Minimum electricity bills are up for debate in San Diego. Earlier this summer, San Diego Gas & Electric said that they want to raise the minimum bill by nearly 400%, along with a fixed $10 charge. The utility company says this is necessary in order to combat the $420 million annual cost shift between residential customers with and without solar panels. Several groups are fighting back, including one that wants to keep the minimum bill where it’s at — $10. 

SDG&E said in June that, “for the California utilities to continue to evolve to provide the services that the commission and customers want, then all customers who use and benefit from the grid will need to start to share in the cost of building, maintaining and operating it.”

A consumer advocate is suggesting rate designs that don’t put low energy users at a disadvantage by paying more money than they need to. 

The County of San Diego does love its solar, though. They have taken steps to replace their fleet with alternative fuel vehicles and also have deployed an EV charging infrastructure.

The EV ARC fits in a parking space and generates and stores enough clean solar electricity to power up to 225 miles of EV driving in a single day. The ARC charges day and night and can provide power in case of emergency.   

Article sources:

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/sdge-looks-to-raise-minimum-bill-400-citing-solar-driven-cost-shift/562416/?mc_cid=c9985948de&mc_eid=832be1539b

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/08/07/1547848/0/en/County-of-San-Diego-Selects-Envision-Solar-EV-ARC-Solar-Charging-Stations-for-its-Electric-Fleet.html

Previous articleTurn Your Windows Into Solar Panels with Soligami
Next articleThe Push To Replace Plastics