SUPERVISOR DIANNE JACOB

San Diego County Board of Supervisors

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Public comments made by Supervisor Jacob at a California Public Utilities Commission
hearing held Oct. 28, 2015 in San Diego on the issue of solar incentives.
Supervisor Jacob also called for state legislation to lift the cap on net metering.

Id like to thank the Commission for taking the time today to hear directly from San Diego
County residents about the importance of the existing net metering program.
Today, our local solar industry is booming. In the past 5 years, weve seen a 500% jump in
residential solar permits and thats just in the unincorporated area of the County. Nearly
6,000 permits were issued in that area last year.
San Diego has become one of the leading solar markets in the world. The industry brings
nearly $1 billion a year in economic activity to the region. Its great for business, great for
reducing our energy footprint and great for consumers.
Net metering is a big reason for that success. Its a simple, popular program that provides
financial incentives critical to encouraging home solar and the use of other renewables.
Drastically reducing the benefits of net metering would cripple the solar industry. It would be a
huge setback for businesses and for consumers, who are hungry to do the right thing, reduce
their energy footprint and cut costs.
The desire is there; the market is there. Gutting net metering would short-circuit our
momentum.
The fact that utility companies want to weaken it shows how out of step they are with California
and its energy needs.

At the County level, we continue to look for ways to encourage solar and other renewable
energy. The County has won national awards for its efforts to ease the solar permitting
process.
And last year, we launched our Property Assessed Clean Energy program, or PACE. The
results so far have been impressive: Roughly $140 million in local projects have been funded
and about 6,000 projects completed. PACE has led to the creation of more than 1,100 local
jobs, adding $241 million to our local economy.
Incentives like these, along with net metering, have helped turn solar into a huge local industry.
Weakening net metering would undermine that. It could alter the industry so drastically that
San Diego County residents would no longer find solar a worthy investment.
I strongly urge the CPUC to extend net metering beyond its current cap. Its the smart thing to
do for industry, for consumers and for our energy future.
In other words, lift the cap and extend net metering indefinitely!
I also believe ratepayers who produce a lot of their own power should be paid the market rate
for any leftover energy that goes into our electrical grid, and that rooftop solar should be
counted toward the states 50% renewal energy mandate.
I have also sent a letter to President Picker outlining my position.
Thank you for your time.
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