KFMB CONSUMER ALERT: Learn how Michael Shames went Solar with rooftop photo-voltaic arrays that turn sunlight into electricity! Get the FULL STORY HERE or visit our new PV Web page with a great selection of "how to" tools, vendor quotes, and shopping tips.

The San Diego Union-Tribune - The California Solar Initiative provides rebates to homeowners, businesses and nonprofit organizations that install rooftop solar panels, also known as photovoltaic systems.
Now a progress report reveals that fogbound homeowners in San Francisco and Northern California are rushing to "Go solar" at a much higher rate than residents in sunny San Diego and the rest of Southern California. Full story.

Worldnetdaily.com: "D.R.E.A.M." the Demand Response Electrical Appliance Manager" sounds more like a nightmare. UCAN's Executive Director Michael Shames calls it "Orwellian." Full story.

Today, UCAN submitted a 366 page "brief" to regulators at CPUC, the California Public Utilities Commission. We argue that SDG&E's demand for a rate hike of $1.4 billion during the next six years will force San Diego utility victims to pay the highest rates in the nation. Learn more.

North County Times: Michael Shames says, "With the advent of plug-in cars and lower photovoltaic prices, there's little reason why any new home shouldn't be a zero-net energy structure. Most customers will be able to produce most of the power they need, with the utility infrastructure serving more of a back-up function for new homes." Read more.

The first day of the Sunrise Transmission Project hearings are in the books. Get the story without the spin directly from UCAN's Executive Director Michael Shames and keep an eye out for more updates! Read more or watch Michael Shames cross examine SDG&E VP Jim Avery for yourself.

San Diego Union-Tribune: Michael Shames says SDG&E's Sunrise would shackle the region with a transmission line that won't be needed for years, if ever, and agreed that the utilities have entered an era of overbuilding because of flawed incentives. Read more.

North County Times: SDG&E recently announced a deal with Envirepel Energy Inc. for renewable biomass energy. Michael Shames says, "There is only a limited amount of cost-effective biomass stock to tap into within the county...So it is nice to have the contract, but I fear it isn't the beginning of a local biomass boom." Read more.

This week, UCAN filed testimony that sets the stage for a battle with SDG&E about the region's energy future. In Michael Shames' testimony, filed on March 2nd, Shames points out how SDG&E's proposed energy plan for San Diego is at odds with the region's own preferences. He also details how SDG&E has undervalued the potential for self-generation and energy efficiency.