BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                       AB 2868|
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                                   THIRD READING 


          Bill No:  AB 2868
          Author:   Gatto (D), et al.
          Amended:  8/31/16 in Senate
          Vote:     21 

           SENATE ENERGY, U. & C. COMMITTEE:  7-2, 6/27/16
           AYES:  Hueso, Cannella, Hertzberg, Hill, Lara, Leyva, McGuire
           NOES:  Morrell, Gaines
           NO VOTE RECORDED:  Pavley, Wolk

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE:  5-2, 8/11/16
           AYES:  Lara, Beall, Hill, McGuire, Mendoza
           NOES:  Bates, Nielsen

           SENATE ENERGY, U. & C. COMMITTEE:  6-5, 8/24/16 (Pursuant to  
            Senate Rule 29.10)
           AYES:  Hueso, Cannella, Gaines, Lara, Leyva, Pavley
           NOES:  Morrell, Hertzberg, Hill, McGuire, Wolk

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR:  51-27, 6/1/16 - See last page for vote

           SUBJECT:   Energy storage


          SOURCE:    Author


          DIGEST:  This bill requires investor-owned utilities (IOUs) to  
          file applications with the California Public Utilities  
          Commission (CPUC) for programs and investments to accelerate  
          widespread deployment of distributed energy storage systems.


          ANALYSIS:  









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          Existing law:


          1)Requires the CPUC to determine appropriate targets, if any,  
            for load-serving entities (LSEs) to procure energy storage  
            systems.  Requires LSEs to meet any targets adopted by the  
            CPUC by 2015 and 2020.  Requires publicly owned utilities  
            (POUs) to set their own targets for the procurement of energy  
            storage and then meet those targets by 2016 and 2021.  (Public  
            Utilities Code §2835 et seq.) 

          2)Directs the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the CPUC,  
            where feasible, to authorize procurement of resources to  
            provide grid reliability services that minimize reliance on  
            system power and fossil fuel resources and, where feasible,  
            cost effective, and consistent with other state policy  
            objectives, increase the use of large- and small-scale energy  
            storage.  (Public Utilities Code §400) 

          3)Authorizes, beginning January 1, 2018, the CPUC to require or  
            authorize an IOU to employ default time-of-use (TOU) pricing  
            for residential customers. (Public Utilities Code §745)

          This bill:

          1)Declares the policy of the state and intent of the Legislature  
            to encourage energy storage as a means to achieve ratepayer  
            benefits, ambient air quality standards, and the state's  
            climate change goals.

          2)Directs the CPUC, in consultation with the Air Resources Board  
            and the California Energy Commission, to require the state's  
            three largest IOUs to file with the CPUC applications for  
            programs and investments to accelerate widespread deployment  
            of distributed energy storage (DES) systems to achieve  
            ratepayer benefits and other benefits.

          3)Authorizes the CPUC to approve, or modify and approve, an  
            IOU's DES systems programs and investments with reasonable  
            mechanisms for cost recovery if they are consistent with the  
            requirements of this bill and do not unreasonably limit or  








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            impair the ability of nonutility enterprises to market and  
            deploy energy storage systems.

          4)Limits the capacity of the IOUs collective DES system programs  
            and investments to 500 megawatts (MW), divided equally among  
            the three largest IOUs.

          5)Limits behind-the-meter DES systems to 25 percent of the  
            capacity of DES systems approved by the CPUC.

          6)Requires CPUC to prioritize investments that provide DES  
            systems to the public sector and low-income customers.

          7)States the intent of the Legislature that the CPUC shall  
            ensure that the costs for the programs and investments are  
            recovered in proportion to the benefits received, consistent  
            with existing statute.

          Background

          State encourages procurement of energy storage.  As the state  
          becomes increasingly reliant on intermittent renewable energy  
          resources, it will need options to allow it to flexibly manage  
          electric supply and demand.  Energy storage is one technology  
          that allows for such flexible management.

          Existing state programs seek to foster development and  
          deployment of energy storage systems.  Statute requires the CPUC  
          to determine appropriate targets, if any, for LSEs to procure  
          energy storage systems by 2015 and 2020, and directed POUs to  
          set their own comparable energy storage system procurement  
          targets. [AB 2514, Skinner, Chapter 469, Statutes of 2010).]   
          The CPUC, in implementing AB 2514, established energy storage  
          system procurement targets applicable to the state's three  
          largest electric IOUs totaling 1,325 MW. [See CPUC Decision  
          13-10-040.]

          The CPUC reports the IOUs have each progressed in meeting their  
          energy storage procurement goals.  However, none has yet met its  
          final procurement goal in any category, other than Southern  
          California Edison (SCE), which has already exceeded the  
          procurement goal for customer-side storage several times over.








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          The state has also provided financial incentives to energy  
          storage systems.   Over the last several years, the CPUC reports  
          that the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), which the  
          CPUC administers, has awarded $42 million to nearly 1,200 energy  
          storage projects. 


           ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |               SGIP Awards to Energy Storage Systems               |
           ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |---------+------+------------+----------+------------+-------------|
          | Years   |Projec| Installed  |Incentive |  Reserved  | Incentives  |
          |2009-2015|  ts  |  Capacity  |   Paid   |  Capacity  |  Reserved   |
          |         |      |    (kW)    |          |    (kW)    |             |
          |---------+------+------------+----------+------------+-------------|
          |   Totals|  1175|            |$41,547,42|            |             |
          |         |      |            |        6 |            |$149,215,781 |
          |         |      |            |          |            |             |
          |         |      |         23 |          |         92 |             |
           ------------------------------------------------------------------- 

          Recently, the CPUC modified SGIP to dedicate 75 percent of  
          funding to energy storage systems, and the Legislature is  
          considering doubling the program budget, to a total annual  
          budget of $163 million.  A primary rationale for this  
          storage-focus is the CPUC staff's belief that the energy storage  
          industry is ripe for market transformation, so that system  
          subsidies have the potential or even the likelihood to lead to  
          decreases in energy storage system costs.

          The author intends this bill to accelerate the widespread  
          deployment of DES systems by requiring the IOUS to administer  
          programs and investments in energy storage.

          Time-of-use rates (TOU).  Time-variant rates, such as TOU rates,  
          are a mechanism to shape demand for energy.  TOU rates rely on  
          price signals to encourage customers to reduce their use of  
          electricity when the relative availability of electricity is low  
          or, in some cases, to increase their electricity use when  
          relative supply is abundant. 









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          Currently, the CPUC requires all commercial and industrial  
          customers of the IOUs to participate in TOU rates.  Statute  
          authorizes the CPUC to allow or require IOUs to offer TOU rates  
          to residential customers beginning in 2018.  The CPUC has  
          recently required the IOUs to offer mandatory TOU rates to  
          residential customers beginning in 2019, with the option for the  
          customer to opt out of such rates at his or her request.  

          The use of energy storage systems has the potential to  
          complement time-variant rates, such as TOU rates.  This is  
          because the operator of an energy storage system of a customer  
          on TOU rates could charge the storage system when electricity  
          rates are low (signaling abundance) and discharge the storage  
          system when electricity rates are high (signaling scarcity). 

          Intent versus requirement.  The latest amendment to the bill  
          state the intent of the Legislature that the CPUC "shall" ensure  
          that the costs for the programs and investments are recovered in  
          proportion to the benefits received, consistent with existing  
          statute.  A statement that is the intent of the Legislature that  
          the CPUC do something does not require the CPUC to do that  
          thing.  However, this analysis assumes that the CPUC will  
          implement this bill consistent with the stated intent of the  
          Legislature. 

          Related/Prior Legislation
          
          SB 886 (Pavley, 2015) requires appropriate energy storage system  
          procurement targets; requires each load-serving entity and  
          locally owned public electric utility to plan for the  
          procurement of energy storage systems before fossil-fuel-based  
          generation; and requires each electrical corporation to propose  
          measures to encourage customers to install energy storage  
          systems.  The bill passed the Senate 25-14 and was held in the  
          Assembly Committee on Appropriations

          AB 33 (Quirk, 2015) reiterates existing law, which states that  
          new pumped hydroelectric storage facilitates eligible for any  
          increased energy storage system targets adopted by the CPUC.   
          The bill is pending before the full Senate.

          AB 2514 (Skinner, Chapter 469, Statutes of 2010) required the  








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          CPUC to determine appropriate targets, if any, for LSEs to  
          procure energy storage systems.  The bill required LSEs to meet  
          any targets adopted by the CPUC by 2015 and 2020.  The bill  
          required POUs to set their own targets for the procurement of  
          energy storage and then meet those targets by 2016 and 2021.


          FISCAL EFFECT:   Appropriation:    No          Fiscal  
          Com.:YesLocal:   Yes


          According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

           One-time costs of approximately $500,000 (Utilities  
            Reimbursement Account) to the CPUC for a consulting budget.


           Approximately $419,000 (Utilities Reimbursement Account)  
            annually to the CPUC for staffing costs. 


           Minor costs to the ARB for consultation.


          SUPPORT:   (Verified8/31/16)


          Association of California Water Agencies
          California State Association of Electrical Workers
          Coalition of California Utility Employees
          San Diego County Water Authority
          SolarCity
          Stem
          Tesla


          OPPOSITION:   (Verified8/31/16)


          California Energy Storage Alliance
          California Solar Energy Industries Association
          Marin Clean Energy








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          San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
          San Francisco Water Power Sewer
          Silicon Valley Leadership Group
          Solar Energy Industries Association
          Sonoma Clean Power
          TechNet
          The Alliance for Solar Choice
          The Utility Reform Network




          ASSEMBLY FLOOR:  51-27, 6/1/16
          AYES:  Alejo, Arambula, Atkins, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brown,  
            Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper,  
            Dababneh, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Cristina Garcia,  
            Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray,  
            Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Lopez,  
            Low, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, O'Donnell, Quirk, Ridley-Thomas,  
            Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Weber,  
            Williams, Wood, Rendon
          NOES:  Achadjian, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Brough, Chang,  
            Chávez, Dahle, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Grove, Harper, Jones,  
            Kim, Lackey, Linder, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, Melendez,  
            Obernolte, Olsen, Patterson, Steinorth, Wagner, Waldron, Wilk
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Hadley, Nazarian

          Prepared by:Jay Dickenson / E., U., & C. / (916) 651-4107
          8/31/16 15:24:37


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