BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 306
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 306 (Gatto)
As Amended August 15, 2011
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |73-3 |(June 1, 2011) |SENATE: | |(September 8, |
| | | | |27-9 |2011) |
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Original Committee Reference: NAT. RES.
SUMMARY : Requires the California Energy Commission (CEC) to
conduct research on piezoelectric transducers; requires,
contingent on positive research results, CEC to establish a
pilot project(s) employing the piezoelectric transducers;
requires the California Department of Transportation's
(Caltrans) involvement in the research and pilot project(s) if
the pilot project(s) is conducted in a facility under Caltrans'
jurisdiction.
The Senate amendments , delete the provisions related to 1) and
2) in "AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY" below, and instead:
1)Require the CEC to conduct research on the feasibility of
generating electricity using piezoelectric transducers under
major roadways.
2)Require the CEC to award the piezoelectric transducers
research projects through competitive solicitations,
interagency agreements, or agreements with other governmental
entities.
3)Require the CEC to establish a pilot project or projects to
employ piezoelectric-based energy harvesting technology if the
CEC finds, based on initial research, that the
piezoelectric-based energy-harvesting technology has the
potential to generate electricity with the performance,
reliability, and cost projections that are comparable to
existing or emerging renewable energy sources.
4)Require the CEC to collaborate with Caltrans if the pilot
project is conducted in a facility that is part of the state
highway or rail system under Caltrans' jurisdiction.
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5)Require Caltrans to conduct research on the
piezoelectric-based energy-harvesting technology according to
its usual research protocol if the pilot project is conducted
in a facility that is part of the state highway or rail system
under Caltrans' jurisdiction.
6)Authorize the CEC to expend the moneys in the Renewable
Resources Trust Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature,
to implement 1) through 5) above.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires the CEC to assess electricity infrastructure trends
and issues facing California and 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.
2)Directs about $70 million per year of energy utilities
ratepayer funds to the CEC to administer the Public Interest
Energy Research (PIER) Program. PIER funds are allocated
according to general statutory guidelines and a more specific
CEC-developed investment plan. Investments in research,
development and demonstration (RD&D) 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.
3)Establishes the Renewable Resource Trust Fund, which is
administered by the CEC and used to: a) support market
competition among in-state existing renewable electricity
facilities through varying incentives; b) stimulate renewable
technology market growth by providing rebates to purchasers of
on-site renewable energy generation while effecting market
expansion; and, c) inform the public about the benefits of
renewable energy and available choices of emerging renewable
energy technologies through information dissemination and
project demonstrations. This fund is supported by the Public
Goods Charge, a tax paid by electricity ratepayers in the
state.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill:
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1)Authorized the CEC to conduct research on the feasibility of
generating electricity using piezoelectric transducers under
major roadways.
2)Required the CEC to collaborate with Caltrans to establish a
pilot project that would employ piezoelectric-based energy
harvesting technology if the CEC finds it is appropriate.
3)Required the CEC to report its findings in the 2013 Integrated
Energy Policy Report (IEPR).
4)Sunset the above provisions January 1, 2015.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee:
1)$300,000 to $500,000 in costs for the CEC's initial research.
(Renewable Resources Trust Fund)
2)$600,000 to $800,000 in costs to Caltrans' initial research.
(State Highway Account)
3)Costs likely in the millions for conducting pilot projects.
(Renewable Resources Trust Fund and/or State Highway Account)
COMMENTS : Piezoelectricity is the charge which accumulates in
certain materials, such as crystals and ceramics, in response to
applied mechanical strain. The piezoelectric technology
installed under the surface of roads described in this bill is
patented by Israel-based Innowattech. According to the firm's
Web site:
Innowattech has developed a new technology, which enables
harvesting and conversion of mechanical energy of the
passing vehicles, wasted throughout movement, into
electrical energy. The mechanical energy is derived from
the compression stress created during the vehicles' travel
on road?The energy expended on the vehicle's movement is
mainly used to overcome rolling resistance, resistance
occurring when the wheel is moving forward on the road
surface. In addition to the energy used to move the wheel
forward (in the horizontal direction), part of the fuel
combustion is wasted on creating a deformation in the
asphalt, which is basically the product of the loaded
wheel's influence on the road surface? When a vehicle
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passes over a road, the road deflects vertically. The
deflection is proportional to the weight of the vehicle and
the asphalt stiffness?Innowattech's generators are embedded
at a depth of about 5 cm; the area where the compression
stress is maximal. The external load results in the
deformation in both the asphalt layer covering the
generators and the generators ?The deformation of the
generator and the shortening of the piezoelectric columns
embedded in the generators, generate charges on the
piezoelectric columns that are the source for the electric
energy.
Innowattech claims, on the basis of mathematical models, that
its generators have a potential to generate an average of 200
kilowatts per hour for the highway with traffic of 600 heavy
trucks/buses per hour on average (very high traffic). These
estimates have not been confirmed and actual generation data
from Innowattech's demonstration projects in Israel is not
available to the Natural Resources Committee. Existing research
on piezoelectric technology funded by the CEC's PIER program has
focused on the micro-watt scale. The CEC is not able to
estimate the potential or cost of the technology at larger
scales.
Analysis Prepared by : Lawrence Lingbloom / NAT. RES. / (916)
319-2092
FN:
0002873