Section 769.3 - Community renewable energy program(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) "Community choice aggregator" has the same meaning as defined in Section 331.1.(2) "Customer renewable energy subscription program" does not include the net energy metering program specified in Sections 2827 and 2827.1 or the Multifamily Affordable Housing Solar Roofs Program established pursuant to Chapter 9.5 (commencing with Section 2870) of Part 2. "Customer renewable energy subscription program" includes an alternative designed for growth among residential customers in disadvantaged communities pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 2827.1.(3) "Low-income customer" means either of the following:(A) An individual or household who qualifies for one or more of the following programs: (i) The California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program described in Section 739.1.(ii) The Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) program described in Section 739.12.(iii) The CalFresh program established pursuant to Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 18900) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.(iv) The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (Chapter 51 (commencing with Section 2011) of Title 7 of the United States Code).(v) The Low-income Heating Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) (42 U.S.C. Sec. 8621).(B) An individual or household who resides within an underserved community.(4) "Underserved community" includes each of the following:(A) A "low-income community" as defined in Section 39713 of the Health and Safety Code.(B) A community within an area identified as among the 25 percent most disadvantaged areas in the state according to the California Environmental Protection Agency and based on the most recent California Communities Environmental Health Screening Tool, also known as CalEnviroScreen, that is used to identify disadvantaged communities pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code.(C) A community located on lands belonging to a California Native American tribe, as defined in Section 21073 of the Public Resources Code.(b) On or before March 31, 2024, the commission shall, in a new or existing proceeding, do both of the following: (1)(A) Evaluate each customer renewable energy subscription program, including the Green Tariff Shared Renewables Program (Chapter 7.6 (commencing with Section 2831) of Part 2) and any program established as an alternative designed for growth among residential customers in disadvantaged communities pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 2827.1, to determine if the program meets all of the following goals: (i) Efficiently serves distinct customer groups.(ii) Minimizes duplicative offerings.(iii) Promotes robust participation by low-income customers.(B) Consider, as part of the evaluation, the energy load migration trends among bundled and nonbundled customers and any associated risks with maintaining or creating a customer renewable energy subscription program.(C) If the commission determines a customer renewable energy subscription program does not meet all of the goals described in subparagraph (A), authorize the termination or modification of the program.(2)(A) Determine whether it would be beneficial to ratepayers to establish a new tariff or program for an electrical corporation, or modify an existing tariff or program administered by an electrical corporation, to establish a community renewable energy program consistent with the criteria described in subdivision (c). If the commission determines that it would be beneficial to ratepayers to establish the community renewable energy program, the commission shall, on or before July 1, 2024, establish the program as part of the same proceeding and require each electrical corporation to participate in the program.(B) If the commission establishes a community renewable energy program pursuant to subparagraph (A), each community choice aggregator and electric service provider, within 180 days of the establishment of the program, shall notify the commission whether it will participate in the program. A community choice aggregator or electric service provider may begin participating in, or end its participation in, the program at any time by notifying the commission.(c) The community renewable energy program, if established, shall do all of the following: (1) Be complementary to, and consistent with, the requirements of Section 10-115 of the California Building Standards Code (Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations). For purposes of this paragraph, the commission shall consult with the Energy Commission.(2) Ensure at least 51 percent of the program's capacity serves low-income customers.(3) Minimize impacts to nonparticipating customers by prohibiting the program's costs from being paid by nonparticipating customers in excess of the avoided costs. Qualifying funds for financial incentives shall only be available through an appropriation by the Legislature.(4)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), require that all of the following requirements apply to the construction of a community renewable energy facility pursuant to the program: (i) All construction workers employed in the execution of the project shall be paid at least the general prevailing rate of per diem wages for the type of work and geographic area, as determined by the Director of Industrial Relations pursuant to Sections 1773 and 1773.9 of the Labor Code, except that apprentices registered in programs approved by the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards may be paid at least the applicable apprentice prevailing rate.(ii) The owner of the community renewable energy facility shall ensure that the prevailing wage requirement is included in all contracts for the performance of the work.(iii) All contractors and subcontractors shall maintain payroll records pursuant to Section 1776 of the Labor Code and make those records available for inspection and copying as provided in that section.(iv) The requirement on contractors and subcontractors to pay prevailing wages pursuant to this section may be enforced by the Labor Commissioner through the issuance of a civil wage and penalty assessment pursuant to Section 1741 of the Labor Code, which may be reviewed pursuant to Section 1742 of the Labor Code, within 18 months after the completion of the project, by an underpaid worker through an administrative complaint or civil action, or by a joint labor-management committee through a civil action under Section 1771.2 of the Labor Code. If a civil wage and penalty assessment is issued, the contractor, subcontractor, and surety on a bond issued to secure the payment of wages covered by the assessment shall be liable for liquidated damages pursuant to Section 1742.1 of the Labor Code.(B) Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 1720) of Part 7 of Division 2 of the Labor Code and subparagraph (A) shall not apply to the construction of a community renewable energy facility pursuant to the program if all contractors and subcontractors performing work on the project are subject to a project labor agreement that requires the payment of prevailing wages and provides for enforcement of that obligation through an arbitration procedure. For purposes of this subparagraph, "project labor agreement" has the same meaning as defined in Section 2500 of the Public Contract Code.(5) Provide bill credits to subscribers based on the avoided costs of the program's facilities, as determined by the commission's methods for calculating the full set of benefits of distributed energy resources. The commission may use actual wholesale market prices for the energy supply portion of an avoided cost calculation or credit value.(6) Prioritize the maximum use of state and federal incentives and accelerate implementation of the program to ensure that time- or quantity-limited federal incentives can be obtained for the benefit of subscribers. As part of this prioritization, the commission shall ensure that a community renewable energy facility participating in the community renewable energy program is eligible for an enhanced federal investment tax credit available as a qualified low-income economic benefit project pursuant to subsection (e) of Section 48 of Title 26 of the United States Code.Ca. Pub. Util. Code § 769.3
Added by Stats 2022 ch 350 (AB 2316),s 2, eff. 1/1/2023.