Column: If Gavin Newsom is a climate champion, why did he just crush community solar?

After months of outcry, the California Public Utilities Commission voted Thursday to approve a solar energy program that critics are sure will fail spectacularly, making it impossible for many people to access an innovative global warming solution. All of which brings us back to Thursday’s vote by the Public Utilities Commission, which dealt with “community solar.” Community solar projects are a middle ground between rooftop systems and large solar farms. Derek Chernow — western regional director for the Coalition for Community Solar Access, a trade association — said in a written statement before the vote that the agency’s decision would “make California’s community solar program dead on arrival.” “It will not result in the development of new projects,” he said. During public comments at Thursday’s meeting, Assemblymember Chris Ward called the commission’s community solar plan “fatally flawed” and “wholly inconsistent with my bill.” He predicted it would result in “no new projects being built.” Stronger incentives, Ward said, could also help home builders comply with a state rule requiring that new houses be powered by solar — a sometimes costly mandate if rooftop panels are the only option, but potentially less expensive with community solar. The internal watchdog, known as the Public Advocates Office, supported the commission’s decision, arguing that the community solar industry’s plan would have added to the cost shift, raising electricity bills for everyone.