Late remaining week, the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) dealt a blow to the state’s goal of shortly rising native vitality storage functionality, in accordance with the California Picture voltaic & Storage Affiliation (CALSSA).
The CSLB voted to approve a model new rule that can prohibit licensed photograph voltaic contractors from placing in new battery storage functionality to present photograph voltaic methods or from performing maintenance on battery storage methods along with these they put in themselves. These duties would now require a licensed electrician. Licensed photograph voltaic contractors would nonetheless be able to establishing smaller battery storage on the similar time when photograph voltaic methods are being put in nevertheless the incapability to produce warranties on these methods renders the allowance impractical.
By severely limiting the workforce permitted to assemble photograph voltaic and vitality storage methods and elevating the value of installations, the CLSB rule contradicts California’s stated goal of shortly rising vitality storage functionality.
Clear vitality advocates described the model new rule as a solution looking for a problem. It was accredited by the CSLB whatever the board’s private evaluation discovering zero earlier issues of safety or incidents all through all U.S. vitality storage batteries put in up to now.
“California retains saying one issue nevertheless doing one different by way of the battle in opposition to native climate change,” acknowledged Bernadette Del Chiaro, govt director of CALSSA. “In merely the earlier 12 months, California slashed rooftop photograph voltaic incentives, prohibited self-generation for schools and farms, and proposed expensive mounted bills that injury vitality conservation and low vitality prospects. Now they’re undermining California’s rising battery storage progress by means of excessive workforce limitations. This has to stop if we’re to maneuver forward as a state, preserve vitality prices low, and cease future blackouts.”
The model new rule was opposed by the photograph voltaic and storage commerce, clear vitality advocates, and prospects, along with unions representing laborers and carpenters. The electrician union, which has a signed settlement with PG&E to deal with “aggressive threats throughout the market” supported the change.
The rule will now be reviewed by the California Office of Administrative Regulation to ensure the legal guidelines are “clear, wanted, and legally professional” and that the CSLB complied with the necessities set forth in California’s Administrative Course of Act. The rule could then go into impression as early because the Fall of 2024.
Opponents of the rule have requested the Newsom Administration to step in and are considering approved challenges based mostly totally on a mix of procedural and substantive flaws throughout the CSLB’s rulemaking course along with the reality that the corporate refused to overview the environmental impacts of the model new rule.
Data merchandise from the California Picture Voltaic & Storage Affiliation
