SAN FRANCISCO - Groups working to battle climate change warn that rooftop solar and energy-efficiency programs could be in big trouble if the California Public Utilities Commission votes Thursday to revamp the way the agency evaluates them.

The groups have claimed that
changes to what's known as the "Avoided Costs Calculator" will cut the value of rooftop solar in half, and worry this could lead to a cut in reimbursements - or extra fees - for families who install rooftop solar panels.

Laura Neish, executive director of the nonprofit 350 Bay Area, said she thinks this could be "the beginning of the end" for small-scale solar.

"When homeowners are not adequately compensated," she said, "they will stop putting solar on their roofs, which will diminish the amount of relatively cheap distributed energy, and eliminate the benefits of that from the grid of the future."

The Avoided Costs Calculator is used to evaluate the cost and benefits of any given program. The commission normally only allows big changes to the ACC in even-numbered years. This proposal is on the consent calendar with no debate - and opponents want it pulled from the agenda. Last week, the state's three biggest utilities sent a letter to the commission, arguing the proposed changes are minor and warranted, and that they'd allow for more accurate projections.

Neish said she believes the utilities want these changes because they favor large-scale solar projects that bring a guaranteed rate of return.

"They are doing what they are being incented to do," she said, "and they are fighting against these much smaller distributed projects because they do not benefit from it directly."

Laura Deehan, state director of Environment California, a group that just published a report on rooftop solar, argued that the state needs to protect net-metering programs, not put up roadblocks.

"We're living with the consequences of global warming right now," she said, "and so, getting to a 100% renewable-energy future has to happen as fast as possible, and rooftop solar and energy efficiency are some of the best tools we have to solve this problem."

This fall, the CPUC is set to consider a proposal to charge people who have solar on their rooftops an extra $50 to $100 a month, ostensibly to help pay for the power lines that criss-cross the state. Opponents of that plan are gathering signatures on petitions at savecaliforniasolar.org.

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a material as thin as an atom to reduce power consumption.

A national study showed by 2030, 9% of the country's energy will be consumed by data centers, keeping the internet, AI applications and other technology humming.

Matthew Panthani, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at Iowa State University, and his team are focused on using light rather than heat to generate power for the data centers sprouting up close to home.

"Iowa seems to be a popular place to build data centers," Panthani observed. "Meta and other companies have built data centers, even in the Des Moines area. They're taking advantage of the relatively low electricity prices afforded by wind energy."

Panthani's lab is focused on developing atom-thin sheets of a silicon-germanium alloy which are stacked in layers and used to create highly energy efficient semiconductors, which can be used in power-hungry data centers.

Using light to transmit data is not new. Companies have used fiber optic technology to transmit light across oceans, for example. But Panthani pointed out doing it on a much smaller scale, such as between components on the computer chips in data centers, is something quite different.

"That's really because there isn't a material that can enable scalable, on-chip light sources," Panthani explained. "The materials that we're developing are intended to have properties, both the manufacturability and properties, that could enable that."

According to the Electric Power Research Institute, the internet's 5.3 billion users can demand as much power as 800,000 households. It will sharply increase this decade, sending the demand even higher and making new technology like this even more important.


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Rising demands for clean energy efficiency are producing a wealth of work opportunities in Illinois. These in-demand jobs are also promoting a healthier environment. According to the Energy.gov report, Energy Facts: Impact of the Investing in America Agenda on Illinois, The Inflation Reduction Act will contribute to job increases by producing $18 billion of investment in clean power generation and storage by 2030. E2 is a nationwide network of business leaders that focuses on environmental and economic policy.

Michaela Preskill, state director of advocacy for E2, said Illinois' "robust and growing" clean energy jobs are driving economic growth.

"Clean energy jobs grew by over 4% last year, and that's eight times faster than the state's overall economy," she said.

Workers manufacturing Energy Star appliances are using advanced materials for the construction and servicing of homes and commercial buildings. These efforts result in cost-effective lighting and HVAC systems, Preskill noted, which saves consumers and homeowners money. The report also claims the Inflation Reduction Act means commercial building owners can receive up to $5 per square foot in tax credits to support energy efficiency improvements.

Clean energy industry watchers predict an 8% growth of employees in Illinois in 2025. Preskill said there is no indication the trend will slow down, but diversity is an issue. The site 'Save-on-energy-dot-com,' says women represent only 22% of workers in the energy sector and 32% in the renewable energy sector. She admits the field is traditionally male, but is optimistic for change.

"It's about 70% male, 30% female in Illinois. We are seeing that more and more females enter year after year. And I think it will slowly become more inclusive. But we got some work to do for sure," she explained.

The International Energy Agency site reports female employees in the energy sector earn nearly 20% less than male workers.

Groups concerned about pollution and climate change are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a trio of bills dubbed the "make polluters pay" package.

Assembly Bill 1866 would increase fees on 40,000 idle oil wells and accelerate cleanup.

Nayamin Martinez, executive director of the Central California Environmental Justice Network, said right now, companies often pay fees without actually cleaning up "orphan wells."

"The authorities are not proactively going and inspecting these sites," Martinez pointed out. "We have a program that goes to do inspections on active and abandoned uncapped wells, and we have found that many of them are leaking."

The Western States Petroleum Association argued current regulations are sufficient and companies are making progress plugging their idle wells.

A second measure, Assembly Bill 3233, would protect local communities' rights to limit oil drilling. It comes in response to a lawsuit from Chevron, eliminating a part of 'Measure Z' in Monterey County, which would have required companies to phase out oil drilling in that area.

Raquel Mason, senior legislative manager for the California Environmental Justice Alliance, said oil wells leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and release other toxic substances into the air and water.

"Those pollutants that are coming off these wells can have different health-harming impacts like respiratory issues, different types of cancer, headaches, nosebleeds," Mason outlined. "We hear about too often from community members who are living near these types of facilities."

A third bill would fine oil companies in the Inglewood Oil Field in Los Angeles $10,000 a month for operating low-producing wells near local neighborhoods.