Transportation electrification: electric vehicles: grid integration.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards. Existing law requires the PUC, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) , the State Air Resources Board, electrical corporations, and the motor vehicle industry, to evaluate policies to develop infrastructure sufficient to overcome any barriers to the widespread deployment and use of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. Existing law requires the PUC, in consultation with the Energy Commission and the State Air Resources Board, to direct electrical corporations to file applications for programs and investments to accelerate widespread transportation electrification to achieve specified results. Existing law requires the PUC to approve, or modify and approve, programs and investments in transportation electrification, including those that deploy charging infrastructure, through a reasonable cost recovery mechanism, under certain circumstances. Existing law requires the PUC to consider facilitating the development of technologies that promote grid integration. This bill would require the PUC, by December 31, 2020, in an existing proceeding, to establish strategies and quantifiable metrics to maximize the use of feasible and cost-effective electric vehicle grid integration by January 1, 2030, as specified. The bill would require the PUC to reference the electric vehicle grid integration strategies in relevant ongoing and subsequent proceedings that address issues of transportation electrification in any part and to identify how programs and investments that the PUC may approve will advance the achievement of the strategies. The bill would require the PUC, when executing its transportation electrification responsibilities, to consider how, or if, electric vehicle grid integration can mitigate any generation, transmission, or distribution costs, or increase the economic, social, or environmental benefits associated with transportation electrification, and to not foreclose future utilization of electric vehicle grid integration. The bill would require electrical corporations and community choice aggregators to provide to the PUC certain information relating to the electric vehicle integration strategies. The bill would require each local publicly owned electric utility serving more than 700 gigawatthours of annual electrical demand, in each integrated resource plan update adopted on and after January 1, 2020, to consider establishing electric vehicle grid integration strategies and evaluating how its existing and planned programs further those strategies. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the PUC is a crime. Because the above provisions amend the Public Utilities Act, and the PUC would be required to issue an order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement to implement those provisions, a violation of any of which would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Further, because the bill would impose additional duties on local publicly owned electric utilities and community choice aggregators, which are local agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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 specified reasons.