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Panel approves changes to state community renewable program to boost low‑income participation and storage
Summary
AB 12 60 would revise the community renewable energy program the PUC adopted after AB 23 16, directing compensation using the PUC’s avoided-cost method and requiring storage and subscriber targeting for low-income customers; utilities warned of cost shifts to nonparticipating customers.
The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy advanced AB 12 60, a measure designed to revise California’s community renewable energy program so it better serves low‑income households and provides a compensation structure that supporters say aligns with the value these projects deliver.
The author said existing PUC implementation of AB 23 16 produced a program that undercompensates community projects and relies heavily on external funding that may be uncertain. AB 12 60 would require community renewable facilities to be compensated using the commission’s avoided‑cost calculator, pair generation with four hours of energy storage sized to facility capacity, and ensure at least 51% of a project’s subscribers are low‑income customers or low‑income service organizations. The bill would also allow community projects to serve as an alternative compliance pathway for Title 24 on‑site solar requirements.
Supporters including NRDC, TURN and industry groups said the approach would expand practical access to solar for renters and low‑income households, reduce the need for costly distribution upgrades, and could produce system savings compared with rooftop-only deployment. The author and TURN cited modeling showing large lifetime cost differences favoring community deployment when considered as an alternative to rooftop compliance.
Investor‑owned utilities and some ratepayer advocates opposed or urged caution, arguing the PUC has been implementing AB 23 16 with a focus on minimizing cost shift to nonparticipating customers and pursuing nonratepayer funding. Utilities warned that codifying a specific compensation mechanism and expanding the program could increase costs for customers who do not participate and urged further PUC study of load‑modifying attributes before fixing compensation in statute.
The committee advanced AB 12 60 to Appropriations after accepting or incorporating committee-level adjustments; the committee vote was recorded as passed (yes: 13; no:1).
