BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 306|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 306
Author: Gatto (D), et al.
Amended: 8/15/11 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 9-0, 6/28/11
AYES: DeSaulnier, Gaines, Harman, Huff, Kehoe, Lowenthal,
Pavley, Rubio, Simitian
SENATE ENERGY, UTILITIES & COMM. COMMITTEE : 6-0, 7/5/11
AYES: Padilla, Berryhill, De Le�n, Pavley, Rubio,
Strickland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Fuller, Corbett, DeSaulnier, Simitian,
Wright
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 73-3, 6/1/11 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Energy: piezoelectric transducers: study
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires, until January 1, 2015, the
California Energy Commission to conduct research on
generating electricity using piezoelectric technology under
roadways and railways and establish pilot projects
employing this technology.
ANALYSIS : Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is the
state agency responsible for building, maintaining, and
operating the state highway system and the state intercity
CONTINUED
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rail system in order to provide for the safe and efficient
movement of people and goods throughout the state.
Existing law requires the California Energy Commission
(CEC) to assess electricity infrastructure trends and
issues facing California and to develop and recommend
energy policies for the state to address and resolve such
issues as part of its biennial Integrated Energy Policy
Report (IEPR). The IEPR covers three main subjects:
electricity and natural gas markets; transportation fuels,
technologies and infrastructure; and public interest energy
strategies.
Additionally, existing law directs funding to the CEC for
the Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program and the
Energy Resources Program Account (ERPA). About $70 million
per year of energy utilities ratepayer funds are directed
to the CEC to administer PIER. PIER funds are allocated
according to general statutory guidelines and a more
specific CEC-developed investment plan. Investments in
research, development and demonstration are permitted in
energy technologies that provide tangible benefits to the
utility customers who fund the program. Collection of
funds for these purposes currently is authorized until
2012. ERPA funds are collected from a surcharge on
ratepayers in order to provide funding for administration
of the CEC.
This bill:
1. Requires the CEC to conduct research on generating
electricity using piezoelectric technology under
roadways and railways.
2. Requires the CEC establish a pilot project or projects
using this technology if the CEC finds, based on initial
research, that the technology has the potential to
generate electricity with performance, reliability, and
cost projections that are comparable to existing or
emerging renewable energy sources.
3. Requires the CEC to include in its 2013 IEPR, a report
on the findings of the research performed pursuant this
bill.
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4. Authorizes the CEC, upon appropriation by the
Legislature, to use PIER or ERPA funds to conduct this
research and pilot projects.
5. Requires the CEC to collaborate with Caltrans if the
pilot project is conducted in a facility that is part of
the state highway system or rail system under the
jurisdiction of Caltrans.
6. Requires Caltrans, if the pilot program is conducted in
a facility or rail system under their jurisdiction,
conduct research on the piezoelectric technology
according to its usual research protocol.
7. Sunsets this bill on January 1, 2015.
Comments
Piezoelectricity and patented technology . Piezoelectricity
is the charge that accumulates in certain materials, such
as crystals and ceramics, in response to applied mechanical
strain. Innowattech is the company that owns the patent
for a "new breed of piezoelectric generators (IPEGTM)."
According to Innowattech's Web site:
"Piezoelectric materials undergo deformation (strain)
when an electric field is applied across them (the
converse effect), or produce voltage when deformation is
applied (the direct effect), and thus can be used as
either actuators or sensors. Innowattech has developed a
new breed of piezoelectric generators, using the converse
effect, with a mechanical/electrical association that
�is] ideally suited to harvest the mechanical energy
imparted to roadways from passing vehicles. In addition,
Innowattech has developed a very efficient storage system
to collect and store the electricity produced by these
generators."
Other companies, such as Channel Technologies, make
complementary components for the technology, such as the
piezoelectric ceramics.
Protocol for energy research . When Caltrans tests new
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products and technology, it follows a testing protocol.
First, Caltrans evaluates the potential for the new product
or technology based on data prepared by a third party.
Caltrans then does its own theoretical testing and
calculations. The second step in the protocol is small
model testing of the new product or technology in a
laboratory setting. Lastly, Caltrans in partnership with a
university, tests the product or technology under a heavy
motion simulator to test pavement durability, and in this
case, energy generation. This bill bypasses the protocol
that Caltrans usually follows for evaluating new products
and technology by requiring the research to be done as
pilot projects and not in a controlled experimental
setting.
Energy collection and model assumptions . Under the testing
assumptions that 600 heavy trucks or buses will travel a
single lane of one kilometer in length over the span of one
hour, Innowattech has calculated that the generators are
capable of producing an average of 200 kilowatt hour (KWh)
of energy, sufficient electricity to provide for the
average consumption of 200-300 households per year. Under
the same assumptions, a Ph.D. student in mechanical
engineering at University of California, Berkeley, under
the supervision of his professor, did the same calculations
and found that the maximum energy available will be between
14.7 and 21.8 kWh per hour per kilometer of road.
Furthermore, the professor states that this is a best-case
scenario, and actual implementation may only yield between
1-2kWh per kilometer of a busy roadway, once all of the
losses are considered.
According to Caltrans weigh and motion station data, there
are 40 one-mile stretches of Interstate 5 in California
that currently have a traffic load of 14,400 trucks per
day, which averages to 600 trucks per hour. This traffic
load accounts for all lanes of traffic in both the north
and south bound directions, so to meet the assumptions of
these calculations, the energy generators would need to be
installed in all lanes where trucks travel in both the
north and southbound directions.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
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According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Fund
Energy Commission $300 - $500 General*
initial research
CalTrans initial research $600 - $800
Special**
Conducting pilot projects Costs likely in the
millionsVarious***
* Renewable Resources Trust Fund.
** State Highway Account.
*** Renewable Resources Trust Fund and/or State Highway
Account.
SUPPORT : (Verified 9/8/11)
California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom
Center for Climate Change Solutions, University of Los
Angeles
Channel Technologies, Inc.
Environmental Defense Fund
Sierra Club California
State Building and Construction Trades Council of
California
VICA
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
the passage of AB 32 (N��ez, Pavley), Chapter 488, Statutes
of 2006, demonstrated California's dedication to reducing
greenhouse gas emissions. Piezoelectric energy-harvesting
technology is a promising technology that enables the
production of green electricity on roadways, helping to
offset greenhouse gas emissions produced by traditional
means of energy production and the transportation sector.
The energy can be stored at the roadside and used to power
roadside lighting and call boxes, or it could be
distributed to the local grid. The technology can be
installed in the roads during regularly-scheduled
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maintenance, reducing installation costs.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 73-3, 6/1/11
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos,
Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Dickinson,
Donnelly, Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani,
Beth Gaines, Galgiani, Gatto, Gordon, Grove, Hagman,
Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez, Hill, Huber,
Hueso, Huffman, Jones, Knight, Lara, Bonnie Lowenthal,
Ma, Mansoor, Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell, Monning, Morrell,
Nestande, Norby, Olsen, Pan, Perea, Portantino, Silva,
Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao,
Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, John A. P�rez
NOES: Halderman, Logue, Nielsen
NO VOTE RECORDED: Garrick, Gorell, Jeffries, V. Manuel
P�rez
JJA:kc 9/8/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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