Near the Huntington Beach oil spill, activists scribe a giant S.O.S. in the sand, imploring Governor Newsom to keep solar energy growing

Huntington Beach, CA— Before the tides rushed in to erase their work, activists moved quickly to scribe a 300-foot long S.O.S in the sand, urging Governor Gavin Newsom to choose solar energy over oil and other forms of fossil fuels. The action, orchestrated by a grassroots-led coalition called Save California Solar, reflects the growing sense of urgency in California and around the globe for governments to take immediate action to address global warming and reduce air pollution by doubling down on clean energy such as solar panels on roofs. 

Event photos and videos are available here.  

“The tides are coming in, and if we’re not careful, they will wash away our ability to stop climate change,” said Cailey Underhill, Field Organizer with the Solar Rights Alliance. “Governor Newsom and other leaders must make certain that California increases investments in solar energy. We need more solar energy now, not more oil spills.” 

“We hope Governor Newsom sees our S.O.S. and takes action to ‘save our solar’ and ‘save our shore,’” said Carensi Sansores, student and Save California Solar volunteer. “Denouncing the recent spill was appropriate, but it doesn’t mean a thing if our leaders put the kibosh on the state’s growing rooftop solar market. We need to heavily invest in the cleaner path, not just criticize dirty oil.” 

At the center of the action on the shores of Huntington Beach, where an estimated 25,000 gallons of oil spilled in early October, is a major fight between those who want clean air and the utility industry. At stake is the future of California’s rooftop solar market, one of the world’s largest clean energy markets. Utilities, threatened by consumers’ ability to generate their own energy from the sun and store it in batteries, are lobbying the Newsom administration to put the brakes on rooftop solar installations. They are proposing to charge consumers a new solar penalty fee and dramatically reduce the credit solar users get when their solar panels ‘spill’ surplus power onto the grid. 

The changes would come by way of modifications to a popular program called Net Energy Metering, which currently allows homes, schools, and businesses to generate their own energy from the sun and share surplus power with their neighbors. Regulators at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will decide in the next few weeks the future of Net Metering, and with it the future of California’s world-renowned rooftop solar market. 

“When you drill, you spill, but with rooftop solar a spill is simply a sunny day with more than enough clean energy to power our homes and cars,” said Ayn Craciun, OC Policy Advocate with the Climate Action Campaign. “Governor Newsom should do everything he can to make rooftop solar more affordable to more people and not allow the utilities to block consumer access to our most abundant clean energy resource.”

According to the California Solar and Storage Association, it takes just four rooftop solar systems to offset the 25,000 gallons of oil spilled onto local beaches in October. California currently has over a million rooftop solar systems covering roughly one in ten buildings. Combined, these systems offset twice as much energy contained in the 25,000 gallons of oil in just one hour. California’s rooftop solar market is one of the largest and most powerful clean energy markets in the world adding up to ten nuclear power plants worth of clean energy, with plenty of room to keep growing. 

“We’ve only just begun building our clean energy future,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA). “The power of the sun is limitless if our political leaders stand up to the utilities and fight for the right of consumers to be part of the solution.” 

The Save California Solar coalition is urging the public to submit a comment to the CPUC and the governor via its website, www.savecaliforniasolar.org. A proposed decision is expected on or before December 10. 

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About Save California Solar 

Save California Solar is a coalition founded by the Solar Rights Alliance, California's association of solar users, to help ensure that rooftop solar continues to grow and benefit every Californian. Learn more at www.savecaliforniasolar.org.