A new association will make a renewed push for a viable community solar and storage program in California. Californians for Local, Affordable Solar and Storage (CLASS) will work to expand access to local, affordable clean energy, lower electricity bills for families and small businesses, and create new revenue opportunities for farmers and landowners across the state.
Founding members of the new association include Chaberton Energy, Dimension Energy, ECA Solar, Fieldworks Power, Nexamp, Renewable America, Renewable Properties and White Pine Renewables. While California historically led on distributed energy projects, sizable investments in community solar have left the state for more favorable policy environments like Illinois, which recently passed an expansive energy package to support community solar and storage.
CLASS seeks to reinvigorate California’s leadership through a viable community solar and storage market that could bring tens of billions of dollars of new investment to the state. Former senior statehouse staffer and Sacramento veteran Derek Chernow is the Executive Director of CLASS.
“Community solar is already lowering bills and expanding access to clean energy in states across the country,” Chernow said. “It’s time for California to catch up and deliver real relief for renters and other families struggling with high power bills.”
Despite legislative direction and strong bipartisan support, the California Public Utilities Commission has yet to approve a workable program that allows community solar and storage to move forward at scale. As a result, California remains far behind other states that are already delivering lower bills, grid resilience, and local economic benefits through locally generated solar energy.
In the coming months, Californians for Local, Affordable Solar and Storage will work with legislators, regulators, and community leaders to advance legislation and regulatory reforms that finally deliver on the promise of community solar and storage in California.
“Through pilot projects across the Central Valley, we’ve proven community solar can bring local, cost-saving clean energy to the Californians who need it most while creating quality jobs and meaningful revenue for farmers with deteriorating water supplies,” said Brandon Smithwood, Vice President of Policy, Dimension Energy. “We are ready to invest in local, affordable solar and storage statewide as soon as the state creates a genuine, workable community solar and storage program.”
“California’s energy transition must be built from the community level up,” said Ardi Arian, Founder and CEO, Renewable America. “CLASS is creating a platform that supports locally sited solar and storage, strengthens grid reliability, and helps keep energy affordable for Californians. Renewable America is proud to support this effort and align with an organization that understands the importance of local energy solutions.”
“Renewable Properties is proud to call California home, and our company is dedicated to building local renewable energy projects. However, most of our current investments are flowing to other states that have workable community solar and distributed generation programs,” Aaron Halim, CEO, Renewable Properties. “We want to invest more in our home state, but that will only happen if legislators, the Governor, and the CPUC can craft and implement a program that truly works for developers, the public, and utilities. That’s why we’re proud to support CLASS and its ideas to re-energize California’s leadership in distributed solar.”
News item from CLASS
