years.

In February, 2010 Mr. Fong introduced my bill (AB 1947). I had high hopes for the bill, but it was completely gutted and amended to serve an entirely different purpose. It is now a bill that will benefit only a few rate payers in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District area.

Thanks to everyone who supported Solar for All in its original form. It may be possible to reintroduce it in 2011 with a better outcome.

Cheers,
Bruce

I'll be Presenting "Solar for All" on July 8

I will be presenting my "Solar for All proposal" to a large audience for the first time on July 8, 2009 from 7-8 PM. The event is part of the Silicon Valley Photovoltaic Society (SVPVS) speaker series.

Location: the G. E. Pake Auditorium at Palo Alto Research Center (PARC, formerly Xerox PARC), 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304

I hope any of my readers who are in the area will attend.

The 8-page Word document describing "Solar For All" is online here.

Solar for All -- Including Renters

I've recently developed a proposal that I call "Solar for All." It would make it possible for condo owners and renters to own or lease solar PV just as homeowners can.

On May 8 I met with Assemblyman Paul Fong and Monica Smith from his staff last week and they both seemed quite interested.

I would greatly appreciate feedback on my proposal. The 8-page Word document describing "Solar For All" is online here.

In a nutshell, the idea is to use "virtual net metering" to allow the solar panels to be located on a solar farm rather than on the building where the energy is used. However, the solar farm is not owned by your local utility company: the panels are owned by a for-profit company and leased to the family whose bill is being offset.