SB 550: Net energy metering.

Existing law relative to private energy producers requires every electric utility to develop a standard contract or tariff providing for net energy metering and to make this contract or tariff available to eligible customer-generators upon request for generation by a renewable electrical generation facility. Existing law provides that an electric utility that is not a large electrical corporation is not obligated to provide net energy metering when the combined total peak demand of all electricity used by eligible customer-generators in the service area exceeds 5% of the aggregate customer peak demand of the electric utility. Existing law exempts from the net energy metering requirements a local publicly owned electric utility that serves more than 750,000 customers and that also conveys water to its customers.

This bill would delete the exemption for those local publicly owned electric utilities. The bill would define the aggregate customer peak demand for the purposes of calculating the net energy metering program limit for electric utilities that are not large electrical corporations. The bill would require those electric utilities to file with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and to make available to the public a quarterly report detailing their progress towards the program limit. By imposing additional requirements on local publicly owned electric utilities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the commission to post on its Internet Web site data detailing the progress of those electric utilities towards their program limit.

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 a specified reason.