BILL NUMBER: AB 578 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 14, 2008
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 12, 2007
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 1, 2007
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 16, 2007
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 9, 2007
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Blakeslee and Levine
FEBRUARY 21, 2007
An act to amend Section 25783 of the Public Resources Code, to
amend Sections 379.6, 2827.9, and 2851 of, and to add Section 321.7
to, the Public Utilities Code, relating to energy.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 578, as amended, Blakeslee. Energy: distributed energy
generation: study.
(1) Existing law requires the Energy Commission
State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission
(Energy Commission) , in consultation with the
commission Public Utilities Commission , to
evaluate the costs and benefits of having an increased number of
operational solar energy systems as part of the electrical system.
This bill would delete this requirement.
(2) Under the existing Public Utilities Act, the Public Utilities
Commission is required to report to the Legislature by July 15, 2009,
and triennially thereafter, on the energy efficiency and
conservation programs overseen by the commission, as specified.
This bill would require the commission, on or before January 1,
2009 2010 , and biennially thereafter,
in consultation with the Independent System Operator and the
State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission
(Energy Commission) Energy Commission , to
study, and submit a report to the Legislature and the Governor, on
the impacts of distributed energy generation on the state's
distribution and transmission grid. The bill would require the
commission to specifically assess the impacts of the California Solar
Initiative program, the self-generation incentive program, and the
biogas customer-generator net energy metering pilot program.
(3) Existing law requires the Energy Commission, on or before
November 1, 2008, in consultation with the commission and the State
Air Resources Board, to evaluate specified costs and benefits of
providing ratepayer subsidies for renewable and fossil fuel
"ultraclean and low-emission distributed generation," as defined.
This bill would delete from this requirement the evaluation of
transmission and distribution system improvements.
(4) Existing law requires the commission, in collaboration with
the state board, to report certain information relative to the biogas
customer-generator net energy metering pilot program to the
Legislature on or before December 31, 2008.
This bill would delete from the reporting requirement information
relating to the impact of the pilot program on the reliability of the
transmission and distribution grid.
(5) Existing law requires the commission, on or before June 30,
2009, and by June 30th of every year thereafter, to submit to the
Legislature an assessment of the success of the California Solar
Initiative program.
This bill would remove the requirement that the commission include
in its assessment how the program affects the operation and
reliability of the electrical grid and the peak demand for
electricity.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 25783 of the Public Resources Code is amended
to read:
25783. The commission shall do all the following:
(a) Publish educational materials designed to demonstrate how
builders may incorporate solar energy systems during construction as
well as energy efficiency measures that best complement solar energy
systems.
(b) Develop and publish the estimated annual electrical generation
and savings for solar energy systems. The estimates shall vary by
climate zone, type of system, size, life cycle costs, electricity
prices, and other factors the commission determines to be relevant to
a consumer when making a purchasing decision.
(c) Provide assistance to builders and contractors. The assistance
may include technical workshops, training, educational materials,
and related research.
(d) The commission shall annually conduct random audits of solar
energy systems to evaluate their operational performance.
SEC. 2. Section 321.7 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
read:
321.7. (a) Notwithstanding Section 7550.5 of the
Government Code, on or before January 1, 2009 On or
before January 1, 2010 , and biennially thereafter, the
commission, in consultation with the Independent System Operator and
the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission
shall study, and submit a report to the Legislature and the Governor,
on the impacts of distributed energy generation on the state's
distribution and transmission grid. The study shall evaluate all of
the following:
(1) Reliability and transmission issues related to connecting
distributed energy generation to the local distribution networks and
regional grid.
(2) Issues related to grid reliability and operation, including
interconnection, and the position of federal and state regulators
toward distributed energy accessibility.
(3) The effect on overall grid operation of various distributed
energy generation sources.
(4) Barriers affecting the connection of distributed energy to the
state's grid.
(5) Emerging technologies related to distributed energy generation
interconnection.
(6) Interconnection issues that may arise for the Independent
System Operator and local distribution companies.
(7) The effect on peak demand for electricity.
(b) In addition, the commission shall specifically assess the
impacts of the California Solar Initiative program, specified in
Section 2851 and Section 25783 of the Public Resources Code, the
self-generation incentive program authorized by Section 379.6, and
the net energy metering pilot program authorized by Section 2827.9.
SEC. 3. Section 379.6 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to
read:
379.6. (a) (1) The commission, in consultation with the State
Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, shall
administer, until January 1, 2012, the self-generation incentive
program for distributed generation resources originally established
pursuant to Chapter 329 of the Statutes of 2000.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), the extension of the
program pursuant to Chapter 894 of the Statutes of 2003, as amended
by Chapter 675 of the Statutes of 2004 and Chapter 22 of the Statutes
of 2005, shall apply to all eligible technologies, as determined by
the commission, until January 1, 2008.
(3) The commission shall administer solar technologies separately,
after January 1, 2007, pursuant to the California Solar Initiative
adopted by the commission in Decision 06-01-024.
(b) Commencing January 1, 2008, until January 1, 2012, eligibility
for the program pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision
(a) shall be limited to fuel cells and wind distributed generation
technologies that meet or exceed the emissions standards required
under the distributed generation certification program requirements
of Article 3 (commencing with Section 94200) of Subchapter 8 of
Chapter 1 of Division 3 of Title 17 of the California Code of
Regulations.
(c) Eligibility for the self-generation incentive program's level
3 incentive category shall be subject to the following conditions:
(1) Commencing January 1, 2007, all combustion-operated
distributed generation projects using fossil fuel shall meet an
oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions rate standard of 0.07 pounds per
megawatthour and a minimum efficiency of 60 percent. A minimum
efficiency of 60 percent shall be measured as useful energy output
divided by fuel input. The efficiency determination shall be based on
100-percent load.
(2) Combined heat and power units that meet the 60-percent
efficiency standard may take a credit to meet the applicable NOx
emissions standard of 0.07 pounds per megawatthour. Credit shall be
at the rate of one megawatthour for each 3.4 million British thermal
units (Btus) of heat recovered.
(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a project that does not meet
the applicable NOx emissions standard is eligible if it meets both of
the following requirements:
(A) The project operates solely on waste gas. The commission shall
require a customer that applies for an incentive pursuant to this
paragraph to provide an affidavit or other form of proof, that
specifies that the project shall be operated solely on waste gas.
Incentives awarded pursuant to this paragraph shall be subject to
refund and shall be refunded by the recipient to the extent the
project does not operate on waste gas. As used in this paragraph,
"waste gas" means natural gas that is generated as a byproduct of
petroleum production operations and is not eligible for delivery to
the utility pipeline system.
(B) The air quality management district or air pollution control
district, in issuing a permit to operate the project, determines that
operation of the project will produce an onsite net air emissions
benefit, compared to permitted onsite emissions if the project does
not operate. The commission shall require the customer to secure the
permit prior to receiving incentives.
(d) In determining the eligibility for the self-generation
incentive program, minimum system efficiency shall be determined
either by calculating electrical and process heat efficiency as set
forth in Section 218.5, or by calculating overall electrical
efficiency.
(e) In administering the self-generation incentive program, the
commission may adjust the amount of rebates, include other ultraclean
and low-emission distributed generation technologies, as defined in
Section 353.2, and evaluate other public policy interests, including,
but not limited to, ratepayers, and energy efficiency and
environmental interests.
(f) On or before November 1, 2008, the State Energy Resources
Conservation and Development Commission, in consultation with the
commission and the State Air Resources Board, shall evaluate the
costs and benefits, including air pollution and efficiency
improvements of providing ratepayer subsidies for renewable and
fossil fuel "ultraclean and low-emission distributed generation," as
defined in Section 353.2, as part of the integrated energy policy
report adopted pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 25300)
of Division 15 of the Public Resources Code. The State Energy
Resources Conservation and Development Commission shall include
recommendations for changes in the eligibility of technologies and
fuels under the program, and whether the level of subsidy should be
adjusted, after considering its conclusions on costs and benefits
pursuant to this subdivision.
SEC. 4. Section 2827.9 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to
read:
2827.9. (a) (1) The Legislature finds and declares that a pilot
program to provide net energy metering for eligible biogas digester
customer-generators would enhance the continued diversification of
California's energy resource mix and would encourage the installation
of livestock air emission controls that the State Air Resources
Board believes may produce multiple environmental benefits.
(2) The Legislature further finds and declares that the net energy
metering pilot program authorized pursuant to this section for
eligible biogas digester customer-generators, which nets out
generation charges against generation charges on a time-of-use basis,
furthers the intent of Chapter 7 of the Statutes of 2001, First
Extraordinary Session, by facilitating the implementation of energy
efficiency programs in order to reduce consumption of energy, reduce
the costs associated with energy demand, and achieve a reduction in
peak electricity demand.
(b) As used in this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) "Electrical corporation" means an electrical corporation, as
defined in Section 218.
(2) (A) "Eligible biogas digester customer-generator" means a
customer of an electrical corporation that meets both of the
following criteria:
(i) Uses a biogas digester electrical generating facility with a
capacity of not more than one megawatt that is located on or adjacent
to the customer's owned, leased, or rented premises, is
interconnected and operates in parallel with the electric grid, and
is sized to offset part or all of the eligible biogas digester
customer-generator's own electrical requirements.
(ii) Is the recipient of local, state, or federal funds, or who
self-finances pilot projects designed to encourage the development of
eligible biogas digester electrical generating facilities.
(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), up to three large biogas
digester electrical generating facilities with a generating capacity
of more than one megawatt and not more than 10 megawatts, otherwise
meeting the criteria of this section, shall be eligible for
participation in the pilot program.
(3) "Eligible biogas digester electrical generating facility"
means a generating facility used to produce electricity by either a
manure methane production project or as a byproduct of the anaerobic
digestion of biosolids and animal waste.
(4) "Net energy metering" means measuring the difference between
the electricity supplied through the electric grid and the difference
between the electricity generated by an eligible biogas digester
customer-generator and fed back to the electric grid over a 12-month
period as described in subdivision (e). Net energy metering shall be
accomplished using a time-of-use meter capable of registering the
flow of electricity in two directions. If the existing electrical
meter of an eligible biogas digester customer-generator is not
capable of measuring the flow of electricity in two directions, the
eligible biogas digester customer-generator shall be responsible for
all expenses involved in purchasing and installing a meter that is
able to measure electricity flow in two directions. If an additional
meter or meters are installed, the net energy metering calculation
shall yield a result identical to that of a time-of-use meter.
(c) Every electrical corporation shall file with the commission a
standard tariff providing for net energy metering for eligible biogas
digester customer-generators, consistent with this section. Every
electrical corporation shall make this tariff available to eligible
biogas digester customer-generators upon request, on a
first-come-first-served basis, until the combined statewide
cumulative rated generating capacity used by the eligible biogas
digester customer-generators in the service territories of the three
largest electrical corporations in the state reaches 50 megawatts. An
eligible biogas digester customer-generator shall be eligible for
the tariff for the life of the eligible biogas digester electrical
generating facility.
(d) Each net energy metering contract or tariff shall be
identical, with respect to rate structure, all retail rate
components, and any monthly charges, to the contract or tariff to
which the same customer would be assigned if the customer was not an
eligible biogas digester customer-generator, except as set forth in
subdivision (e). Any new or additional demand charge, standby charge,
customer charge, minimum monthly charge, interconnection charge, or
other charge that would increase an eligible biogas digester
customer-generator's costs beyond those of other customers in the
rate class to which the eligible biogas digester customer-generator
would otherwise be assigned are contrary to the intent of this
legislation, and shall not form a part of net energy metering
tariffs.
(e) The net energy metering calculation shall be made by measuring
the difference between the electricity supplied to the eligible
customer-generator and the electricity generated by the eligible
customer-generator and fed back to the electric grid over a 12-month
period. The following rules shall apply to the annualized metering
calculation:
(1) The eligible biogas digester customer-generator shall, at the
end of each 12-month period following the date of final
interconnection of the eligible biogas digester customer-generator's
system with an electrical corporation, and at each anniversary date
thereafter, be billed for electricity used during that period. The
electrical corporation shall determine if the eligible biogas
digester customer-generator was a net consumer or a net producer of
electricity during that period. For purposes of determining if the
biogas digester customer-generator was a net consumer or a net
producer of electricity during that period, the electrical
corporation shall aggregate the electrical load of a dairy operation
under the same ownership, including, but not limited to, the
electrical load attributable to milking operations, milk
refrigeration, and water pumping located on property adjacent or
contiguous to the dairy. Each aggregated account shall be billed and
measured according to a time-of-use rate schedule.
(2) At the end of each 12-month period, where the electricity
supplied during the period by the electrical corporation exceeds the
electricity generated by the eligible biogas digester
customer-generator during that same period, the eligible biogas
digester customer-generator is a net electricity consumer and the
electrical corporation shall be owed compensation for the eligible
biogas digester customer-generator's net kilowatthour consumption
over that same period. The compensation owed for the eligible biogas
digester customer-generator's consumption shall be calculated as
follows:
(A) The generation charges for any net monthly consumption of
electricity shall be calculated according to the terms of the tariff
to which the same customer would be assigned to or be eligible for if
the customer was not an eligible biogas digester customer-generator.
When those eligible biogas digester customer-generators are net
generators during any discrete time-of-use period, the net
kilowatthours produced shall be valued at the same price per
kilowatthour as the electrical corporation would charge for retail
kilowatthour sales for generation, exclusive of any surcharges,
during that same time-of-use period. If the eligible biogas digester
customer-generator's time-of-use electrical meter is unable to
measure the flow of electricity in two directions, paragraph (4) of
subdivision (b) shall apply. All other charges, other than generation
charges, shall be calculated in accordance with the eligible biogas
digester customer-generator's applicable tariff and based on the
total kilowatthours delivered by the electrical corporation to the
eligible biogas digester customer-generator. To the extent that
charges for transmission and distribution services are recovered
through demand charges in any particular month, no standby
reservation charges shall apply in that monthly billing cycle.
(B) The net balance of moneys owed shall be paid in accordance
with the electrical corporation's normal billing cycle.
(3) At the end of each 12-month period, where the electricity
generated by the eligible biogas digester customer-generator during
the 12-month period exceeds the electricity supplied by the
electrical corporation during that same period, the eligible biogas
digester customer-generator is a net electricity producer and the
electrical corporation shall retain any excess kilowatthours
generated during the prior 12-month period. The eligible biogas
digester customer-generator shall not be owed any compensation for
those excess kilowatthours.
(4) If an eligible biogas digester customer-generator terminates
service with the electrical corporation, the electrical corporation
shall reconcile the eligible biogas digester customer-generator's
consumption and production of electricity during any 12-month period.
(f) No biogas digester electrical generating facility shall be
eligible for participation in the tariff established pursuant to this
section, that has not commenced operation by December 31, 2009. A
biogas digester customer-generator shall be eligible for the tariff
established pursuant to this section, only for the operating life of
the eligible biogas digester electrical generating facility.
(g) No biogas digester electrical generating facility that is
subject to the best available control technology (BACT) requirements
shall be eligible for participation in the tariff pursuant to this
section unless the biogas digester electrical generating facility has
installed the best available control technology as required by the
regional air pollution control district at the time of installation
to ensure the maximum feasible reductions in toxic and criteria
pollutants.
(h) On or before December 31, 2008, the commission, in
collaboration with the State Air Resources Board, shall report to the
Legislature all of the following information:
(1) The impact of the pilot program on emissions of air
pollutants.
(2) The impact of the pilot program on ratepayers.
SEC. 5. Section 2851 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to
read:
2851. (a) In implementing the California Solar Initiative, the
commission shall do all of the following:
(1) The commission shall authorize the award of monetary
incentives for up to the first megawatt of alternating current
generated by solar energy systems that meet the eligibility criteria
established by the State Energy Resources Conservation and
Development Commission pursuant to Chapter 8.8 (commencing with
Section 25780) of Division 15 of the Public Resources Code. The
commission shall determine the eligibility of a solar energy system,
as defined in Section 25781 of the Public Resources Code, to receive
monetary incentives until the time the State Energy Resources
Conservation and Development Commission establishes eligibility
criteria pursuant to Section 25782. Monetary incentives shall not be
awarded for solar energy systems that do not meet the eligibility
criteria. The incentive level authorized by the commission shall
decline each year following implementation of the California Solar
Initiative, at a rate of no less than an average of 7 percent per
year, and shall be zero as of December 31, 2016. The commission shall
adopt and publish a schedule of declining incentive levels no less
than 30 days in advance of the first decline in incentive levels. The
commission may develop incentives based upon the output of
electricity from the system, provided those incentives are consistent
with the declining incentive levels of this paragraph and the
incentives apply to only the first megawatt of electricity generated
by the system.
(2) The commission shall adopt a performance-based incentive
program so that by January 1, 2008, 100 percent of incentives for
solar energy systems of 100 kilowatts or greater and at least 50
percent of incentives for solar energy systems of 30 kilowatts or
greater are earned based on the actual electrical output of the solar
energy systems. The commission shall encourage, and may require,
performance-based incentives for solar energy systems of less than 30
kilowatts. Performance-based incentives shall decline at a rate of
no less than an average of 7 percent per year. In developing the
performance-based incentives, the commission may:
(A) Apply performance-based incentives only to customer classes
designated by the commission.
(B) Design the performance-based incentives so that customers may
receive a higher level of incentives than under incentives based on
installed electrical capacity.
(C) Develop financing options that help offset the installation
costs of the solar energy system, provided that this financing is
ultimately repaid in full by the consumer or through the application
of the performance-based rebates.
(3) By January 1, 2008, the commission, in consultation with the
State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, shall
require reasonable and cost-effective energy efficiency improvements
in existing buildings as a condition of providing incentives for
eligible solar energy systems, with appropriate exemptions or
limitations to accommodate the limited financial resources of
low-income residential housing.
(4) (A) Notwithstanding subdivision (g) of Section 2827, the
commission shall require time-variant pricing for all ratepayers with
a solar energy system. The commission shall develop a time-variant
tariff that creates the maximum incentive for ratepayers to install
solar energy systems so that the system's peak electricity production
coincides with California's peak electricity demands and that
assures ensures that ratepayers receive
due value for their contribution to the purchase of solar energy
systems and customers with solar energy systems continue to have an
incentive to use electricity efficiently. In developing the
time-variant tariff, the commission may exclude customers
participating in the tariff from the rate cap for residential
customers for existing baseline quantities or usage by those
customers of up to 130 percent of existing baseline quantities, as
required by Section 80110 of the Water Code. Nothing in this
paragraph authorizes the commission to require time-variant pricing
for ratepayers without a solar energy system.
(B) The commission may delay implementation of time-variant
pricing pursuant to subparagraph (A), until the effective date of the
rates subject to the next general rate case of the state's three
largest electrical corporations, scheduled to be completed after
January 1, 2009.
(C) If the commission delays implementation of time-variant
pricing pursuant to subparagraph (B), ratepayers required to take
service under time-variant pricing between January 1, 2007, and
January 1, 2008, shall be given the option to take service under
flat-rate or time-variant pricing and shall be credited any
difference between the time-variant rate and the otherwise applicable
flat rate, provided there is a flat-rate pricing schedule for which
the ratepayer would qualify if the ratepayer had not installed the
solar energy system.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), in implementing the
California Solar Initiative, the commission may authorize the award
of monetary incentives for solar thermal and solar water heating
devices, in a total amount up to one hundred million eight hundred
thousand dollars ($100,800,000).
(c) (1) In implementing the California Solar Initiative, the
commission shall not allocate more than fifty million dollars
($50,000,000) to research, development, and demonstration that
explores solar technologies and other distributed generation
technologies that employ or could employ solar energy for generation
or storage of electricity or to offset natural gas usage. Any program
that allocates additional moneys to research, development, and
demonstration shall be developed in collaboration with the Energy
Commission to ensure there is no duplication of efforts, and adopted
by the commission through a rulemaking or other appropriate public
proceeding. Any grant awarded by the commission for research,
development, and demonstration shall be approved by the full
commission at a public meeting. This subdivision does not prohibit
the commission from continuing to allocate moneys to research,
development, and demonstration pursuant to the self-generation
incentive program for distributed generation resources originally
established pursuant to Chapter 329 of the Statutes of 2000, as
modified pursuant to Section 379.6.
(2) The Legislature finds and declares that a program that
provides a stable source of monetary incentives for eligible solar
energy systems will encourage private investment sufficient to make
solar technologies cost effective.
(3) On or before June 30, 2009, and by June 30th of every year
thereafter, the commission shall submit to the Legislature an
assessment of the success of the California Solar Initiative program.
That assessment shall include the number of residential and
commercial sites that have installed solar thermal devices for which
an award was made pursuant to subdivision (b) and the dollar value of
the award, the number of residential and commercial sites that have
installed solar energy systems, the electrical generating capacity of
the installed solar energy systems, the cost of the program, total
electrical system benefits, including the effect on electrical
service rates, environmental benefits, the progress made toward
reaching the goals of the program, whether the program is on schedule
to meet the program goals, and recommendations for improving the
program to meet its goals. If the commission allocates additional
moneys to research, development, and demonstration that explores
solar technologies and other distributed generation technologies
pursuant to paragraph (1), the commission shall include in the
assessment submitted to the Legislature, a description of the
program, a summary of each award made or project funded pursuant to
the program, including the intended purposes to be achieved by the
particular award or project, and the results of each award or
project.
(d) (1) The commission shall not impose any charge upon the
consumption of natural gas, or upon natural gas ratepayers, to fund
the California Solar Initiative.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any charge imposed
to fund the program adopted and implemented pursuant to this section
shall be imposed upon all customers not participating in the
California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) or family electric rate
assistance (FERA) programs as provided in paragraph (2), including
those residential customers subject to the rate cap required by
Section 80110 of the Water Code for existing baseline quantities or
usage up to 130 percent of existing baseline quantities of
electricity.
(3) The costs of the program adopted and implemented pursuant to
this section may not be recovered from customers participating in the
California Alternate Rates for Energy or CARE
program established pursuant to Section
739.1, except to the extent that program costs are
recovered out of the nonbypassable system benefits charge authorized
pursuant to Section 399.8.
(e) In implementing the California Solar Initiative, the
commission shall ensure that the total cost over the duration of the
program does not exceed three billion three hundred fifty million
eight hundred thousand dollars ($3,350,800,000). The financial
components of the California Solar Initiative shall consist of the
following:
(1) Programs under the supervision of the commission funded by
charges collected from customers of San Diego Gas and Electric
Company, Southern California Edison Company, and Pacific Gas and
Electric Company. The total cost over the duration of these programs
shall not exceed two billion one hundred sixty-six million eight
hundred thousand dollars ($2,166,800,000) and includes moneys
collected directly into a tracking account for support of the
California Solar Initiative and moneys collected into other accounts
that are used to further the goals of the California Solar
Initiative.
(2) Programs adopted, implemented, and financed in the amount of
seven hundred eighty-four million dollars ($784,000,000), by charges
collected by local publicly owned electric utilities pursuant to
Section 387.5. Nothing in this subdivision shall give the commission
power and jurisdiction with respect to a local publicly owned
electric utility or its customers.
(3) Programs for the installation of solar energy systems on new
construction, administered by the State Energy Resources Conservation
and Development Commission pursuant to Chapter 8.6 (commencing with
Section 25740) of Division 15 of the Public Resources Code, and
funded by nonbypassable charges in the amount of four hundred million
dollars ($400,000,000), collected from customers of San Diego Gas
and Electric Company, Southern California Edison Company, and Pacific
Gas and Electric Company pursuant to Article 15 (commencing with
Section 399).