Net energy metering.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law, relative to private energy producers, requires every electric utility, as defined, to make available to an eligible customer-generator, as defined, a standard contract or tariff for net energy metering on a first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total rated generating capacity of renewable electrical generation facilities, as defined, used by eligible customer-generators exceeds 5% of the electric utility's aggregate customer peak demand. The existing definition of an eligible customer-generator requires that the generating facility use a solar or wind turbine, or a hybrid system of both, and have a generating capacity of not more than one megawatt. Electrical corporations are an electric utility for these purposes. This bill would require the commission to complete a study by October 1, 2013, to determine who benefits from, and who bears the economic burden, if any, of, the net energy metering program, and to determine the extent to which each class of ratepayers and each region of the state receiving service under the net energy metering program is paying the full cost of the services provided to them by electrical corporations, and the extent to which those customers pay their share of the costs of public purpose programs. The bill would require the commission to report the results of the study to the Legislature within 30 days of its completion. Existing law establishes separate requirements for wind energy co-metering that provides a credit against the generation component of an electricity bill of an electric utility for those customer-generators utilizing a wind energy project greater than 50 kilowatts, but not exceeding one megawatt. The wind energy co-metering provisions include a requirement that the eligible customer-generator utilize a meter, or multiple meters, capable of separately measuring electricity flow in both directions. This bill would state that nothing in the wind energy co-metering provisions precludes the use of advanced metering infrastructure devices.