Thread by @jptheberge

ALERT: Contrary to industry-sponsored #AB1139, research shows local solar + storage (rooftops, schools, etc.) can save US $473B and create 2M more jobs by 2050. It is the *most* cost-effective & equitable way to reach our climate goals. 1️⃣ @drvolts volts.wtf/p/rooftop-sola…

2️⃣ Growth in local solar/storage can bring prices down because:

👉 reduces distribution/transmission costs (more electricity is generated, stored locally) = grid resilience.

👉 reduces the need for power plants that only run during peak periods (instead of gas/coal plants).

👉 over time, reduces the need for more capital expenditures (and the 10% markup from utility monopoly) which is eventually passed on to ratepayers.

👉 Reduces line loss as it travels through lines (5% of energy lost this way).

👉Makes grid more resilient (fewer outages). 3️⃣

4️⃣ Many other non-industry-sponsored studies have shown a net benefit. Utilities, naturally, come to opposite conclusion, overstate the costs and look at only direct costs, ignoring reduced capital costs and benefits to environment and society at large. environmentamerica.org/sites/environm…

ilsr.org/minnesota-comm…

5️⃣ 43% of California electricity generation comes from fossil fuels. And power plants are predominantly in poor communities. @PB__Community has been fighting the slow poisoning of their community for years. Rooftop solar reduces our reliance on this. latimes.com/environment/st…

6️⃣ And communities of color are disproportionately impacted by fossil fuel pollution via proximity. 100K African-Americans in CA live within 1/2 mile of oil and gas facilities. insideclimatenews.org/news/14112017/…

7️⃣ 538K Latinos live within 1/2 mile of oil/gas facilities. These impacts are not measured by the utility-sponsored studies and surrogates. They’d prefer we ignore these impacts via concerted misinformation campaign (millions spent lobbying/donations). catf.us/wp-content/upl…

8️⃣ Half of all natural gas power plants are located in the *most* disadvantaged communities in CA. Period. Rooftop solar reduces our reliance on these plants. psehealthyenergy.org/wp-content/upl…

9️⃣ Fracking and natural gas electricity production are extremely hazardous to the environment and to human health. independent.co.uk/climate-change…

🔟 San Joaquin Valley study showed that proximity to oil/gas production facilities increases premature births which were predominantly concentrated among Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black women. Utilities want more not less of this. journals.lww.com/environepidem/…

11/ While fracking may be phased out eventually, natural gas power plants will become more polluting, not less due to the “cycling” effect as they are fired up and down more often to manage demand. Local solar/storage would help mitigate this. ucsusa.org/resources/turn…

12/ Cost of local solar/storage is going down and affordable to more households every year including low/middle income families. This is good. Not bad. #AB1139 will make rooftop solar out of reach for working households, reversing a positive trend. Not equitable. @BerkeleyLab

13/ Argument that NEM2 is inequitable is shortsighted. CA has (4th) highest costs in nation and very profitable utility monopolies *can* and should a) lower rates across the board b) increase CARE subsidy and c) incentivize more rooftop solar to make it more equitable.

14/ NEM can be reformed without killing rooftop solar like #AB1139 does. This is a false argument. NEM will and should evolve as costs of solar are dropping. This bill #AB1139, however kills all discussion and rooftop solar with it. Babies and bathwater. calssa.org/blog/2021/4/21…

15/ Utility monopolies have a vested interest in killing rooftop solar. While clearly better for equity & the environment, it reduces profits. Why? Because by law, utilities only profit when building infrastructure. CA: 10¢ of profit for every $1 spent. wsj.com/articles/utili…

17/ Cost of installing large scale utility infrastructure is passed on to ratepayers (+10% profit). Cost of installing community solar is paid by homeowners/businesses and there’s no profit in that. Simply put, local solar eats into their profits and this is why they oppose it.

18/ The influence utilities have on state legislatures is massive.
Sempra/@sdge spent $470M lobbying legislators in 2021 so far. It spent $1M in 2020. PG&E averaged $2M per year 2007-18. This is face time, influence and access that ordinary citizens do not have.

19/ And let’s not get started on legislators (including authors of #AB1139) who receive hundreds of thousands of dollars from energy companies whose profits depend on the ability to crank out more expensive infrastructure at ratepayer expense. More rooftop solar = less profit.

20/ And local solar generates MANY more (30x more) jobs than utility-scale solar according to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. renewableenergyworld.com/solar/there-ar…

21/ @IBEW569 lists 62 union contractors in San Diego area who are rooftop solar installers. Their union hall had rooftop solar installed by union installer @SullivanSolar. This bill will hurt these companies and limit unionization in this growing field. sullivansolarpower.com/commercial/ibe…

22/ Author @LorenaAD80 says “so-called” environmentalists oppose #AB1139, dismissing near-universal opposition from enviros, environmental justice, equity and watchdog groups who have done their research. It is a concerted nationwide gaslighting effort by utilities to kill solar.

23/ Urge your assemblymember to vote #NoOnAB1139. It’s bad for business, equity, ratepayers and the environment. @RandyVoepel @MarieWaldron75 @SantiagoAD53 @AssemblySeyarto @AsmBlancaRubio @AsmJamesRamos @AsmCottie @AsmPatODonnell @Asm_Nazarian Contact: findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov

FURTHER STUDY: brookings.edu/research/rooft…

The Value of Rooftop Solar for Consumers and Society, Environment America environmentamerica.org/sites/environm…