BILL ANALYSIS 1
1
SENATE ENERGY, UTILITIES AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
DEBRA BOWEN, CHAIRWOMAN
SB 84XX - Burton Hearing Date:
July 10, 2001 S
As proposed to be amended FISCAL/URGENCY
B
X
2
8
4
DESCRIPTION
Current law provides funding to the California Energy Commission
(CEC) to award loans and grants to local governments to help
them replace traditional incandescent traffic signals with
signals lighted by light-emitting diodes (LED).
This bill provides $10 million from the General Fund to the CEC
to fund a matching grant program for a battery backup power
source for LED traffic signals. The grant program will be
administered by the CEC, in consultation with local governments,
and will provide 70% of the cost of a battery backup system.
This bill requires the CEC to develop or adopt technical
criteria for installation of the battery backup systems.
BACKGROUND
LED traffic signals reduce energy consumption by 90% compared to
incandescent traffic signals. Cities from San Diego to Eureka
have obtained grants from the CEC's current pot of $10 million
to install these signals, and they estimate they'll save $4.5
million each year in energy costs and and reduce peak demand by
5.9 megawatts (MW). That grant money, authorized in AB 970
(Ducheny), Chapter 329, Statutes of 1999, has been exhausted.
Additional funding for LED traffic signal loans was provided in
AB 29X (Kehoe), Chapter 8, Statutes of 2001.
While LED traffic signals are energy efficient, they still
require electricity, so when blackouts occur, LED traffic
signals fail the same way incandescent traffic signals fail.
However, because LED traffic signals are far more energy
efficient, relatively small battery backup power devices can be
used. The City of Walnut Creek is planning to spend $230,000 to
provide battery backup to 28 LED traffic signals along major
streets, while City of Laguna Niguel has done the same for its
intersections. Local governments believe battery backup systems
will enhance public safety by keeping traffic signals
functioning during blackouts.
Current law allows the CEC to provide grants or loans for the
purposes of energy efficiency. The battery backup program
envisioned in this bill isn't an energy efficiency program, it's
a public safety program that the CEC isn't currently authorized
to undertake.
COMMENTS
1)Cue Up The Energizer Bunny . According to information provided
by the author, battery backup for LED traffic signals costs
about $5,000 per intersection. Using the 70/30 matching
criteria in the bill, the $10 million appropriated by this
measure should result allow about 2,800 intersections to have
battery backup devices installed in them. This is about 9% of
the LED traffic signal controlled intersections that are
projected to be in place by 2002.
2)LED Backups Only . The money set aside by this bill is only
available to provide backup batteries to LED traffic signals,
not traditional incandescent traffic signals. That
restriction is due to the fact that because incandescent
signals use as much as ten times more electricity as LED
traffic signals, the batteries necessary to power those
signals are probably both cost and operationally prohibitive
to install.
3)Where Does The Money Go First? The bill requires the CEC to
develop a priority schedule for installation of battery backup
power based on specified factors including traffic volume, the
number of accidents, and the presence of children.
While the CEC has considerable expertise in energy efficiency,
it probably doesn't have the same level of expertise when it
comes to traffic safety. As such, the author and committee
may wish to consider having the CEC consult with an
appropriate state agency that has the necessary expertise, or
alternatively, provide the money on a first-come, first-served
basis.
POSITIONS
Sponsor:
Author
Support:
California State Association of Counties
City of Torrance
League of California Cities
Sacramento County Board of Supervisors
Oppose:
None of file
Randy Chinn
SB 84XX Analysis
Hearing Date: July 10, 2001