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For most of this year, people have been asking me: When do you plan to write an article about rooftop solar? Specifically, when do you plan to write about monopoly utility companies trying to cut California's very successful solar incentive program?

Well, I can finally answer: this is my story. It was released this week and is currently only available to subscribers of the Los Angeles Times. I hope you will consider buying a digital subscription to read this article and support our news, if you haven't already. It costs less than $100 a year and gives you access to all our climate and environmental reports.

As far as rooftop solar advocates are concerned, the story is simple: Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric want to remove technologies that threaten their business models. This is why they asked California Public Utilities Commission Governor Gavin Newsom to reduce the amount of electricity bill credits that households receive when registering for net metering, an incentive program that promotes the installation of more than 1.3 million solar systems.

However, this is not the whole story.

Yes, the utility industry has been trying to disrupt rooftop solar power in California and across the country for years. But at least this time, utility companies are not the only ones demanding a radical overhaul of net metering. They are joined by taxpayer monitoring organizations, which often find themselves fighting against investor-owned monopolies, particularly the Public Utility Reform Network and the state public advocacy office. The Natural Resources Defense Council also stated that the solar energy incentive plan needs major changes.

They believe that net metering mainly benefits high-income households who can afford solar panels, while low-income households have the most cost reductions, many of whom are people of color. Leading environmental justice organizations have not yet endorsed this "cost shifting" statement, but several have written that solar projects "disproportionately benefit wealthy white single-family homeowners."

The diverse coalition of rooftop solar installers and grassroots environmental activists insists that these arguments are wrong.

Mediation is a challenging debate. Everyone I have spoken to has data, research, and anecdotes to support their arguments. Most of them accuse their opponents of being biased by industry funds from utility companies or solar companies.

Some of these allegations may make sense; read my story and let me know what you think. However, I will notice that compared to critics, utility companies have more cash to put into use. The disclosure table shows that Edison, PG&E, and SDG&E's parent company Sempra Energy spent a total of nearly $2.8 million in lobbying state governments in the first half of this year, including a bill that would weaken net metering. In comparison, two solar trading groups and leading installer Sunrun spent approximately $700,000.

Utilities giants stated that they do not support or oppose legislation to reduce net metering, namely Parliamentary Bill No. 1139. But organized labor groups representing public utility employees did support or oppose the passage of the bill.

This is another part of this not-so-simple story: the role of organized labor in shaping California's climate ambitions.

For example, fossil fuel workers have been working hard to protect oil refineries and natural gas plants from the impact of new regulations. Power workers have been working hard to promote large-scale solar farms, which usually create union construction jobs at the cost of rooftop solar systems. There is usually no union for rooftop solar work, which is not only an organized labor, but also a sore spot for many progressive activists.

It is difficult to find an accurate estimate of the difference between union and non-union wages in the solar industry, although it is known that unionized workers earn higher wages. According to the National Census of Solar Workers, nationally, the average income of solar installers last year was US$46,000, while the income of solar electricians (more likely to be employed by unions) was close to US$72,000.

I talked to state legislator Wendy Carrillo (Wendy Carrillo), a Los Angeles Democrat and the author of the union-supported net metering bill. She told me that she "is disturbed by some of the comments I have seen about big labor hindering the climate."

"The other pillar of the Green New Deal is good union work, dignity in the workplace, and universal wages," Carrillo said.

At the same time, I heard positive stories about working in the rooftop solar field from employees of the non-profit installer GRID Alternatives.

When he took a break while installing solar panels in a low-income home in Watts, this neighborhood is mainly Latino and black communities in South Los Angeles. Director Lee Kwok told me how GRID helped him change his career and provided him with 9 months of Volunteer experience, then work. His colleague Darean Nguyen emotionally explained how the Oakland-based non-profit organization helped him stabilize his life after 20 years of imprisonment and release, training him to master what he now uses to support his family and help people like him Skill.

"I work with people I love, for an organization with a good mission and good values," Nguyen said.

Like I said, mediation is a challenging debate. When race enters the equation, it only becomes more complicated.

Read my story again to fully understand the arguments surrounding racial justice. But here is a piece of data worth thinking about: a new study by the University of California, Berkeley found that in the areas served by Edison and PG&E, without expensive upgrades, a large part of the grid cannot accommodate new solar installations—especially In disadvantaged and predominantly black communities.

This does not mean that people living in these areas cannot use solar energy. But this does mean that they may have to wait longer to connect the panel to the grid, and may lose direct savings, said Anna Brockway, a PhD student and lead author of the study.

Brockway told me that policymakers should do more to support "community solar" installations that serve the entire community. They are the middle ground between rooftop solar systems and large-scale facilities in the desert, and supporters say they can benefit low-income communities of color by reducing electricity bills and limiting pollution from gas-fired power plants.

"Maybe we should figure out a way to deploy solar energy, rather than specifically for the roof of your house," Brockway said.

Brockway is not the only one who thinks so.

The Biden administration last month set a goal of achieving 5 million community solar-powered households by 2025, a 700% increase from today. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm called community solar "one of our most powerful tools to provide affordable solar energy to all American households, whether they own a house or have a roof suitable for solar panels." ."

At the same time, five California lawmakers recently urged the Public Utilities Commission to adopt a proposal from the Community Solar Access Alliance, which they said will help low-income households participate in the clean energy transition. So far, California does not have much community solar power, and it lags far behind leading states such as Minnesota, Florida and Massachusetts.

Therefore, the story of rooftop solar goes far beyond net metering.

Despite this, solar energy advocates still view the upcoming decision of the Newsom government on the plan’s future as an existential threat. They worry that the decision to abolish net metering will cause repercussions across the country, because many states follow California's approach on climate issues.

In the meantime, some public power agencies — which are governed by their own elected board members — have already slashed solar incentives. These include the Sacramento Municipal Public Utilities District or SMUD, which has recently reduced the bill credits of new net metering customers. When the Royal Irrigation District completely terminated net metering in 2016, the solar installation collapsed.

Critics of the plan are not so worried. They say rooftop solar will continue to grow, partly because California has required solar panels in new homes for the first time in the country. In their view, this debate is about ensuring the sustainable development of solar energy.

Either way, the United States will need a lot of solar energy to prevent the climate crisis. And there is no shortage of sunshine. The Biden administration recently estimated that by 2035, solar panels could produce 40% of the electricity in the United States. Most of these may come from large-scale solar farms, but also require a lot of rooftop solar energy.

A study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory studying how Los Angeles achieves 100% clean energy offers similar prospects. Researchers hypothesize that by 2045, as many as 38% of single-family homes will use solar energy, as will many apartment buildings. The city also needs an unprecedented number of large-scale solar and wind farms, but rooftop solar will play a key role.

Last time: subscribe to The Times and read my story. Here are other things that are happening around the West:

Heat waves are especially deadly in poorly insulated buildings with few trees, few green spaces, and no air conditioning—usually due to a history of racist red lines. To learn more about how climate injustice in Los Angeles happened, see the stories of my colleagues Tony Barboza and Ruben Vives. This is the latest record of our investigation into the number of deaths caused by extreme heat. You can also check out photographer Genaro Molina's article on what it's like to find images that tell a story.

A small town in California refused to help its neighbors with water. So the state stepped in. The Times’ Diana Markum wrote this polite but cursing story about a predominantly white San Joaquin Valley city that has refused for many years to help its poorer, predominantly Latino neighboring town solve the drinking water crisis-the environment Another example of the problem is the rampant injustice in our society.

Half a million undocumented farm workers “beared the brunt of the California climate crisis-risking their lives and health to harvest in the smog, and sometimes face financial crises,” wrote columnist Jean Guerrero. He spent some time with those who put food on our plates, and usually had no choice but to continue working when wildfire smoke made the air dangerous to breathe. Ralph Vartabedian wrote an article for The New York Times, reminding people that attempts to tackle climate change can also cause environmental injustice, about the already marginalized communities being torn apart by the construction of high-speed rail.

Global warming accounts for 88% of the atmospheric conditions that have worsened Western wildfires. This is what the researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said, and they told my colleague Alex Wigsworth that these changes are happening much faster than expected. Not so good, Bob. Fires certainly require ignition, and utilities owned by California investors—the companies I wrote above—provide them too often. Hayley Smith reported that the U.S. Attorney's Office is investigating the possible role of PG&E in triggering the Dixie fire, the second largest fire in the state's history.

For three generations, the McGee family has planted Christmas trees in El Dorado County. Robin Estrin of The Times reported that droughts and fires - and Lou Grieg's illness - make them wonder how long they can last. In another heart-wrenching story, sports columnist Bill Praschke shared an excerpt from his new book-"Paradise Discovery: A High School Football Team Rising from the Ashes"-about a father and son escaping a campfire Flame, they will definitely not survive.

The Colorado River accumulates large amounts of sand, and federal officials usually release large amounts of water from the Glen Canyon Dam, pushing the sand downstream and replenishing the beaches of the Grand Canyon. But they said the water level of Lake Powell was too low to allow it, prompting environmentalists to shout fouls, Brandon Loomis reported for the Arizona Republic. Part of their argument is that the Glen Canyon Dam cannot generate as much hydroelectric power. According to Brian Maverly of the Salt Lake City Tribune, as the reservoir dries up, this is a problem throughout the west, and rural towns that rely on cheap hydropower may face rising electricity prices.

After the first federal hearing on the industry’s history of funding climate denial and disinformation, Congressional Democrats subpoenaed Big Oil. The hearing did not produce any dramatic moments similar to the 1994 Congressional Barbecue, when Big Tobacco executives vowed that cigarettes would not be addictive, but it did prompt Rep. Caroline B. Maloney to announce that she would subpoena Exxon Mobil, BP and Chevron As my colleagues Anna M. Phillips and Erin B. Logan reported, Shell refused to hand over internal documents. At the same time, Phil Willon of The Times reported that in California, executives of the oil company were invited to testify before state legislators, but they refused.

The methane rules of the Biden administration are here. Anna M. Phillips reported that this is the first time the federal government has tried to regulate the strong global warming emissions of existing oil and gas wells, although implementation will be left to the states. This rule is particularly important because it is not yet clear which climate measures may pass Congress; the latest framework issued by President Biden and Democratic leaders includes $555 billion in climate investment, but Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have not yet signed it. Another potential blow to climate action is that the Times’ David G. Savage reported that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case questioning the federal government’s power to regulate endothermic gases.

The Biden administration will conduct the first national assessment of the carbon emissions of oil and gas leases and sales on public land. Details of Associated Press Matthew Brown. But despite Biden's campaign promise to end federal fossil fuel leases, sales continue-even though officials now admit that the plan could have billions of dollars in climate impact.

A poet camped outside the construction site of the Yellow Pine Solar Farm in Pahrump Valley, Nevada, protesting the 3,000-acre facility built by NextEra Energy on public land. This is the story of Meg Bernhard in The Times. This reminds us that even climate-friendly energy projects will incur environmental costs. More broadly, maintaining healthy landscapes and ecosystems is an important part of the climate dilemma. I also like the story written by Benjamin Ryan for The New York Times about Montana ranchers working with environmentalists to protect the grasslands, a key carbon sink.

Native American tribes lost 99% of their land to be colonized-they now own hotter land, have less rainfall, and in many cases are hundreds of miles away from their historical territories. Christopher Flawell reported for the New York Times that this is the scale of yet another climate injustice based on new research. Likewise, paying attention to the land is crucial, as is listening to the voices of indigenous people. Debra Utacia Krol of the Republic of Arizona wrote about tribal activists trying to express their opinions at the Glasgow climate summit, including the "30 by 30" plan they touted to conservationists The concern — protecting 30% of the world’s land and waters by 2030 — may turn into another theft of indigenous lands. In Utah, Jessica Douglas of "High Country News" wrote about the Ute tribe's struggle to shut down what they call a uranium plant that poisons groundwater.

"So many headlines about climate are focused on all of this. Hotter heat. More aggressive mosquitoes. More destructive flooding. But I'm already plagued by the apparent absence of the mourning pigeon." Read me His colleague Daniel Miller (Daniel Miller) wrote a beautiful story about the decline in the number of mourning pigeons and their unique and eager cry.

At the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson compared the climate situation to James Bond’s frenzied bombing work when the clock counted down to forgotten. But despite these urgent remarks, it is not clear how many actions the summit will produce. President Biden criticized China and Russia, the two largest polluters in the world, for not making any major new commitments. In particular, the tense US-China relationship has become a stumbling block to climate cooperation. My colleagues Chris Mejerian and Alice Su reports. Australia’s climate policy is so weak that a Volkswagen executive called the country “a dumping ground for car engines that our competitors cannot sell in other markets,” Maria Petrakis reported for The Times. Although Biden had hoped to pass a newly signed climate bill to demonstrate America's commitment, he can promote the bill to world leaders, but so far, domestic politics has been hindering his "rebuild better" agenda.

However, COP26 has made some breakthroughs, including a global commitment to limit methane emissions and end deforestation. Anna M. Phillips and Chris Megerian provided detailed information here, and they pointed out that there is a big difference between countries that promise to do these things and countries that actually do them. Ending deforestation will be particularly tricky, although there are some reasons for optimism; for example, see the story of Kate Linthicum and David Pierson in The Times, and a photo of Luis Sinco, which tells a success story in the Amazon rainforest town. Ecotourism there has replaced logging as a source of income for some locals.

From the overall perspective, the fate of the world depends on the few countries responsible for the vast majority of carbon pollution. Our daily podcast The Times provides a powerful analysis of these countries, including China, the United States, India, Russia, and Japan. They control the fate of small Pacific island nations flooded by rising sea levels—the leaders of these nations cannot even meet with President Biden and other powerful figures, Anna M. Phillips reports. Interestingly, Anna also pointed out that some environmental organizations have called for the postponement of the climate summit, believing that the continuing shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in most parts of the world will make it difficult for leaders from developing countries to attend. Phil Willon and Taryn Luna reported that in terms of summit attendance, Governor Gavin Newsom withdrew at the last minute, citing unspecified "family obligations."

When I saw the title of the latest article by the New York Times columnist Pat Morrison-"Who killed the tram in Los Angeles? We all did it"-I thought to myself, "I hope she quoted One of my favorite Disney movies, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"." Pat never disappoints, and this work is no exception. She assessed the realistic conspiracy theory that inspired the semi-animated, semi-live-action film—a cabal controlled by Big Oil destroyed the city’s iconic red car—and concluded that, in fact, it has at least some truth. .

Yes, Disney made a movie about the oil industry conspiracy to kill Los Angeles traffic. You can't make up these things.

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Sammy Roth reports on energy for the Los Angeles Times and writes the weekly "Boiling Point" newsletter. He previously reported for the Desert Sun in Palm Springs. He grew up in Westwood and very much hopes to see the Dodgers win the World Series again.

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