Solar Nerd articles about: News

A much anticipated ruling on net metering by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) came down on December 15, to the disappointment of many in the solar industry. The 260 page decision by CPUC effectively ends net metering in California for new solar customers, replacing it with a “net billing” scheme with lower payments. It’s a major change for solar in California, which first enacted net metering back in 1996. Prospective and current solar homeowners in California will certainly have many questions about the new rules.

Mission Solar Energy, a solar panel manufacturer based in San Antonio, Texas, shared news last week that it will soon expand its manufacturing capacity. The factory, which is colocated with Mission Solar’s headquarters in south San Antonio, will be adding 300 megawatts of manufacturing capacity immediately. Given that Mission’s highest output solar panel is 375 watts, that works out to about 800,000 panels annually. The factory currently has a capacity of 300 MW, so that means the company is immediately working on doubling the capacity of its 246,000-square-foot factory.

After the death of the Build Back Better bill, a pared back climate bill that also died, machinations in the senate, and an unexpected last minute back-from-the-dead effort, President Biden signed the Investment Reduction Act this week. It’s being called the largest investment in combatting climate ever and the most significant environmental legislation since the Clean Air Act. The IRA covers a large swath of things intended to lower the cost of energy and prescription drugs, of which are outside the scope of this blog.