The California Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Thursday that state regulators were given undue deference in deciding to roll back rooftop solar credits for homeowners, reversing an appeals court ruling that upheld the regulators' decision.

The 2022 decision by the California Public Utilities Commission , which reduced payments to solar panel owners for selling excess power back to utility companies, was upheld by the state Court of Appeal in December 2023 following a lawsuit by environmental groups.

The appeals court did not rule on the legality of reducing payments to solar panel owners for their excess power under a program known as "net energy metering," only that the decision was within the CPUC's authority. In Thursday's ruling, the state Supreme Court also did not rule on th

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