15356.

 (a) The agency shall determine the percentage of the reserve in the Renewable Energy Loan Loss Reserve Fund required to secure loan guarantees made by the committee. However, in no event shall the reserve be less than 25 percent of the fund.

(b) The minimum amount that the agency may guarantee for any renewable energy system is twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) and the maximum amount is two million dollars ($2,000,000). The agency may elect to lower or raise the minimum or maximum amount if a change is found to be in the best interest of the state.

(c) The term of the guaranteed loan shall not exceed the useful life of the renewable energy system or 15 years, whichever is shorter.

(d) The amount guaranteed shall not exceed 90 percent of a loan, or an amount equal to the anticipated proportion of renewable fuel usage to fuel the renewable energy system, as defined by subdivision (e) of Section 15351, whichever is less.

25433.5.

 (a) In consultation with the Public Utilities Commission, the commission shall do both of the following for the purpose of full or partial funding of an eligible construction or retrofit project:

(1) Establish a grant program to provide financial assistance to eligible low-income individuals.

(2) Establish a 2-percent interest per annum loan program to provide financial assistance to a small business owner, residential property owner, or individual who is not eligible for a grant pursuant to paragraph (1). The loans shall be available to a small business owner who has a gross annual income that does not exceed one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or to an individual or residential property owner who has a gross annual household income that does not exceed one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).

(b) (1) The commission shall use the design guidelines adopted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (f) of Section 14 of the act that added this section as standards to determine eligible energy-efficiency projects.

(2) The award of a grant pursuant to this section is subject to appeal to the commission upon a showing that the commission applied factors, other than those adopted by the commission, in making the award.

(3) The grant or loan recipient shall commit to using the grant or loan for the purpose for which the grant or loan was awarded.

(4) Any action taken by an applicant to apply for, or to become or remain eligible to receive, a grant award, including satisfying conditions specified by the commission, does not constitute the rendering of goods, services, or a direct benefit to the commission.

(5) The amount of any grant awarded pursuant to this article to a low-income individual does not constitute income for purposes of calculating the recipient’s gross income for the tax year during which the grant is received.

25434.5.

 As used in this article, the following terms have the following meanings:

(a) “Eligible construction or retrofit project” means a project for making improvements to a home or building in existence on the effective date of the act adding this section, through an addition, alteration, or repair, which effectively increases the energy efficiency or reduces the energy consumption of the home or building as specified by the commission’s guidelines under paragraph (2) of subdivision (f) of Section 14 of the act that added this section. The improvements shall be deemed to be cost-effective.

(b) “Low income” means an individual with a gross annual income equal to or less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

(c) “Small business” means any small business as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 14837 of the Government Code.

26003.

 As used in this division, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) “Authority” means the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority established pursuant to Section 26004, and any board, commission, department, or officer succeeding to the functions of the authority, or to which the powers conferred upon the authority by this division shall be given.

(b) “Cost” as applied to a project or portion thereof financed under this division means all or any part of the cost of construction and acquisition of all lands, structures, real or personal property or an interest therein, rights, rights-of-way, franchises, easements, and interests acquired or used for a project; the cost of demolishing or removing any buildings or structures on land so acquired, including the cost of acquiring any lands to which those buildings or structures may be moved; the cost of all machinery, equipment, and furnishings, financing charges, interest prior to, during, and for a period after, completion of construction as determined by the authority; provisions for working capital; reserves for principal and interest and for extensions, enlargements, additions, replacements, renovations, and improvements; the cost of architectural, engineering, financial, accounting, auditing and legal services, plans, specifications, estimates, administrative expenses, and other expenses necessary or incident to determining the feasibility of constructing any project or incident to the construction, acquisition, or financing of any project.

(c) (1) “Alternative sources” means the application of cogeneration technology, as defined in Section 25134; the conservation of energy; or the use of solar, biomass, wind, geothermal, hydroelectricity under 30 megawatts and meeting the criteria set forth in paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 15351 of the Government Code, or any other source of energy, the efficient use of which will reduce the use of fossil and nuclear fuels.

(2) “Alternative sources” does not include any hydroelectric facility that does not meet state laws pertaining to the control, appropriation, use, and distribution of water, including, but not limited to, the obtaining of applicable licenses and permits.

(d) “Advanced transportation technologies” means emerging commercially competitive transportation-related technologies identified by the authority as capable of creating long-term, high value-added jobs for Californians while enhancing the state’s commitment to energy conservation, pollution reduction, and transportation efficiency. Those technologies may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:

(1) Intelligent vehicle highway systems.

(2) Advanced telecommunications for transportation.

(3) Command, control, and communications for public transit vehicles and systems.

(4) Electric vehicles and ultralow emission vehicles.

(5) High-speed rail and magnetic levitation passenger systems.

(6) Fuel cells.

(e) “Financial assistance” includes, but is not limited to, either, or any combination, of the following:

(1) Loans, loan loss reserves, interest rate reductions, proceeds of bonds issued by the authority, insurance, guarantees or other credit enhancements or liquidity facilities, contributions of money, property, labor, or other items of value, or any combination thereof, as determined by, and approved by the resolution of, the board.

(2) Any other type of assistance the authority determines is appropriate.

(f) “Participating party” means either of the following:

(1) Any person or any entity or group of entities engaged in business or operations in the state, whether organized for profit or not for profit, that applies for financial assistance from the authority for the purpose of implementing a project in a manner prescribed by the authority.

(2) Any public agency or nonprofit corporation that applies for financial assistance from the authority for the purpose of implementing a project in a manner prescribed by the authority.

(g) “Project” means any land, building, improvement thereto, rehabilitation, work, property, or structure, real or personal, stationary or mobile, including, but not limited to, machinery and equipment, whether or not in existence or under construction, that utilizes, or is designed to utilize, an alternative source, or that is utilized for the design, technology transfer, manufacture, production, assembly, distribution, or service of advanced transportation technologies.

(h) “Public agency” means any federal or state agency, board, or commission, or any county, city and county, city, regional agency, public district, or other political subdivision.

(i) (1) “Renewable energy” means any device or technology that conserves or produces heat, processes heat, space heating, water heating, steam, space cooling, refrigeration, mechanical energy, electricity, or energy in any form convertible to these uses, that does not expend or use conventional energy fuels, and that uses any of the following electrical generation technologies:

(A) Biomass.

(B) Solar thermal.

(C) Photovoltaic.

(D) Wind.

(E) Geothermal.

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, “conventional energy fuel” means any fuel derived from petroleum deposits, including, but not limited to, oil, heating oil, gasoline, fuel oil, or natural gas, including liquefied natural gas, or nuclear fissionable materials.

(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), for purposes of this section, “renewable energy” also means ultralow emission equipment for energy generation based on thermal energy systems such as natural gas turbines and fuel cells.

(j) “Revenue” means all rents, receipts, purchase payments, loan repayments, and all other income or receipts derived by the authority from the sale, lease, or other disposition of alternative source or advanced transportation technology facilities, or the making of loans to finance alternative source or advanced transportation technology facilities, and any income or revenue derived from the investment of any money in any fund or account of the authority.

26011.6.

 (a) The authority shall establish a renewable energy program to provide financial assistance to public power entities, independent generators, utilities, or businesses manufacturing components or systems, or both, to generate new and renewable energy sources, develop clean and efficient distributed generation, and demonstrate the economic feasibility of new technologies, such as solar, photovoltaic, wind, and ultralow emission equipment. The authority shall give preference to utility-scale projects that can be rapidly deployed to provide a significant contribution as a renewable energy supply.

(b) The authority shall make every effort to expedite the operation of renewable energy systems, and shall adopt regulations for purposes of this section and Section 26011.5 as emergency regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. For purposes of that Chapter 3.5, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of the regulations shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law to be necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Notwithstanding the 120-day limitation specified in subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code, the regulations shall be repealed 180 days after their effective date, unless the authority complies with Sections 11346.2 to 11347.3, inclusive, as provided in subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code.

(c) The authority shall consult with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission regarding the financing of projects to avoid duplication of other renewable energy projects.

(d) The authority shall ensure that any financed project shall offer its power within California on a long-term contract basis.