Rooftop solar advocacy groups asked a judge Thursday to pause a California regulation requiring contractors to use certified electricians for more of the work the companies do on home battery storage systems.
The groups filed for an injunction in San Diego County Superior Court to preserve the status quo while they pursue a lawsuit they filed last month against the California State Licensing Board. Their lawsuit challenged April regulations from the board that forbid non-electricians from installing batteries above a certain size, adding batteries of any size to panels already on roofs and from maintaining or repairing battery systems they’ve installed. The filing asks a judge to stop those regulations from taking effect as scheduled on Oct. 1.
The legal battle over the licensing rules is part of a multi-front fight over who benefits from the jobs created by the state’s clean energy transition.
Contractors have been allowed to use specially trained employees who aren’t certified electricians to install solar panels since the days of former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
