Protesters rallied to get the attention of Sempra Energy officials asking them to stop supporting rule changes that would hike the cost of installing and having rooftop solar.
“We are seeing the effects of climate change with our own eyes,” said Keala Minna Choe, a board member of San Diego 350. “And yet there is little action from our policy makers, our policy leaders and our industry makers. The climate crisis currently disproportionately impacts young people.”
A utility-funded advocacy group, Affordable Clean Energy For All, hopes the CPUC makes a ruling on the NEM rules soon. They took issue with the protesters’ message. “There is no difference of opinion about whether there should be more rooftop solar in California,” said Kathy Fairbanks, a spokesperson for the advocacy group. “It’s about who should pay for it. The current NEM program is paid for by electricity customers who don’t have rooftop solar.
The company points out that they are the only U.S. utility on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Sempra’s record speaks for itself. Sempra is also the parent company of Southern California Gas which supplies natural gas to residential and commercial customers in the region.