Preserving rooftop solar helps California achieve its land conservation goals. Here’s how

You can’t think about the Golden State without thinking about sunshine. The two are tied together — people have moved to California for our weather. Those of us who were born here, including the furry, feathered and scaled, love the sun, too.

The sun plays a prominent role in California’s goal of using 100% clean and renewable electricity by 2045, which is why California’s deserts are attracting construction plans for expansive solar farms, along with the thousands of miles of transmission lines needed to bring that electricity to our homes and businesses.

But the state has another goal that will demand attention: conserving 30% of the state’s total land and waters. California is home to more plant species than any other state, and many of our flora and fauna occur nowhere else on Earth. Developing solar energy in these habitats of rare species puts them at risk, along with the state’s conservation goals.

In spite of the apparent conflict, there is a solution. California has the power to meet a large portion of our renewable energy goals without disturbing important habitats and open space.

By putting solar panels on top of homes, schools, churches, department stores and the rest of our already-built environment, we can protect more of California’s landscapes. In fact, analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that the Golden State has the potential to meet more than three-quarters of its electricity demand with rooftop solar energy.

That should lead to a commonsense effort to double down on rooftop solar with measures that make it possible for Californians of all income levels to enjoy its benefits. But a California Public Utilities Commission proposal could undermine rooftop solar. The proposal is backed by investor-owned utilities regulated by the CPUC that make money off industrial-scale renewable projects, not rooftop projects.

CPUC policies would put solar out of reach for many Californians. That would mean more pressure on the state’s open spaces and the animals and plants that live there as the state moves toward more clean energy. The commission proposed a steep and immediate reduction to the compensation rooftop solar customers receive for excess electricity they provide to the grid as well as a new fee on solar homes that would average $57 per month — the highest monthly solar penalty in the country.

If the CPUC’s proposed changes were adopted, rooftop solar installations would plummet and the state would be forced to rely more on utility-scale solar farms to meet electricity demand. We’ve seen when Nevada, Hawaii, and parts of California made similar changes to net energy metering policies, and their rooftop solar markets collapsed overnight.

The potential for rooftop solar to meet the state’s energy needs is still far from fulfilled. State regulators predict that at the current pace, California will add 28.5 gigawatts of rooftop solar by 2045. Following through with building that solar capacity would save 148,000 acres of land. But that will require keeping up the current pace, and supportive policy at the CPUC.

We’ll need a wide range of solutions if we’re going to reach 100% renewable energy by 2045, but it’s incumbent upon us to prioritize solutions that do the least damage to our extraordinary natural habitat. Our energy policies must take into account the tradeoffs and minimize the damage.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has stated publicly that the CPUC proposal needs work. It’s not too late for regulators to put in place a policy that maintains a thriving rooftop solar program.