TASC Calls On Utilities To Come Clean On Anti-Solar Proposals

The Alliance for Solar Choice announced today it is launching a statewide campaign calling on California’s largest utilities to tell the truth about their anti-solar stance. California investor-owned utilities PG&E, SCE and SDG&E recently submitted proposals to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) designed to destroy the rooftop solar industry and customer choice in California. Meanwhile, these same utilities are running misleading TV commercials, ad campaigns and blog posts to greenwash their anti-solar position.

“The utilities’ position on solar is so politically toxic that they are spending millions of dollars to hide that position from the public,” said TASC co-chairman Bryan Miller. “They owe their customers better than spending massive amounts of money on deceptive ad campaigns while simultaneously asking regulators to kill rooftop solar.”

The utilities’ proposals at the CPUC would impose onerous and confusing  fees on solar customers and cut the bill credit for local solar power by at least half. In another place where a utility has imposed these types of fees – Salt River Project in Arizona – solar installations dropped by 96% and many workers were relocated.

In its new ad campaign, TASC uses humor to show the outrageousness of the utilities’ proposals. The ads feature a utility monopolist, “Mr. Utility,” revealing the utilities’ true motives: “Let’s bamboozle the solar customers!” The campaign rollout started online this week and will grow in scope throughout the fall.

The campaign launch coincides with solar efforts in Sacramento to ensure protection for rooftop solar in pending legislation. The California Legislature can amend SB 350 to protect rooftop solar from the utilities’ attacks and ensure that tens of thousands of Californians employed in the rooftop solar industry don’t lose their jobs.

TASC welcomes an open, honest discussion about rooftop solar in California and asks that the utilities stop lying to the public about what they intend their anti-solar proposals to accomplish.

Reprinted with permission.