BILL NUMBER: AB 1409 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Committee on Utilities and Commerce (Bradford
(Chair), Bonilla, Buchanan, Fong, Garcia, Quirk, Rendon, Skinner, and
Williams)
MARCH 13, 2013
An act to amend Sections 398.4, 399.20, 399.22, 1904, and 2827 of,
and to amend and renumber Section 387.8 of, the Public Utilities
Code, relating to energy.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1409, as introduced, Committee on Utilities and Commerce.
Energy.
(1) Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission
(commission) has regulatory authority over public utilities,
including electrical corporations, as defined. Decisions of the PUC
adopted the California Solar Initiative. Existing law requires the
governing body of a local publicly owned electric utility that sells
electricity at retail to adopt, implement, and finance a solar
initiative program for the purpose of investing in, and encouraging
the increased installation of, residential and commercial solar
energy systems.
This bill would move the above-described requirements for local
publicly owned electric utilities from an area of the Public
Utilities Code pertaining to electrical restructuring, to the area of
the code pertaining to the implementation of the California Solar
Initiative.
(2) Existing law allows the commission to charge and collect a fee
of $75 for filing each application for a certificate of public
convenience and necessity, or for the mortgage, lease, transfer, or
assignment of a certificate.
This bill would instead change that amount to a fee to be
determined by commission rule or order and adjusted as appropriate
based on the Consumer Price Index.
This bill would also make nonsubstantive changes and other
conforming and corrective changes.
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 387.8 of the Public Utilities Code is amended
and renumbered to read:
387.8. 2855. Notwithstanding
paragraphs (2) and (5) of subdivision (d) of Section 387.5
2854 , a local publicly owned electric utility
may adopt, implement, and finance a solar initiative program
otherwise in accordance with that section, using monetary incentives
authorized by subdivision (b) of Section 387.5
2854 , to residential and business consumers where
consumers offset part or all of their electricity demand with
electricity generated by a solar energy system not located on the
premises of the consumer, if all of the following requirements are
met:
(a) The solar energy system meets all of the following conditions:
(1) It is located within the service territory of the local
publicly owned electric utility.
(2) It has a capacity of no more than five megawatts.
(3) It is interconnected to the local publicly owned electric
utility's system at the distribution level.
(b) The local publicly owned electric utility meets all of the
following conditions:
(1) It provides monetary incentives authorized by Section
387.5 2854 for not more than the first megawatt
of generating capacity of each solar energy system.
(2) It has contracted to purchase the total electricity produced
by the solar energy system or owns the solar energy system.
(3) It provides no greater incentive per watt for the solar energy
system than provided for by systems that participate in the
applicable solar initiative program established under Section
387.5 2854 .
(4) It has received approval for the solar energy system from its
governing board at a publicly noticed and held meeting.
(c) The total megawatt capacity of solar energy systems eligible
for a local publicly owned electric utility program under this
section is both of the following:
(1) Not more than the total megawatt capacity of the combined
residential and commercial solar energy systems installed in the
service area of the local publicly owned electric utility after July
1, 2010, that participate in the applicable solar initiative programs
established under Section 387.5 2854 .
(2) Not more than 20 percent of the proportionate amount for the
local publicly owned electric utility of the overall 3,000 megawatt
state goal set forth in Section 387.5 2854
, based on the percentage of the total statewide load served by
that entity.
SEC. 2. Section 398.4 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to
read:
398.4. (a) Every retail supplier that makes an offering to sell
electricity that is consumed in California shall disclose its
electricity sources for the previous calendar year.
(b) The disclosures required by this section shall be made to
potential end-use consumers in all product-specific written
promotional materials that are distributed to consumers by either
printed or electronic means, including the retail supplier's Internet
Web site, if one exists, except that advertisements and notices in
general circulation media shall not be subject to this requirement.
(c) The disclosures required by this section shall be made
annually to end-use consumers of the offered electricity. The annual
disclosure shall be made by the end of the first complete billing
cycle for the third quarter of the year, and shall be consistent with
information provided to the Energy Commission pursuant to Section
398.5.
(d) The disclosures required by this section shall be made
separately for each offering made by the retail supplier.
(e) On or before January 1, 1998, the Energy Commission shall
specify guidelines for the format and means for disclosure required
by Section 398.3 and this section, based on the requirements of this
article and subject to public hearing.
(f) The costs of making the disclosures required by this section
shall be considered to be generation related.
(g) The disclosures required by this section shall comply with the
following:
(1) A retail supplier's disclosure of its electricity sources
shall be expressed as a percentage of annual sales derived from each
of the following categories:
(A) Unspecified sources of electricity.
(B) Specific purchases.
(2) A retail supplier's disclosure of its electricity sources
shall also separately identify total California system electricity,
which is the sum of all in-state generation and net electricity
imports by fuel type.
(h) Each of the categories specified in subdivision (g) shall be
additionally identified as a percentage of annual sales that is
derived from the following fuels or sources of energy:
(1) Coal.
(2) Large hydroelectric (greater than 30 megawatts).
(3) Natural gas.
(4) Nuclear.
(5) Eligible renewable energy resources pursuant to the California
Renewables Portfolio Standard Program (Article 16 (commencing with
Section 399.11)), including any of the following:
(A) Biomass and biowaste.
(B) Geothermal.
(C) Eligible hydroelectric.
(D) Solar.
(E) Wind.
(6) Other categories as determined by the Energy Commission.
(i) All electricity sources disclosed as specific purchases shall
meet the requirements of subdivision (c) of Section 398.2.
(j) Specific purchases identified pursuant to this section shall
be from sources connected to the Western Electricity Coordinating
Council interconnected grid.
(k) Compliance with this section by a local publicly owned
electric utility shall constitute compliance with paragraph
(2) of subdivision (b) (l) of
Section 387 399.30 .
(l) The provisions of this This
section shall not apply to generators providing electric service
onsite, under an over-the-fence transaction as described in Section
218, or to an affiliate or affiliates, as defined in subdivision (a)
of Section 372.
SEC. 3. Section 399.20 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to
read:
399.20. (a) It is the policy of this state and the intent of the
Legislature to encourage electrical generation from eligible
renewable energy resources.
(b) As used in this section, "electric generation facility" means
an electric generation facility located within the service territory
of, and developed to sell electricity to, an electrical corporation
that meets all of the following criteria:
(1) Has an effective capacity of not more than three megawatts.
(2) Is interconnected and operates in parallel with the electrical
transmission and distribution grid.
(3) Is strategically located and interconnected to the electrical
transmission and distribution grid in a manner that optimizes the
deliverability of electricity generated at the facility to load
centers.
(4) Is an eligible renewable energy resource.
(c) Every electrical corporation shall file with the commission a
standard tariff for electricity purchased from an electric generation
facility. The commission may modify or adjust the requirements of
this section for any electrical corporation with less than 100,000
service connections, as individual circumstances merit.
(d) (1) The tariff shall provide for payment for every
kilowatthour of electricity purchased from an electric generation
facility for a period of 10, 15, or 20 years, as authorized by the
commission. The payment shall be the market price determined by the
commission pursuant to paragraph (2) and shall include all current
and anticipated environmental compliance costs, including, but not
limited to, mitigation of emissions of greenhouse gases and air
pollution offsets associated with the operation of new generating
facilities in the local air pollution control or air quality
management district where the electric generation facility is
located.
(2) The commission shall establish a methodology to determine the
market price of electricity for terms corresponding to the length of
contracts with an electric generation facility, in consideration of
the following:
(A) The long-term market price of electricity for fixed price
contracts, determined pursuant to an electrical corporation's general
procurement activities as authorized by the commission.
(B) The long-term ownership, operating, and fixed-price fuel costs
associated with fixed-price electricity from new generating
facilities.
(C) The value of different electricity products including
baseload, peaking, and as-available electricity.
(3) The commission may adjust the payment rate to reflect the
value of every kilowatthour of electricity generated on a
time-of-delivery basis.
(4) The commission shall ensure, with respect to rates and
charges, that ratepayers that do not receive service pursuant to the
tariff are indifferent to whether a ratepayer with an electric
generation facility receives service pursuant to the tariff.
(e) An electrical corporation shall provide expedited
interconnection procedures to an electric generation facility located
on a distribution circuit that generates electricity at a time and
in a manner so as to offset the peak demand on the distribution
circuit, if the electrical corporation determines that the electric
generation facility will not adversely affect the distribution grid.
The commission shall consider and may establish a value for an
electric generation facility located on a distribution circuit that
generates electricity at a time and in a manner so as to offset the
peak demand on the distribution circuit.
(f) (1) An electrical corporation shall make the tariff available
to the owner or operator of an electric generation facility within
the service territory of the electrical corporation, upon request, on
a first-come-first-served basis, until the electrical corporation
meets its proportionate share of a statewide cap of 750 megawatts
cumulative rated generation capacity served under this section and
Section 387.6 399.32 . The
proportionate share shall be calculated based on the ratio of the
electrical corporation's peak demand compared to the total statewide
peak demand.
(2) By June 1, 2013, the commission shall, in addition to the 750
megawatts identified in paragraph (1), direct the electrical
corporations to collectively procure at least 250 megawatts of
cumulative rated generating capacity from developers of bioenergy
projects that commence operation on or after June 1, 2013. The
commission shall, for each electrical corporation, allocate shares of
the additional 250 megawatts based on the ratio of each electrical
corporation's peak demand compared to the total statewide peak
demand. In implementing this paragraph, the commission shall do all
of the following:
(A) Allocate the 250 megawatts identified in this paragraph among
the electrical corporations based on the following categories:
(i) For biogas from wastewater treatment, municipal organic waste
diversion, food processing, and codigestion, 110 megawatts.
(ii) For dairy and other agricultural bioenergy, 90 megawatts.
(iii) For bioenergy using byproducts of sustainable forest
management, 50 megawatts. Allocations under this category shall be
determined based on the proportion of bioenergy that sustainable
forest management providers derive from sustainable forest management
in fire threat treatment areas, as designated by the Department of
Forestry and Fire Protection.
(B) Direct the electrical corporations to develop standard
contract terms and conditions that reflect the operational
characteristics of the projects, and to provide a streamlined
contracting process.
(C) Coordinate, to the maximum extent feasible, any incentive or
subsidy programs for bioenergy with the agencies listed in
subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3) in order to provide maximum
benefits to ratepayers and to ensure that incentives are used to
reduce contract prices.
(D) The commission shall encourage gas and electrical corporations
to develop and offer programs and services to facilitate development
of in-state biogas for a broad range of purposes.
(3) (A) The commission, in consultation with the State Energy
Resources Conservation and Development Commission, the State Air
Resources Board, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the
Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Department of Resources
Recycling and Recovery, may review the allocations of the 250
additional megawatts identified in paragraph (2) to determine if
those allocations are appropriate.
(B) If the commission finds that the allocations of the 250
additional megawatts identified in paragraph (2) are not appropriate,
the commission may reallocate the 250 megawatts among the categories
established in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2).
(4) For the purposes of this subdivision, "bioenergy" means biogas
and biomass.
(g) The electrical corporation may make the terms of the tariff
available to owners and operators of an electric generation facility
in the form of a standard contract subject to commission approval.
(h) Every kilowatthour of electricity purchased from an electric
generation facility shall count toward meeting the electrical
corporation's renewables portfolio standard annual procurement
targets for purposes of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section
399.15.
(i) The physical generating capacity of an electric generation
facility shall count toward the electrical corporation's resource
adequacy requirement for purposes of Section 380.
(j) (1) The commission shall establish performance standards for
any electric generation facility that has a capacity greater than one
megawatt to ensure that those facilities are constructed, operated,
and maintained to generate the expected annual net production of
electricity and do not impact system reliability.
(2) The commission may reduce the three megawatt capacity
limitation of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) if the commission
finds that a reduced capacity limitation is necessary to maintain
system reliability within that electrical corporation's service
territory.
(k) (1) Any owner or operator of an electric generation facility
that received ratepayer-funded incentives in accordance with Section
379.6 of this code, or with Section 25782 of the Public Resources
Code, and participated in a net metering program pursuant to Sections
2827, 2827.9, and 2827.10 of this code prior to January 1, 2010,
shall be eligible for a tariff or standard contract filed by an
electrical corporation pursuant to this section.
(2) In establishing the tariffs or standard contracts pursuant to
this section, the commission shall consider ratepayer-funded
incentive payments previously received by the generation facility
pursuant to Section 379.6 of this code or Section 25782 of the Public
Resources Code. The commission shall require reimbursement of any
funds received from these incentive programs to an electric
generation facility, in order for that facility to be eligible for a
tariff or standard contract filed by an electrical corporation
pursuant to this section, unless the commission determines ratepayers
have received sufficient value from the incentives provided to the
facility based on how long the project has been in operation and the
amount of renewable electricity previously generated by the facility.
(3) A customer that receives service under a tariff or contract
approved by the commission pursuant to this section is not eligible
to participate in any net metering program.
(l) An owner or operator of an electric generation facility
electing to receive service under a tariff or contract approved by
the commission shall continue to receive service under the tariff or
contract until either of the following occurs:
(1) The owner or operator of an electric generation facility no
longer meets the eligibility requirements for receiving service
pursuant to the tariff or contract.
(2) The period of service established by the commission pursuant
to subdivision (d) is completed.
(m) Within 10 days of receipt of a request for a tariff pursuant
to this section from an owner or operator of an electric generation
facility, the electrical corporation that receives the request shall
post a copy of the request on its Internet Web site. The information
posted on the Internet Web site shall include the name of the city in
which the facility is located, but information that is proprietary
and confidential, including, but not limited to, address information
beyond the name of the city in which the facility is located, shall
be redacted.
(n) An electrical corporation may deny a tariff request pursuant
to this section if the electrical corporation makes any of the
following findings:
(1) The electric generation facility does not meet the
requirements of this section.
(2) The transmission or distribution grid that would serve as the
point of interconnection is inadequate.
(3) The electric generation facility does not meet all applicable
state and local laws and building standards and utility
interconnection requirements.
(4) The aggregate of all electric generating facilities on a
distribution circuit would adversely impact utility operation and
load restoration efforts of the distribution system.
(o) Upon receiving a notice of denial from an electrical
corporation, the owner or operator of the electric generation
facility denied a tariff pursuant to this section shall have the
right to appeal that decision to the commission.
(p) In order to ensure the safety and reliability of electric
generation facilities, the owner of an electric generation facility
receiving a tariff pursuant to this section shall provide an
inspection and maintenance report to the electrical corporation at
least once every other year. The inspection and maintenance report
shall be prepared at the owner's or operator's expense by a
California-licensed contractor who is not the owner or operator of
the electric generation facility. A California-licensed electrician
shall perform the inspection of the electrical portion of the
generation facility.
(q) The contract between the electric generation facility
receiving the tariff and the electrical corporation shall contain
provisions that ensure that construction of the electric generating
facility complies with all applicable state and local laws and
building standards, and utility interconnection requirements.
(r) (1) All construction and installation of facilities of the
electrical corporation, including at the point of the output meter or
at the transmission or distribution grid, shall be performed only by
that electrical corporation.
(2) All interconnection facilities installed on the electrical
corporation's side of the transfer point for electricity between the
electrical corporation and the electrical conductors of the electric
generation facility shall be owned, operated, and maintained only by
the electrical corporation. The ownership, installation, operation,
reading, and testing of revenue metering equipment for electric
generating facilities shall only be performed by the electrical
corporation.
SEC. 4. Section 399.22 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to
read:
399.22. (a) For purposes of this section, "state agency" means
any state agency, board, department, or commission, including the
entities specified in subdivision (a) of Section 15814.12 of the
Government Code.
(b) A state agency generating electricity from an electric
generation facility, as defined in Section 387.6 or
399.20 or 399.32 , that operates under a tariff
adopted pursuant to either of those sections, and that is owned by,
operated by, or on property under the control of, the state agency
shall take the total annual amount of kilowatthours exported to the
grid into consideration when determining whether the state agency has
achieved the policy goals and objectives established by law for the
state agency.
SEC. 5. Section 1904 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to
read:
1904. The commission shall also charge and collect the following
fees:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 1036 for filing each
application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity, or
for the mortgage, lease, transfer, or assignment thereof,
seventy-five dollars ($75) a fee to be determined by
commission rule or order and adjusted as appropriate based on the
Consumer Price Index .
(b) For a certificate authorizing an issue of bonds, notes, or
other evidences of indebtedness, two dollars ($2) for each one
thousand dollars ($1,000) of the face value of the authorized issue
or fraction thereof up to one million dollars ($1,000,000), one
dollar ($1) for each one thousand dollars ($1,000) over one million
dollars ($1,000,000) and up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000), and
fifty cents ($0.50) for each one thousand dollars ($1,000) over ten
million dollars ($10,000,000), with a minimum fee in any case of
fifty dollars ($50). No fee need be paid on such portion of any such
issue as may be used to guarantee, take over, refund, discharge, or
retire any stock, bond, note or other evidence of indebtedness on
which a fee has theretofore been paid to the commission. If the
commission modified the amount of the issue requested in any case and
the applicant thereupon elects not to avail itself of the commission'
s authorization, no fee shall be paid, and if such fee is paid prior
to the issuance of such certificate by the commission, such fee shall
be returned.
SEC. 6. Section 2827 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to
read:
2827. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that a program to
provide net energy metering combined with net surplus compensation,
co-energy metering, and wind energy co-metering for eligible
customer-generators is one way to encourage substantial private
investment in renewable energy resources, stimulate in-state economic
growth, reduce demand for electricity during peak consumption
periods, help stabilize California's energy supply infrastructure,
enhance the continued diversification of California's energy resource
mix, reduce interconnection and administrative costs for electricity
suppliers, and encourage conservation and efficiency.
(b) As used in this section, the following terms have the
following meanings:
(1) "Co-energy metering" means a program that is the same in all
other respects as a net energy metering program, except that the
local publicly owned electric utility has elected to apply a
generation-to-generation energy and time-of-use credit formula as
provided in subdivision (i).
(2) "Electrical cooperative" means an electrical cooperative as
defined in Section 2776.
(3) "Electric utility" means an electrical corporation, a local
publicly owned electric utility, or an electrical cooperative, or any
other entity, except an electric service provider, that offers
electrical service. This section shall not apply to a local publicly
owned electric utility that serves more than 750,000 customers and
that also conveys water to its customers.
(4) "Eligible customer-generator" means a residential customer,
small commercial customer as defined in subdivision (h) of Section
331, or commercial, industrial, or agricultural customer of an
electric utility, who uses a renewable electrical generation
facility, or a combination of those facilities, with a total capacity
of not more than one megawatt, that is located on the customer's
owned, leased, or rented premises, and is interconnected and operates
in parallel with the electrical grid, and is intended primarily to
offset part or all of the customer's own electrical requirements.
(5) "Renewable electrical generation facility" means a facility
that generates electricity from a renewable source listed in
paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 25741 of the Public
Resources Code. A small hydroelectric generation facility is not an
eligible renewable electrical generation facility if it will cause an
adverse impact on instream beneficial uses or cause a change in the
volume or timing of streamflow.
(6) "Net energy metering" means measuring the difference between
the electricity supplied through the electrical grid and the
electricity generated by an eligible customer-generator and fed back
to the electrical grid over a 12-month period as described in
subdivisions (c) and (h).
(7) "Net surplus customer-generator" means an eligible
customer-generator that generates more electricity during a 12-month
period than is supplied by the electric utility to the eligible
customer-generator during the same 12-month period.
(8) "Net surplus electricity" means all electricity generated by
an eligible customer-generator measured in kilowatthours over a
12-month period that exceeds the amount of electricity consumed by
that eligible customer-generator.
(9) "Net surplus electricity compensation" means a per
kilowatthour rate offered by the electric utility to the net surplus
customer-generator for net surplus electricity that is set by the
ratemaking authority pursuant to subdivision (h).
(10) "Ratemaking authority" means, for an electrical corporation,
the commission, for an electrical cooperative, its ratesetting body
selected by its shareholders or members, and for a local publicly
owned electric utility, the local elected body responsible for
setting the rates of the local publicly owned utility.
(11) "Wind energy co-metering" means any wind energy project
greater than 50 kilowatts, but not exceeding one megawatt, where the
difference between the electricity supplied through the electrical
grid and the electricity generated by an eligible customer-generator
and fed back to the electrical grid over a 12-month period is as
described in subdivision (h). Wind energy co-metering shall be
accomplished pursuant to Section 2827.8.
(c) (1) Every electric utility shall develop a standard contract
or tariff providing for net energy metering, and shall make this
standard contract or tariff available to eligible
customer-generators, upon request, on a first-come-first-served basis
until the time that the total rated generating capacity used by
eligible customer-generators exceeds 5 percent of the electric
utility's aggregate customer peak demand. Net energy metering shall
be accomplished using a single meter capable of registering the flow
of electricity in two directions. An additional meter or meters to
monitor the flow of electricity in each direction may be installed
with the consent of the eligible customer-generator, at the expense
of the electric utility, and the additional metering shall be used
only to provide the information necessary to accurately bill or
credit the eligible customer-generator pursuant to subdivision (h),
or to collect generating system performance information for research
purposes relative to a renewable electrical
generation facility. If the existing electrical
meter of an eligible customer-generator is not capable of measuring
the flow of electricity in two directions, the eligible
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 single meter. An eligible customer-generator
that is receiving service other than through the standard contract or
tariff may elect to receive service through the standard contract or
tariff until the electric utility reaches the generation limit set
forth in this paragraph. Once the generation limit is reached, only
eligible customer-generators that had previously elected to receive
service pursuant to the standard contract or tariff have a right to
continue to receive service pursuant to the standard contract or
tariff. Eligibility for net energy metering does not limit an
eligible customer-generator's eligibility for any other rebate,
incentive, or credit provided by the electric utility, or pursuant to
any governmental program, including rebates and incentives provided
pursuant to the California Solar Initiative.
(2) An electrical corporation shall include a provision in the net
energy metering contract or tariff requiring that any customer with
an existing electrical generating facility and meter who enters into
a new net energy metering contract shall provide an inspection report
to the electrical corporation, unless the electrical generating
facility and meter have been installed or inspected within the
previous three years. The inspection report shall be prepared by a
California licensed California-licensed
contractor who is not the owner or operator of the facility and
meter. A California licensed
California-licensed electrician shall perform the inspection of
the electrical portion of the facility and meter.
(3) (A) On an annual basis, every electric utility shall make
available to the ratemaking authority information on the total rated
generating capacity used by eligible customer-generators that are
customers of that provider in the provider's service area and the net
surplus electricity purchased by the electric utility pursuant to
this section.
(B) An electric service provider operating pursuant to Section 394
shall make available to the ratemaking authority the information
required by this paragraph for each eligible customer-generator that
is their customer for each service area of an electrical corporation,
local publicly owned electrical utility, or electrical cooperative,
in which the eligible customer-generator has net energy metering.
(C) The ratemaking authority shall develop a process for making
the information required by this paragraph available to electric
utilities, and for using that information to determine when, pursuant
to paragraphs (1) and (4), an electric utility is not obligated to
provide net energy metering to additional eligible
customer-generators in its service area.
(4) An electric utility is not obligated to provide net energy
metering to additional eligible customer-generators in its service
area when the combined total peak demand of all electricity used by
eligible customer-generators served by all the electric utilities in
that service area furnishing net energy metering to eligible
customer-generators exceeds 5 percent of the aggregate customer peak
demand of those electric utilities.
(d) Every electric utility shall make all necessary forms and
contracts for net energy metering and net surplus electricity
compensation service available for download from the
an Internet Web site .
(e) (1) Every electric utility shall ensure that requests for
establishment of net energy metering and net surplus electricity
compensation are processed in a time period not exceeding that for
similarly situated customers requesting new electric service, but not
to exceed 30 working days from the date it receives a completed
application form for net energy metering service or net surplus
electricity compensation, including a signed interconnection
agreement from an eligible customer-generator and the electric
inspection clearance from the governmental authority having
jurisdiction.
(2) Every electric utility shall ensure that requests for an
interconnection agreement from an eligible customer-generator are
processed in a time period not to exceed 30 working days from the
date it receives a completed application form from the eligible
customer-generator for an interconnection agreement.
(3) If an electric utility is unable to process a request within
the allowable timeframe pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2), it shall
notify the eligible customer-generator and the ratemaking authority
of the reason for its inability to process the request and the
expected completion date.
(f) (1) If a customer participates in direct transactions pursuant
to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 365, or Section
365.1, with an electric service provider that does not provide
distribution service for the direct transactions, the electric
utility that provides distribution service for the eligible
customer-generator is not obligated to provide net energy metering or
net surplus electricity compensation to the customer.
(2) If a customer participates in direct transactions pursuant to
paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 365 with an electric
service provider, and the customer is an eligible customer-generator,
the electric utility that provides distribution service for the
direct transactions may recover from the customer's electric service
provider the incremental costs of metering and billing service
related to net energy metering and net surplus electricity
compensation in an amount set by the ratemaking authority.
(g) Except for the time-variant kilowatthour pricing portion of
any tariff adopted by the commission pursuant to paragraph (4) of
subdivision (a) of Section 2851, 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
did not use a renewable electrical generation facility, except that
eligible customer-generators shall not be assessed standby charges on
the electrical generating capacity or the kilowatthour production of
a renewable electrical generation facility. The charges for all
retail rate components for eligible customer-generators shall be
based exclusively on the customer-generator's net kilowatthour
consumption over a 12-month period, without regard to the eligible
customer-generator's choice as to from whom it purchases electricity
that is not self-generated. Any new or additional demand charge,
standby charge, customer charge, minimum monthly charge,
interconnection charge, or any other charge that would increase an
eligible customer-generator's costs beyond those of other customers
who are not eligible customer-generators in the rate class to which
the eligible customer-generator would otherwise be assigned if the
customer did not own, lease, rent, or otherwise operate a renewable
electrical generation facility is contrary to the intent of this
section, and shall not form a part of net energy metering contracts
or tariffs.
(h) For eligible customer-generators, 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 electrical grid over a 12-month period. The following rules
shall apply to the annualized net metering calculation:
(1) The eligible residential or small commercial
customer-generator, at the end of each 12-month period following the
date of final interconnection of the eligible customer-generator's
system with an electric utility, and at each anniversary date
thereafter, shall be billed for electricity used during that 12-month
period. The electric utility shall determine if the eligible
residential or small commercial customer-generator was a net consumer
or a net surplus customer-generator during that period.
(2) At the end of each 12-month period, where the electricity
supplied during the period by the electric utility exceeds the
electricity generated by the eligible residential or small commercial
customer-generator during that same period, the eligible residential
or small commercial customer-generator is a net electricity consumer
and the electric utility shall be owed compensation for the eligible
customer-generator's net kilowatthour consumption over that 12-month
period. The compensation owed for the eligible residential or small
commercial customer-generator's consumption shall be calculated as
follows:
(A) For all eligible customer-generators taking service under
contracts or tariffs employing "baseline" and "over baseline" rates,
any net monthly consumption of electricity shall be calculated
according to the terms of the contract or tariff to which the same
customer would be assigned to, or be eligible for, if the customer
was not an eligible customer-generator. If those same
customer-generators are net generators over a billing period, the net
kilowatthours generated shall be valued at the same price per
kilowatthour as the electric utility would charge for the baseline
quantity of electricity during that billing period, and if the number
of kilowatthours generated exceeds the baseline quantity, the excess
shall be valued at the same price per kilowatthour as the electric
utility would charge for electricity over the baseline quantity
during that billing period.
(B) For all eligible customer-generators taking service under
contracts or tariffs employing time-of-use rates, any net monthly
consumption of electricity shall be calculated according to the terms
of the contract or tariff to which the same customer would be
assigned, or be eligible for, if the customer was not an eligible
customer-generator. When those same 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 electric utility would charge for retail
kilowatthour sales during that same time-of-use period. If the
eligible customer-generator's time-of-use electrical meter is unable
to measure the flow of electricity in two directions, paragraph (1)
of subdivision (c) shall apply.
(C) For all eligible residential and small commercial
customer-generators and for each billing period, the net balance of
moneys owed to the electric utility for net consumption of
electricity or credits owed to the eligible customer-generator for
net generation of electricity shall be carried forward as a monetary
value until the end of each 12-month period. For all eligible
commercial, industrial, and agricultural customer-generators, the net
balance of moneys owed shall be paid in accordance with the electric
utility's normal billing cycle, except that if the eligible
commercial, industrial, or agricultural customer-generator is a net
electricity producer over a normal billing cycle, any excess
kilowatthours generated during the billing cycle shall be carried
over to the following billing period as a monetary value, calculated
according to the procedures set forth in this section, and appear as
a credit on the eligible commercial, industrial, or agricultural
customer-generator's account, until the end of the annual period when
paragraph (3) shall apply.
(3) At the end of each 12-month period, where the electricity
generated by the eligible customer-generator during the 12-month
period exceeds the electricity supplied by the electric utility
during that same period, the eligible customer-generator is a net
surplus customer-generator and the electric utility, upon an
affirmative election by the net surplus customer-generator, shall
either (A) provide net surplus electricity compensation for any net
surplus electricity generated during the prior 12-month period, or
(B) allow the net surplus customer-generator to apply the net surplus
electricity as a credit for kilowatthours subsequently supplied by
the electric utility to the net surplus customer-generator. For an
eligible customer-generator that does not affirmatively elect to
receive service pursuant to net surplus electricity compensation, the
electric utility shall retain any excess kilowatthours generated
during the prior 12-month period. The eligible customer-generator not
affirmatively electing to receive service pursuant to net surplus
electricity compensation shall not be owed any compensation for the
net surplus electricity unless the electric utility enters into a
purchase agreement with the eligible customer-generator for those
excess kilowatthours. Every electric utility shall provide notice to
eligible customer-generators that they are eligible to receive net
surplus electricity compensation for net surplus electricity, that
they must elect to receive net surplus electricity compensation, and
that the 12-month period commences when the electric utility receives
the eligible customer-generator's election. For an electric utility
that is an electrical corporation or electrical cooperative, the
commission may adopt requirements for providing notice and the manner
by which eligible customer-generators may elect to receive net
surplus electricity compensation.
(4) (A) An eligible customer-generator with multiple meters may
elect to aggregate the electrical load of the meters located on the
property where the renewable electrical generation facility is
located and on all property adjacent or contiguous to the property on
which the renewable electrical generation facility is located, if
those properties are solely owned, leased, or rented by the eligible
customer-generator. If the eligible customer-generator elects to
aggregate the electric load pursuant to this paragraph, the electric
utility shall use the aggregated load for the purpose of determining
whether an eligible customer-generator is a net consumer or a net
surplus customer-generator during a 12-month period.
(B) If an eligible customer-generator chooses to aggregate
pursuant to subparagraph (A), the eligible customer-generator shall
be permanently ineligible to receive net surplus electricity
compensation, and the electric utility shall retain any kilowatthours
in excess of the eligible customer-generator's aggregated electrical
load generated during the 12-month period.
(C) If an eligible customer-generator with multiple meters elects
to aggregate the electrical load of those meters pursuant to
subparagraph (A), and different rate schedules are applicable to
service at any of those meters, the electricity generated by the
renewable electrical generation facility shall be allocated to each
of the meters in proportion to the electrical load served by those
meters. For example, if the eligible customer-generator receives
electric service through three meters, two meters being at an
agricultural rate that each provide service to 25 percent of the
customer's total load, and a third meter, at a commercial rate, that
provides service to 50 percent of the customer's total load, then 50
percent of the electrical generation of the eligible renewable
generation facility shall be allocated to the third meter that
provides service at the commercial rate and 25 percent of the
generation shall be allocated to each of the two meters providing
service at the agricultural rate. This proportionate allocation shall
be computed each billing period.
(D) This paragraph shall not become operative for an electrical
corporation unless the commission determines that allowing eligible
customer-generators to aggregate their load from multiple meters will
not result in an increase in the expected revenue obligations of
customers who are not eligible customer-generators. The commission
shall make this determination by September 30, 2013. In making this
determination, the commission shall determine if there are any public
purpose or other noncommodity charges that the eligible
customer-generators would pay pursuant to the net energy metering
program as it exists prior to aggregation, that the eligible
customer-generator would not pay if permitted to aggregate the
electrical load of multiple meters pursuant to this paragraph.
(E) A local publicly owned electric utility or electrical
cooperative shall only allow eligible customer-generators to
aggregate their load if the utility's ratemaking authority determines
that allowing eligible customer-generators to aggregate their load
from multiple meters will not result in an increase in the expected
revenue obligations of customers that are not eligible
customer-generators. The ratemaking authority of a local publicly
owned electric utility or electrical cooperative shall make this
determination within 180 days of the first request made by an
eligible customer-generator to aggregate their load. In making the
determination, the ratemaking authority shall determine if there are
any public purpose or other noncommodity charges that the eligible
customer-generator would pay pursuant to the net energy metering or
co-energy metering program of the utility as it exists prior to
aggregation, that the eligible customer-generator would not pay if
permitted to aggregate the electrical load of multiple meters
pursuant to this paragraph. If the ratemaking authority determines
that load aggregation will not cause an incremental rate impact on
the utility's customers that are not eligible customer-generators,
the local publicly owned electric utility or electrical cooperative
shall permit an eligible customer-generator to elect to aggregate the
electrical load of multiple meters pursuant to this paragraph. The
ratemaking authority may reconsider any determination made pursuant
to this subparagraph in a subsequent public proceeding.
(F) For purposes of this paragraph, parcels that are divided by a
street, highway, or public thoroughfare are considered contiguous,
provided they are otherwise contiguous and under the same ownership.
(G) An eligible customer-generator may only elect to aggregate the
electrical load of multiple meters if the renewable electrical
generation facility, or a combination of those facilities, has a
total generating capacity of not more than one megawatt.
(H) Notwithstanding subdivision (g), an eligible
customer-generator electing to aggregate the electrical load of
multiple meters pursuant to this subdivision shall remit service
charges for the cost of providing billing services to the electric
utility that provides service to the meters.
(5) (A) The ratemaking authority shall establish a net surplus
electricity compensation valuation to compensate the net surplus
customer-generator for the value of net surplus electricity generated
by the net surplus customer-generator. The commission shall
establish the valuation in a ratemaking proceeding. The ratemaking
authority for a local publicly owned electric utility shall establish
the valuation in a public proceeding. The net surplus electricity
compensation valuation shall be established so as to provide the net
surplus customer-generator just and reasonable compensation for the
value of net surplus electricity, while leaving other ratepayers
unaffected. The ratemaking authority shall determine whether the
compensation will include, where appropriate justification exists,
either or both of the following components:
(i) The value of the electricity itself.
(ii) The value of the renewable attributes of the electricity.
(B) In establishing the rate pursuant to subparagraph (A), the
ratemaking authority shall ensure that the rate does not result in a
shifting of costs between eligible customer-generators and other
bundled service customers.
(6) (A) Upon adoption of the net surplus electricity compensation
rate by the ratemaking authority, any renewable energy credit, as
defined in Section 399.12, for net surplus electricity purchased by
the electric utility shall belong to the electric utility. Any
renewable energy credit associated with electricity generated by the
eligible customer-generator that is utilized by the eligible
customer-generator shall remain the property of the eligible
customer-generator.
(B) Upon adoption of the net surplus electricity compensation rate
by the ratemaking authority, the net surplus electricity purchased
by the electric utility shall count toward the electric utility's
renewables portfolio standard annual procurement targets for the
purposes of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 399.15, or
for a local publicly owned electric utility, the renewables portfolio
standard annual procurement targets established pursuant to Section
387 399.30 .
(7) The electric utility shall provide every eligible residential
or small commercial customer-generator with net electricity
consumption and net surplus electricity generation information with
each regular bill. That information shall include the current
monetary balance owed the electric utility for net electricity
consumed, or the net surplus electricity generated, since the last
12-month period ended. Notwithstanding this subdivision, an electric
utility shall permit that customer to pay monthly for net energy
consumed.
(8) If an eligible residential or small commercial
customer-generator terminates the customer relationship with the
electric utility, the electric utility shall reconcile the eligible
customer-generator's consumption and production of electricity during
any part of a 12-month period following the last reconciliation,
according to the requirements set forth in this subdivision, except
that those requirements shall apply only to the months since the most
recent 12-month bill.
(9) If an electric service provider or electric utility providing
net energy metering to a residential or small commercial
customer-generator ceases providing that electric service to that
customer during any 12-month period, and the customer-generator
enters into a new net energy metering contract or tariff with a new
electric service provider or electric utility, the 12-month period,
with respect to that new electric service provider or electric
utility, shall commence on the date on which the new electric service
provider or electric utility first supplies electric service to the
customer-generator.
(i) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section,
paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) shall apply to an eligible
customer-generator with a capacity of more than 10 kilowatts, but not
exceeding one megawatt, that receives electric service from a local
publicly owned electric utility that has elected to utilize a
co-energy metering program unless the local publicly owned electric
utility chooses to provide service for eligible customer-generators
with a capacity of more than 10 kilowatts in accordance with
subdivisions (g) and (h):
(1) The eligible customer-generator shall be required to utilize a
meter, or multiple meters, capable of separately measuring
electricity flow in both directions. All meters shall provide
time-of-use measurements of electricity flow, and the customer shall
take service on a time-of-use rate schedule. If the existing meter of
the eligible customer-generator is not a time-of-use meter or is not
capable of measuring total flow of electricity in both directions,
the eligible customer-generator shall be responsible for all expenses
involved in purchasing and installing a meter that is both
time-of-use and able to measure total electricity flow in both
directions. This subdivision shall not restrict the ability of an
eligible customer-generator to utilize any economic incentives
provided by a governmental agency or an electric utility to reduce
its costs for purchasing and installing a time-of-use meter.
(2) The consumption of electricity from the local publicly owned
electric utility shall result in a cost to the eligible
customer-generator to be priced in accordance with the standard rate
charged to the eligible customer-generator in accordance with the
rate structure to which the customer would be assigned if the
customer did not use a renewable electrical generation facility. The
generation of electricity provided to the local publicly owned
electric utility shall result in a credit to the eligible
customer-generator and shall be priced in accordance with the
generation component, established under the applicable structure to
which the customer would be assigned if the customer did not use a
renewable electrical generation facility.
(3) All costs and credits shall be shown on the eligible
customer-generator's bill for each billing period. In any months in
which the eligible customer-generator has been a net consumer of
electricity calculated on the basis of value determined pursuant to
paragraph (2), the customer-generator shall owe to the local publicly
owned electric utility the balance of electricity costs and credits
during that billing period. In any billing period in which the
eligible customer-generator has been a net producer of electricity
calculated on the basis of value determined pursuant to paragraph
(2), the local publicly owned electric utility shall owe to the
eligible customer-generator the balance of electricity costs and
credits during that billing period. Any net credit to the eligible
customer-generator of electricity costs may be carried forward to
subsequent billing periods, provided that a local publicly owned
electric utility may choose to carry the credit over as a
kilowatthour credit consistent with the provisions of any applicable
contract or tariff, including any differences attributable to the
time of generation of the electricity. At the end of each 12-month
period, the local publicly owned electric utility may reduce any net
credit due to the eligible customer-generator to zero.
(j) A renewable electrical generation facility used by an eligible
customer-generator shall meet all applicable safety and performance
standards established by the National Electrical Code, the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and accredited testing
laboratories, including Underwriters Laboratories Incorporated and,
where applicable, rules of the commission regarding safety and
reliability. A customer-generator whose renewable electrical
generation facility meets those standards and rules shall not be
required to install additional controls, perform or pay for
additional tests, or purchase additional liability insurance.
(k) If the commission determines that there
are cost or revenue obligations for an electrical corporation that
may not be recovered from customer-generators acting pursuant to this
section, those obligations shall remain within the customer class
from which any shortfall occurred and shall not be shifted to any
other customer class. Net energy metering and co-energy metering
customers shall not be exempt from the public goods charges imposed
pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 381), Article 8
(commencing with Section 385), or Article 15 (commencing with Section
399) of Chapter 2.3 of Part 1.
(l) A net energy metering, co-energy metering, or wind energy
co-metering customer shall reimburse the Department of Water
Resources for all charges that would otherwise be imposed on the
customer by the commission to recover bond-related costs pursuant to
an agreement between the commission and the Department of Water
Resources pursuant to Section 80110 of the Water Code, as well as the
costs of the department equal to the share of the department's
estimated net unavoidable power purchase contract costs attributable
to the customer. The commission shall incorporate the determination
into an existing proceeding before the commission, and shall ensure
that the charges are nonbypassable. Until the commission has made a
determination regarding the nonbypassable charges, net energy
metering, co-energy metering, and wind energy co-metering shall
continue under the same rules, procedures, terms, and conditions as
were applicable on December 31, 2002.
(m) In implementing the requirements of subdivisions (k) and (
l ), an eligible customer-generator shall not be required
to replace its existing meter except as set forth in paragraph (1) of
subdivision (c), nor shall the electric utility require additional
measurement of usage beyond that which is necessary for customers in
the same rate class as the eligible customer-generator.
(n) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Treasurer
incorporate net energy metering, including net surplus electricity
compensation, co-energy metering, and wind energy co-metering
projects undertaken pursuant to this section as sustainable building
methods or distributive energy technologies for purposes of
evaluating low-income housing projects.