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SB-733 State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission: chair: report to the Legislature.(2021-2022)

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Date Published: 04/19/2021 09:00 PM
SB733:v98#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Senate  April 19, 2021

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill
No. 733

Introduced by Senator Hueso

February 19, 2021

An act to amend Section 2836 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to electricity. An act to amend Section 25217.5 of the Public Resources Code, relating to energy.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 733, as amended, Hueso. Energy storage: pumped storage hydroelectric generation facilities. State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission: chair: report to the Legislature.
Existing law establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission consisting of 5 members and establishes various duties and responsibilities of the commission relating to energy usage in the state. Existing law requires the Governor to designate a chair of the commission and requires the chair to direct the adviser, the executive director, and other staff of the commission in the performance of their duties in conformance with the policies and guidelines established by the commission.
This bill would require the chair of the commission to appear annually before the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature to report on activities of the commission, as specified.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law requires the commission to open a proceeding to determine appropriate targets, if any, for each load-serving entity, defined as including electrical corporations, community choice aggregators, and electric service providers, to procure viable and cost-effective energy storage systems to be achieved by December 31, 2015, and December 31, 2020. If determined to be appropriate, the commission is required to adopt the procurement targets, by October 1, 2013, and to reevaluate the determinations not less than once every 3 years. Pursuant to these requirements, the commission has adopted decisions establishing procurement targets for load-serving entities.

This bill would additionally require the commission to determine appropriate targets for each load-serving entity to procure viable and cost-effective energy storage systems to be achieved by December 31, 2030. The bill would require the commission to evaluate the role of energy storage systems that require a long lead time for successful deployment, including pumped storage hydroelectric generation facilities, within the state’s electrical system, and include those resources in any procurement targets adopted by the commission.

Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.

Because this bill would require action by the commission to implement its requirements, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by expanding the scope of a crime.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YESNO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 25217.5 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:

25217.5.
 (a)  The chair of the commission shall direct the adviser, the executive director, and other staff in the performance of their duties in conformance with the policies and guidelines established by the commission.
(b) (1) The chair of the commission shall appear annually before the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature to report on the commission’s plans to carry out the commission’s responsibilities, including, but not limited to, its activities regarding all of the following:
(A) Research, development, and demonstration.
(B) Building and appliance efficiency standards.
(C) Electricity and natural gas demand forecasts.
(D) Siting of thermal powerplants.
(E) Implementation of the California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program (Article 16 (commencing with Section 399.11) of Chapter 2.3 of Part 1 of Division 1 of the Public Utilities Code) and energy labeling.
(F) Transportation fuels and alternative fuel vehicles.
(2) The chair of the commission shall also report on the activities taken by the commission in the previous year and the processes instituted to solicit input from Californians in diverse regions of the state.
(3) The chair shall report on the successes and challenges encountered in carrying out the responsibilities specified in paragraph (1) and the instituted activities and processes reported pursuant to paragraph (2).

SECTION 1.Section 2836 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:
2836.

(a)(1)On or before March 1, 2012, the commission shall open a proceeding to determine appropriate targets, if any, for each load-serving entity to procure viable and cost-effective energy storage systems to be achieved by December 31, 2015, December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2030. As part of this proceeding, the commission may consider a variety of possible policies to encourage the cost-effective deployment of energy storage systems, including refinement of existing procurement methods to properly value energy storage systems.

(2)The commission shall adopt the procurement targets, if determined to be appropriate pursuant to paragraph (1), by October 1, 2013.

(3)The commission shall reevaluate the determinations made pursuant to this subdivision not less than once every three years.

(4)The commission shall evaluate the role of energy storage systems that require a long lead time for successful deployment, including pumped storage hydroelectric generation facilities, within the state’s electrical system, and include those resources in any procurement targets adopted by the commission.

(5)Nothing in this section prohibits the commission’s evaluation and approval of any application for funding or recovery of costs of any ongoing or new development, trialing, and testing of energy storage projects or technologies outside of the proceeding required by this chapter.

(b)(1)On or before March 1, 2012, the governing board of each local publicly owned electric utility shall initiate a process to determine appropriate targets, if any, for the utility to procure viable and cost-effective energy storage systems to be achieved by December 31, 2016, and December 31, 2020. As part of this proceeding, the governing board may consider a variety of possible policies to encourage the cost-effective deployment of energy storage systems, including refinement of existing procurement methods to properly value energy storage systems.

(2)The governing board shall adopt the procurement targets, if determined to be appropriate pursuant to paragraph (1), by October 1, 2014.

(3)The governing board shall reevaluate the determinations made pursuant to this subdivision not less than once every three years.

SEC. 2.

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.