399.12.
For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:(a) “Balancing authority” means the responsible entity that integrates resource plans ahead of time, maintains load-interchange generation balance within a balancing authority area, and supports interconnection frequency in real time.
(b) “Balancing authority area” means the collection of generation, transmission, and loads within the metered boundaries of the area within which the balancing authority maintains the electrical load-resource balance.
(c) “California balancing authority” is a balancing authority with
control over a balancing authority area primarily located in this state and operating for retail sellers and local publicly owned electric utilities subject to the requirements of this article and includes the Independent System Operator (ISO) and a local publicly owned electric utility operating a transmission grid that is not under the operational control of the ISO. A California balancing authority is responsible for the operation of the transmission grid within its metered boundaries which is not limited by the political boundaries of the State of California.
(d) (1) “Clean energy credit” means a either of the following:
(i) A renewable energy credit.
(ii) A certificate of proof associated with the production of electricity from an eligible clean energy resource that is not also an eligible renewable energy resource, issued through the accounting system established by the Energy Commission pursuant to Section 399.25, that one unit of electricity was generated and delivered to a California balancing authority by an eligible clean energy resource.
(2) “Clean energy credit” includes all the same environmental attributes associated with the production of electricity from the eligible clean energy resource, except for an emissions reduction credit issued pursuant to Section 40709 of the Health and Safety Code and any credits or payments associated with the reduction of solid waste and treatment benefits created by the utilization of biomass or biogas fuels. as a renewable energy credit.
(e) “Clean energy standard” means the specified percentage of electricity from eligible clean energy resources that a retail seller or a local publicly owned electric utility is required to procure pursuant to this article.
(f) “Conduit hydroelectric facility” means a facility for the generation of electricity that uses only the hydroelectric potential of an existing pipe, ditch, flume, siphon, tunnel, canal, or other manmade conduit that is operated to distribute water for a beneficial use.
(g) “Eligible clean energy generation resource” means a facility that qualifies as an eligible renewable energy resource or a facility that satisfies all of the following:
(1) The facility is one either of the following:
(A) (i) The facility uses hydroelectric generation that is not an eligible renewable energy resource or the facility generates electricity using nuclear fission or nuclear fusion.
(ii) A hydroelectric generation facility or nuclear generating facility existing as of January 1, 2021, shall demonstrate either of the following:
(I) It was owned in whole or in part by the electrical corporation or the local publicly owned electric utility as of January 1, 2021. For facilities
that were not wholly owned, only the portion of electrical energy corresponding to the percentage ownership by the electrical corporation or the local publicly owned utility as of January 1, 2021, may be counted as eligible clean energy.
(II) It provided electricity under the retail seller’s or the local publicly owned electric utility’s ownership agreement or contract as of January 1, 2021, with the Western Area Power Administration or the federal government as part of the federal Central Valley Project. For these facilities, only the quantity of electrical energy provided under these ownership agreements or contracts may be counted as eligible clean energy, including an extension or renewal of an agreement between a retail seller or local publicly owned electrical utility and the Western Area Power Administration or the federal government as part
of the federal Central Valley Project that renews or extends the existing agreement as of January 1, 2021, for an equal amount or share of electrical energy.
(B)The facility generates electricity exclusively using hydrogen that meets all of the following:
(i)It is produced by an electrolytic or other process using only electricity products generated in the same hour by
another eligible clean energy resource that satisfy the requirements of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 399.16. All clean energy credits associated with electricity procured to produce the hydrogen must be retired.
(ii)It is not produced from fossil fuel feedstock sources.
(iii)No greenhouse gases are emitted as a result of producing the hydrogen.
(C)
(B) The
facility uses any other method of generating electricity that does not emit greenhouse gases as part of electricity production and the creation of any fuel or feedstock used by the facility.
uses any other qualified zero-carbon process for generating electricity, as determined by the Energy Commission pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 399.25.
(2) The facility satisfies paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 25741 of the Public Resources Code.
(3) The electricity product provided by the facility meets the requirements of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 399.16.
(h) “Eligible clean energy storage resource” means a facility consisting of an energy storage system, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 2835, and
2835 that meets all of the following:
(1) The facility is metered separately from any generation facility.
(2) The facility consumes only electricity procured from an eligible clean energy generation resource for its stored energy, does not consume system power, and does not emit any greenhouse gases as part of storing energy or exporting electricity from that stored energy.
(3) All clean energy credits associated with the electricity procured for the facility must satisfy the requirements of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 399.16 and be retired.
(4) The facility satisfies one of the following requirements:
(A) The facility is located in the state or near the border of the state with the first point of connection to the transmission network of a balancing authority area primarily located within the state.
(B) The facility has its first point of interconnection to the transmission network outside the state, within the WECC service area, and satisfies both of the following requirements:
(i) It will not cause or contribute to any violation of a California environmental quality standard or requirement.
(ii) It participates in the accounting system to verify compliance with the clean energy standard once established by the commission pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section
399.25 of the Public Utilities Code.
(5) If the facility is outside the United States, it is developed and operated in a manner that is as protective of the environment as a similar facility located in the state.
(i) “Eligible clean energy resource” means an eligible clean energy generation resource or an eligible clean energy storage resource.
(j) “Eligible energy resource” means collectively an eligible
renewable energy resource or an eligible clean energy resource.
(k) “Eligible renewable energy resource” means an electrical generating facility that meets the definition of a “renewable electrical generation facility” in Section 25741 of the Public Resources Code, subject to the following:
(1) (A) An existing small hydroelectric generation facility of 30 megawatts or less shall be eligible only if a retail seller or local publicly owned electric utility procured the electricity from the facility as of December 31, 2005. A new hydroelectric facility that
commences generation of electricity after December 31, 2005, is not an eligible renewable energy resource if it will cause an adverse impact on instream beneficial uses or cause a change in the volume or timing of streamflow.
(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), a conduit hydroelectric facility of 30 megawatts or less that commenced operation before January 1, 2006, is an eligible renewable energy resource. A conduit hydroelectric facility of 30 megawatts or less that commences operation after December 31, 2005, is an eligible renewable energy resource so long as it does not cause an adverse impact on instream beneficial uses or cause a change in the volume or timing of streamflow.
(C) A facility approved by the governing board of a local publicly owned electric
utility prior to June 1, 2010, for procurement to satisfy renewable energy procurement obligations adopted pursuant to former Section 387, shall be certified as an eligible renewable energy resource by the Energy Commission pursuant to this article, if the facility is a “renewable electrical generation facility” as defined in Section 25741 of the Public Resources Code.
(D) (i) A small hydroelectric generation unit with a nameplate capacity not exceeding 40 megawatts that is operated as part of a water supply or conveyance system is an eligible renewable energy resource only for the retail seller or local publicly owned electric utility that procured the electricity from the unit as of December 31, 2005. No unit shall be eligible pursuant to this subparagraph if an application for certification is submitted to the Energy Commission
after January 1, 2013. Only one retail seller or local publicly owned electric utility shall be deemed to have procured electricity from a given unit as of December 31, 2005.
(ii) Notwithstanding clause (i), a local publicly owned electric utility that meets the criteria of subdivision (j) of Section 399.30 may sell to another local publicly owned electric utility electricity from small hydroelectric generation units that qualify as eligible renewable energy resources under clause (i), and that electricity may be used by the local publicly owned electric utility that purchased the electricity to meet its renewables portfolio standard procurement requirements. The total of all those sales from the utility shall be no greater than 100,000 megawatthours of electricity.
(iii) The amendments made to this subdivision by the act adding this subparagraph are intended to clarify existing law and apply from December 10, 2011.
(2) (A) A facility engaged in the combustion of municipal solid waste shall not be considered an eligible renewable energy resource.
(B) Subparagraph (A) does not apply to generation before January 1, 2017, from a facility located in Stanislaus County that was operational prior to September 26, 1996.
(l) “Energy credit” means the renewable energy credit or clean energy credit associated with electricity production by an eligible energy resource.
(m) “Load-modifying energy storage resource” means a facility consisting of an energy storage system, as defined in Section 2835, that meets all of the following:
(1) The facility is not an eligible clean energy storage resource.
(2) The facility is metered separately from a generation facility.
(3) The facility, in whole or in part, is under the control of or operated for the direct benefit of a retail seller or local publicly owned electric utility such that the facility increases the retail seller’s or local publicly owned electric utility’s total electrical load when storing energy procured by the retail seller or local publicly owned electric utility and decreases the retail seller’s or local publicly owned electric utility’s total electrical load when
releasing energy from the energy storage system for their benefit.
(4) The facility is located in the state or near the border of the state with the first point of connection to the transmission network of a balancing authority area primarily located within the state.
(n) “Long-term energy contract” means a retail seller’s or local publicly owned electric utility’s contract of 10 years or more in duration or its ownership or ownership agreement for eligible energy resources.
(m)
(o) “Procure” means to acquire
through ownership or contract.
(n)
(p) “Procurement entity” means any person or corporation authorized by the commission to enter into contracts to procure eligible renewable energy resources on behalf of customers of a retail seller pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 399.13.
(q) “Retail load” means a retail seller’s or local publicly owned electric utility’s retail sales of electricity plus electricity consumed by one or more load-modifying energy storage resources to store energy for
the benefit of the retail seller or local publicly owned electric utility minus electricity generated and delivered by one or more load-modifying energy storage resources for the benefit of the retail seller or local publicly owned electric utility.
(o)
(r) (1) “Renewable energy credit” means a certificate of proof associated with the generation of electricity from an eligible renewable energy resource, issued through the accounting system established by the Energy Commission pursuant to Section 399.25, that one unit of electricity was generated and delivered by an eligible
renewable energy resource.
(2) “Renewable energy credit” includes all renewable and environmental attributes associated with the production of electricity from the eligible renewable energy resource, except for an emissions reduction credit issued pursuant to Section 40709 of the Health and Safety Code and any credits or payments associated with the reduction of solid waste and treatment benefits created by the utilization of biomass or biogas fuels.
(3) (A) Electricity generated by an eligible renewable energy resource attributable to the use of nonrenewable fuels, beyond a de minimis quantity used to generate electricity in the same process through which the facility converts renewable fuel to electricity, shall not result in the creation of a renewable energy
credit. The Energy Commission shall set the de minimis quantity of nonrenewable fuels for each renewable energy technology at a level of no more than 2 percent of the total quantity of fuel used by the technology to generate electricity. The Energy Commission may adjust the de minimis quantity for an individual facility, up to a maximum of 5 percent, if it finds that all of the following conditions are met:
(i) The facility demonstrates that the higher quantity of nonrenewable fuel will lead to an increase in generation from the eligible renewable energy facility that is significantly greater than generation from the nonrenewable fuel alone.
(ii) The facility demonstrates that the higher quantity of nonrenewable fuels will reduce the variability of its electrical output
in a manner that results in net environmental benefits to the state.
(iii) The higher quantity of nonrenewable fuel is limited to either natural gas or hydrogen derived by reformation of a fossil fuel.
(B) Electricity generated by a small hydroelectric generation facility shall not result in the creation of a renewable energy credit unless the facility meets the requirements of subparagraph (A) or (D) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (e).
(C) Electricity generated by a conduit hydroelectric generation facility shall not result in the creation of a renewable energy credit unless the facility meets the requirements of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (e).
(D) Electricity generated by a facility engaged in the combustion of municipal solid waste shall not result in the creation of a renewable energy credit. This subparagraph does not apply to renewable energy credits that were generated before January 1, 2017, by a facility engaged in the combustion of municipal solid waste located in Stanislaus County that was operational prior to September 26, 1996, and sold pursuant to contacts contracts entered into before January 1, 2017.
(p)
(s) “Renewables portfolio standard” means the specified percentage of electricity generated by eligible renewable energy resources that a retail seller or a local publicly owned electric utility
is required to procure pursuant to this article.
(q)
(t) “Retail seller” means an entity engaged in the retail sale of electricity to end-use customers located within the state, including any of the following:
(1) An electrical corporation, as defined in Section 218.
(2) A community choice aggregator. A community choice aggregator shall participate in the renewables portfolio standard
and clean energy standard programs subject to the same terms and conditions applicable to an electrical corporation.
(3) An electric service provider, as defined in Section 218.3. The electric service provider shall be subject to the same terms and conditions applicable to an electrical corporation pursuant to this article.
(4) “Retail seller” does not include any of the following:
(A) A corporation or person employing cogeneration technology or producing electricity consistent with subdivision (b) of Section 218.
(B) The Department of Water Resources acting in its capacity pursuant to Division 27 (commencing with Section 80000) of the Water
Code.
(C) A local publicly owned electric utility.
(r)
(u) “WECC” means the Western Electricity Coordinating Council of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, or a successor to the corporation.