Clean energy: California 24/7 Clean Energy Standard Program.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the PUC to establish a renewables portfolio standard requiring all retail sellers, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, so that the total kilowatthours of those products sold to their retail end-use customers achieves 25% of retail sales by December 31, 2016, 33% by December 31, 2020, 44% by December 31, 2024, 52% by December 31, 2027, and 60% by December 31, 2030. The program requires the PUC to establish appropriate 3-year compliance periods for all subsequent years that require retail sellers to procure not less than 60% of retail sales of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources. The program additionally requires each local publicly owned electric utility, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources to achieve the procurement requirements established by the program. The program requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to establish appropriate multiyear compliance periods for all subsequent years that require the local publicly owned electric utility to procure not less than 60% of retail sales of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources. Existing law establishes as policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100% of retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers and 100% of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2045. This bill would revise that policy to establish a goal that 100% of electrical load be supplied by eligible clean energy resources, as defined. The bill would establish the California 24/7 Clean Energy Standard Program, which would require that 85% of retail load, as defined, annually and at least 60% of retail load within certain subperiods by December 31, 2030, and 90% of retail load annually and at least 75% of retail load within certain subperiods by December 31, 2035, be supplied by eligible clean energy resources, as defined. The bill would require the Energy Commission, in consultation with the PUC and California balancing authorities, to establish compliance periods and subperiods that meet certain criteria. The bill would require the PUC to establish for each retail seller, and the Energy Commission for each local publicly owned electric utility, clean energy procurement requirements for each compliance period and subperiod, as provided. Because the bill would impose additional duties on local publicly owned electric utilities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new 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 specified reasons.