How New Solar Laws Will Affect New PV Systems
New solar laws for California will be taking affect around October to November this year. We wanted to fill you in on how these laws will affect new solar projects going forward. The law pertains to Net Energy Metering and describes the rules that both utilities and customers must follow for grid-tied PV systems. The overall news is that nothing drastic has changed and net metering is alive and well in California.
First, customers are now allowed to install more than 1 MW on their property. Now there is no maximum on system size for those large users like food processors, etc. Large systems may require electrical service upgrades and those costs will be the responsibility of the customer.
Second, for customers that produce more electricity than they use during peak times, they will be charged a small fee to the utility. The fee is called a Non-Bypassable Charge and it goes to fund various public purpose programs like energy efficiency. This figure will likely only represent 1% to 2% of the monthly savings, and will only apply in certain cases.
Third, existing solar customers and those who will likely interconnect in the next 6-8 weeks. It will be grandfathered in to the existing NEM laws and will not be affected by the NBC charges even if they over produce during peak times.
For more information please feel free to reach out to your Spectrum representative. Read more analysis from our partners at the California Solar Energy Industry Association (CALSEIA) here.
Richard is the newest member of our team. He has 33 years experience in the general contracting business building projects such as restaurants, wineries, hotels, movie theaters and custom houses. Richard’s first role with 
Rich has 15 years experience in electrical contracting, commercial PV solar installation and utility grid interconnection. He has managed the installation of over 15MW of PV, both commercial and utility scale, and has many years of experience in off-grid solar design and installation utilizing various battery technologies (Li-Ion, LFP & Lead Acid).
Mike has been a member of the Spectrum project development team since 2010. He is well versed in developing a detailed energy analysis that allows Spectrum to create the best possible energy savings plan for clients in both commercial and agricultural settings.
James is 10-year energy industry specialist with a honed ability to communicate the technical, financial and environmental implications of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects to any audience. He is responsible for originating and managing large scale solar PV installations for commercial, industrial and agricultural customers. James is also very experienced with designing and developing deep energy efficiency retrofits for commercial buildings with specialties in LED lighting and high performance HVAC systems.
Scott Wallace is a proven expert in the solar industry with experience working in all aspects of Agricultural and Commercial solar. His development of solar PV projects include project finance, Net Energy Metering Aggregation (NEM-A), interconnection, utility infrastructure upgrades and system design.
Mr. Collier is a founder and head of Engineering for Spectrum Energy. He joined the company in November 2003. He is responsible for the design, engineering, siting, permitting, procurement, and commissioning of all SEDI’s PV projects. Mr. Collier is also active in design and engineering consulting with utilities, government agencies, vendors, and corporate clients. Collier is the qualifying party for SEDI “C10” California Contractor’s License #892475.
Mr. Agnello is a founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of Spectrum Energy. He started SEDI full time in July 2002 as CFO. His responsibilities include corporate finances, project finance, project management, sales, strategic planning, and vendor relations. Mr. Agnello has over twenty-five years of experience in the renewable energy industry. In the two years prior to forming Spectrum, he acted as a full time consultant to the SMUD Solar Program responsible for developing PV marketing and financial analysis in the commercial market sector. His project assessment tools enabled SMUD customers to adequately determine their financial benefits of going solar.
Mr. Osborn is a founder, President and Chairman of Spectrum Energy Development, Inc. (SEDI). His responsibilities include management of overall corporate strategy, project management, business development coordination, consulting management, and corporate policy. Before founding Spectrum, Mr. Osborn headed the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Solar Program for 12 years and was the Superintendent of Renewable Generation for SMUD, where he led a staff of twenty professionals implementing the SMUD photovoltaics program as well as wind energy, distributed generation, and research and development programs. Under his leadership SMUD became the world’s leading utility in the use of photovoltaics and as of 2002, SMUD had over half of all grid-connected PV in the US and led the way for the eventual commercialization of PV. Besides numerous honors and recognitions, Don and the SMUD team were awarded the 2001 World Energy Globe Award.