Which Way, L.A.?
Solar v. Utility Companies
Utility companies used to support solar-energy panels on the roofs of private homes, but so many roofs in California now generate so much power that the utilities are losing big money. We consider whether there's war against solar power, and if solar-energy users are paying their fair share.
By Warren Olney • • 25m ListenUtility companies used to support solar-energy panels on the roofs of private homes, but so many roofs in California now generate so much power that the utilities are losing big money. They say homeowners who don’t have solar are paying the difference, and the Public Utilities Commission is considering proposals to make incentives for switching to solar less attractive than they are now. We consider whether there's war against solar power, and if solar-energy users are paying their fair share.
On our Reporter's Notebook, we hear about labor unions in Santa Monica that want some employers granted exemptions to an increased minimum wage.
Photo: Workers install a residential solar power system at a home in Monrovia. (Saul Gonzalez)
In this episode
2 storiesIs Solar Energy Too Cheap and Easy in California?
California homeowners who install solar panels can sell power they don't use back to the utility companies who manage the grid. That can bring the homeowners' bills down to zero. Now, so many consumers have gone solar that the utilities are losing serious money and they're fighting back.
Read the story14 minSanta Monica City Council to Vote on Minimum Wage
A full-page ad in the LA Times and a mobile billboard are just two of the more dramatic elements supporting labor in the campaign against a proposed increase to the minimum wage that the Santa Monica City Council will take up tonight.
Read the story11 min
