Electricity, and the means to generate it, hinges on a number of rapidly changing resources: water behind dams, factory staffing in China, sun and clouds, and now the new rooftop-solar billing rules released by the state Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) last week. Though the rules are intended to further California’s goals toward fewer greenhouse gases from fossil-fuel power sources, the decision is being slammed from all sides: The solar industry argues fewer incentives mean fewer households will choose to install expensive solar panels. Consumer groups say the subsidy for existing solar rooftops will unfairly continue.
Administrative Law Judge Kelly Hymes, who wrote the lengthy CPUC decision, sees solar costs going down. In fact, she estimated that prices were declining so quickly that five years was long enough for the solar industry and customers to need less of a…