New, promising solar legislation could significantly cut utility rates in California | Opinion

Water scarcity and high utility costs are heavily influencing business decisions for farmers in California’s Central Valley. As a fourth-generation farmer in the area, I must be increasingly resourceful in finding ways to cut costs to keep our family farm viable.

There is a new program that most people don’t know about called community solar. It could be a key part of the solution to the challenges my family and others like ours are facing.

I have been offered an option to lease 30 acres for a community solar installation which would generate energy for neighbors while providing a new revenue stream for my farm in Madera County . The project will bring down participating neighbors’ utility bills by up to 20% every month, while simultaneously reducing the strain on the grid and saving water.

Recently, Assemblymember Chris Ward, D-San Diego, introduced Assembly Bill 1260, new legislation to strengthen California’s community solar program, lower energy bill costs for participants and make projects like the one planned for my farm a reality. This is a major opportunity for the state to make up for years of failed attempts to implement a community solar program in which all Californians can participate, and to empower more farmers and landowners to host solar generating systems including battery storage.

Energy bills in the valley are through the roof due to recent heat waves and utility rate increases with no end in sight. In Madera County, we had over 60 days of triple digit heat in 2024. My employees and tenants can scarcely afford to keep their homes at tolerable temperatures. Heat waves can be deadly, and California can do something about it.

The governor, legislature and California Public Utilities Commission should be doing everything possible to lower rates right now. Passing the new community solar legislation will help. On average, community solar subscribers will save $200 a year compared to current utility bills, and savings will be even higher for low- and moderate-income households — closer to $300 per year.

Community solar is a way for people who rent or can’t afford to install solar panels on their homes to share the benefits of solar energy’s lower costs. Community solar projects are much smaller than the vast utility scale projects we often see in the deserts.

Taking 30 acres of grapes out of production will spread my water allotment among other contiguous fields, including 60 acres of pistachios and 60 acres of almonds, making these fields sustainable for many years, if not decades. Leasing this land for a community solar project is a great solution that offers a triple benefit: it’s good for my family, good for the community and good for the planet.

Most farmers do not want to sell. My family purchased the land where I live now in 1945 during World War II, and I hope to keep it in my family for generations to come. I am doing everything I can to find creative solutions to the water shortage and other economic challenges so that my heirs can continue to farm this land. I believe that solar is a critical piece of the solution for farmers like me trying to survive these tough times.

I urge the legislature to take up and pass AB 1260 quickly to improve grid reliability and lower electric bills all while keeping agricultural land within families, saving water, creating jobs and generating energy locally.

This story was originally published February 25, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "New, promising solar legislation could significantly cut utility rates in California | Opinion."