BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1348|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1348
Author: Sharon Runner (R)
Amended: 5/2/05 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE ENERGY, U.&C. COMMITTEE : 6-3, 6/30/05
AYES: Morrow, Alarcon, Battin, Cox, Murray, Simitian
NOES: Escutia, Bowen, Kehoe
NO VOTE RECORDED: Campbell, Dunn
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 78-0, 5/26/05 (Passed on Consent) - See
last page for vote
SUBJECT : Antelope Valley Fairgrounds EE and PV Synergy
SOURCE : Antelope Valley Fairgrounds
DIGEST : This bill authorizes the Antelope Valley
Fairgrounds EEE and PV Synergy Demonstration Project
(Project). The project includes the installation of
energy-efficient equipment and fixtures, including a
photovoltaic solar energy system. The bill requires the
fairground's electricity service provider to establish a
tariff providing an incentive rate for the investment and
durability testing of the fairground's solar energy system.
ANALYSIS : Current law provides for discounts for
large-scale photovoltaic (PV) installations through the
CONTINUED
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Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
Current law allows large-scale PV installations to net
meter, a mechanism that permits the PV customers to run
their electric meter backwards when the PV installation is
generating electricity.
Current law allows large-scale PV installations to avoid
stand-by charges.
This bill requires the PUC to approve a special rate for
electric service offered to the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds
(AVF) which, in combination with the discount for PV
installations and other PV benefits, will result in a
10-year payback for the PV system.
This bill requires biennial reporting on the actual
electricity usage and electrical production by AVF.
Background
PV systems have benefited from state and federal ratepayer
and taxpayer subsidies for many years. (See the Senate
Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee analysis of
SB 1 [Murray and Campbell] for a complete discussion.)
Large commercial-sized PV installations, such as that
envisioned by this bill, are eligible for a subsidy of
$3.50/watt from the Self-Generation Incentive Program
(SGIP) administered by the PUC. This subsidy is 40 - 50
percent of the system cost. In addition, PV systems
benefit from subsidies created by net metering and
avoidance of stand-by charges.
This bill authorizes the AVF Energy Efficiency and PV
Synergy Demonstration project. The purpose of this project
is to examine the potential synergies between energy
efficiency projects and PV installations.
AVF is a 235 acre complex with several buildings and an RV
park. The buildings include two 4,000 square foot
pavilions that are available for rent and a Turf Club for
watching and wagering on horse races. Numerous events are
held at the AVF, including the fair, garden shows,
demolition derbies and rodeos. AVF is located in
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Lancaster.
AVF would like to install a 630 kilowatt PV system. This
is a very large system; an average residential PV system is
three kilowatts. AVF has applied for the PUC's SGIP rebate
which, if approved, will reduce the PV project costs by
more than $2.2 million. To further reduce the cost of the
project, this bill also requires Southern California Edison
(SCE) to provide the AVF with discounted electric service
so that the combination of the electric discount and PV
rebate makes the PV system pay for itself in 10 years.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/17/05)
Antelope Valley Fairgrounds (source)
Southern California Edison
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Aghazarian, Arambula, Baca, Bass, Benoit, Berg,
Bermudez, Blakeslee, Bogh, Calderon, Canciamilla, Chan,
Chavez, Chu, Cogdill, Cohn, Coto, Daucher, De La Torre,
DeVore, Dymally, Emmerson, Evans, Frommer, Garcia,
Goldberg, Hancock, Harman, Haynes, Jerome Horton, Shirley
Horton, Houston, Huff, Jones, Karnette, Keene, Klehs,
Koretz, La Malfa, La Suer, Laird, Leno, Leslie, Levine,
Lieber, Liu, Matthews, Maze, McCarthy, Montanez,
Mountjoy, Mullin, Nation, Nava, Negrete McLeod, Niello,
Oropeza, Parra, Pavley, Plescia, Richman, Ridley-Thomas,
Sharon Runner, Ruskin, Saldana, Salinas, Spitzer,
Strickland, Torrico, Tran, Umberg, Vargas, Villines,
Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee, Nunez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Gordon, Nakanishi
NC:cm 8/17/05 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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