by Staff, Solar Industry Magazine | May 24, 2012

The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday voted unanimously (5-0) in favor of a net-metering calculation method expected to significantly help the Golden State's solar market.

Existing state law set a net-metering cap of 5% of aggregate peak demand but did not specify how utilities should calculate aggregate peak demand. Utilities had been using a calculation method that divided the aggregate capacity of all net-metered systems on the grid by utility system peak demand.

"This decision is a big win for California and the nation, and will create jobs while taking solar to the mainstream," said Ben Higgins, director of government affairs for Mainstream Energy and REC Solar.

"Make no mistake: Our ultimate goal is to make solar price-competitive without subsidies or net metering, and this decision gives us a fair runway to do so."