This week Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law five bills aimed at easing California’s transition to clean energy, such as by speeding construction of transmission lines that could allow construction of more renewable energy projects in Kern.
While none of the five accomplished anything as locally impactful as last year’s Senate Bill 237, which gave the county environmental clearance to issue its own oil permits, each has the potential to affect local residents’ utility bills.
Here’s a rundown of the new laws, plus another that didn’t actually make it into law:
TRANSMISSION UPGRADES
Senate Bill 2493, authored by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Irvine, addresses a backlog of power transmission line upgrades the California Public Utilities Commission estimates has delayed 22 gigawatts’ worth of clean energy projects.
Co-sponsored by American Clean Power-California and the Union of Concerned Scientists, SB 2493 requires the CPUC to, by Oct. 1, 2027, establish an independent monitor to keep track of transmission upgrade projects. If unjustifiable delays remain, the watchdog may impose remedies like bringing in third parties to do the work or insisting that needed equipment gets ordered sooner.
It’s no small matter: The California Energy Commission says the state will need about 50% more power by 2045, requiring double the transmission capacity available now.
“AB 2493 will increase transparency of interconnection delays and allow the state to take action necessary to bring clean energy online at the pace and scale its ambitious targets demand,” UCS Associate Director Daniel Barad said in a news release.
VIRTUAL POWER PLANTS
Senate Bills 913 and 905 deal with networks of consumer-owned batteries, rooftop solar, electric vehicles and other devices that can work together like “virtual power plants” to deliver electricity at times of peak demand, ideally in a way that reduces ratepayer costs.
The former, authored by state Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, removes restrictions that have kept utility customers’ batteries from playing a bigger role in the wholesale energy market. SB 913 tells the CPUC to come up with prices that will be paid to battery owners when their electricity reduces stress on the state power grid.
The latter, SB 905, also by Becker, is an attempt to identify opportunities for eliminating unnecessary spending on the power grid. By pinpointing circuits that can carry more power if usage can be moved to off-peak hours, it gives the CPUC a way to incorporate batteries, smart thermostats and the like to lower utilities’ spending on underused assets.
“These new tools will make energy more affordable for everybody by getting more usage out of the infrastructure that Californians have already paid for,” Executive Director Brad Heavner of the California Solar & Storage Association trade group.
BALCONY SOLAR
Senate Bill 868, by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, legalizes so-called balcony solar panels that can be plugged directly into a standard outlet to offset on-site energy use. The law allows people to deploy up to 1,200 watts of power per home.
Solar systems of this kind have been introduced in places including Utah and Germany.
Their legalization in California means residents will no longer need to apply for permission to use them, as long as they are certified by an accredited lab and feature an automatic shutoff to protect utility workers during power outages.
“The feeling of turning the abundant solar rays hitting our balconies or backyards into the energy that powers our home is almost as brilliant as the rays themselves,” Environment California State Director Laura Deehan said in a news release. “This will allow more Californians to experience it.”
ELECTRIC CONVERSIONS
Assembly Bill 2313, authored by Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, gives homeowners a financial incentive if they choose to electrify their home instead of replacing natural gas lines that have worn out.
Supported by environmental advocacy groups, the law introduces a subsidy covering 85% of the cost of the gas line’s replacement, or 100% if the homeowner lives in a qualified, underprivileged area.
The incentives, paid for by natural gas utilities, are intended to help customers pay for investments such as heat pumps and induction cooktops.
“Electrification only works if Californians can afford to make the switch,” California Director Brandon García at the trade group Advanced Energy United said in a news release. “AB 2313 gives customers more options while protecting all ratepayers from added costs.”
VETOED: RENEWABLE ENERGY SUBSCRIPTIONS
Assembly Bill 1813 by Assemblyman Chris Ward, D-San Diego, would have ordered the CPUC to create a renewable energy subscription program for renters and others unable to install their own rooftop solar panels.
The idea was to encourage communities to host projects combining as much as 5 megawatts of solar power with up to the same amount of energy storage.
But Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 1813, saying it would have shifted costs to other ratepayers that don’t participate in such programs. He added that the bill would put California’s energy affordability and reliability goals further out of reach.
Ward was displeased.
“At a time when energy costs are rising across the board, and severe weather events caused by climate change are becoming more frequent, community solar poses itself as a commonsense solution that dozens of other states have already made major investments in,” the assemblyman said in a statement.
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