SECTIONS 25600-25618 - California Statutes

PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE

SECTION 25600-25618

25600. As used in this chapter:
(a) "Passive thermal system" means a system which utilizes the
structural elements of a building and is not augmented by mechanical
components to provide for collection, storage and distribution of
solar energy or coolness.
(b) "Semipassive thermal system" means a system which utilizes the
structural elements of a building and is augmented by mechanical
components to provide for collection, storage, and distribution of
solar energy or coolness.
(c) "Solar device" means the equipment associated with the
collection, transfer, distribution, storage, and control of solar
energy.
(d) "Solar system" means the integrated use of solar devices for
the functions of collection, transfer, storage, and distribution of
solar energy.
(e) "Standard" means a specification of design, performance, and
procedure, or of the instrumentation, equipment, surrounding
conditions, and skills required during the conduct of a procedure.

25601. The commission shall develop and coordinate a program of
research and development in energy supply, consumption, and
conservation and the technology of siting facilities and shall give
priority to those forms of research and development which are of
particular importance to the state, including, but not limited to,
all of the following:
(a) Methods of energy conservation specified in Chapter 5
(commencing with Section 25400).
(b) Increased energy use efficiencies of existing thermal electric
and hydroelectric powerplants and increased energy efficiencies in
designs of thermal electric and hydroelectric powerplants.
(c) Expansion and accelerated development of alternative sources
of energy, including geothermal and solar resources, including, but
not limited to, participation in large-scale demonstrations of
alternative energy systems sited in California in cooperation with
federal agencies, regional compacts, other state governments, and
other participants. For purposes of this subdivision, "participation"
shall be defined as any of the following: (1) direct interest in a
project, (2) research and development to insure acceptable resolution
of environment and other impacts of alternative energy systems, (3)
research and development to improve siting and permitting methodology
for alternative energy systems, (4) experiments utilizing the
alternative energy systems, and (5) research and development of
appropriate methods to insure the widespread utilization of
economically useful alternative energy systems. Large-scale
demonstrations of alternative energy systems are exemplified by the
100KWe to 100MWe range demonstrations of solar, wind, and geothermal
systems contemplated by federal agencies, regional compacts, other
state governments, and other participants.
(d) Improved methods of construction, design, and operation of
facilities to protect against seismic hazards.
(e) Improved methods of energy-demand forecasting.
(f) To accomplish the purposes of subdivision (c), an amount not
more than one-half of the total state funds appropriated for the
solar energy research and development program as proposed in the
budget prepared pursuant to Section 25604 shall be allocated for
large-scale demonstration of alternative energy systems.

25602. The commission shall carry out technical assessment studies
on all forms of energy and energy-related problems, in order to
influence federal research and development priorities and to be
informed on future energy options and their impacts, including, in
addition to those problems specified in Section 25601, but not
limited to, the following:
(a) Advanced nuclear powerplant concepts, fusion, and fuel cells.
(b) Total energy concepts.
(c) New technology related to coastal and offshore siting of
facilities.
(d) Expanded use of wastewater as cooling water and other advances
in powerplant cooling.
(e) Improved methods of power transmission to permit interstate
and interregional transfer and exchange of bulk electric power.
(f) Measures to reduce wasteful and inefficient uses of energy.
(g) Shifts in transportation modes and changes in transportation
technology in relation to implications for energy consumption.
(h) Methods of recycling, extraction, processing, fabricating,
handling, or disposing of materials, especially materials which
require large commitments of energy.
(i) Expanded recycling of materials and its effect on energy
consumption.
(j) Implications of government subsidies and taxation and
ratesetting policies.
(k) Utilization of waste heat.
(l) Use of hydrogen as an energy form.
(m) Use of agricultural products, municipal wastes, and organic
refuse as an energy source.
Such assessments may also be conducted in order to determine which
energy systems among competing technologies are most compatible with
standards established pursuant to this division.

25603. For research purposes, the commission shall, in cooperation
with other state agencies, participate in the design, construction,
and operation of energy-conserving buildings using data developed
pursuant to Section 25401, in order to demonstrate the economic and
technical feasibility of such designs.

25603.5. (a) Pursuant to the duties of the commission described in
subdivision (a) of Section 25401 and Section 25603, the commission
shall conduct a statewide architectural design competition to select
outstanding designs for new single-family and multifamily residential
units which incorporate passive solar and other energy-conserving
design features.
The purpose of the competition, to be known as the "State Solar
Medallion Passive Design Competition", is to demonstrate the
technical and economic feasibility of passive solar design for
residential construction, to speed its commercialization, and to
promote its use by developers in housing for moderate-income families
in the state. The competition shall be carried out with the
assistance and cooperation of the Office of the State Architect.
(b) The competition shall be conducted for each of the state's six
regional climate zones. Each climate zone shall have the following
four categories of competition:
(1) Single-family dwellings. The construction costs of these
dwellings shall not exceed thirty-five thousand dollars ($35,000) and
the market price, inclusive of land, construction, permits, fees,
overhead and profit shall not exceed fifty-five thousand dollars
($55,000); provided that, if the commission determines that, as of
the date construction is completed, the cost of housing construction
in this state has increased due to economic inflation since January
1, 1979, the commission may increase these sums by the amount of such
inflation as indicated by the construction cost index.
(2) Single-family dwellings. The construction costs of these
dwellings shall not exceed fifty-five thousand dollars ($55,000) and
the market price, inclusive of land, construction, permits, fees,
overhead and profit shall not exceed eighty-five thousand dollars
($85,000); provided that, if the commission determines that, as of
the date construction is completed, the cost of housing construction
in this state has increased due to economic inflation since January
1, 1979, the commission may increase these sums by the amount of such
inflation as indicated by the construction cost index.
(3) Multifamily housing units with a market price or rental value
comparable to paragraph (1) of this subdivision.
(4) Multifamily housing units with a market price or rental value
comparable to paragraph (2) of this subdivision.
(c) In order to qualify for the competition, entrants shall be a
team composed of at least one member from each of the following
categories:
(1) A building designer or architect.
(2) A builder, developer, or contractor.
(d) With submission of designs to the competition, all entrants
shall agree to comply with the following provisions, if awarded the
Solar Medallion or the first place prize in any category:
(1) To build five models of the winning design for single-family
home categories if the builder, developer, or contractor member of
the winning team constructed more than 30 single-family detached
units during the one-year period ending on the date of the award, or
(2) To build three models of the winning design for single-family
home categories if the builder, developer, or contractor member of
the winning team constructed 30 or fewer single-family detached units
during the one-year period ending on the date of the award, or
(3) To build one model of the winning design for all multifamily
categories.
(4) To commence construction within 18 months of the announcement
of awards.
(5) To permit the commission to install monitoring equipment for
measuring energy conservation performance of the structure on all
models constructed in compliance with paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of
this subdivision.
(6) To permit the commission to document, exhibit, and publicize
the constructed designs.
All models of winning designs shall be built on the site or sites
described in the submission or on an alternate site or sites with
comparable features.
Cash awards to authors of the winning designs may be made prior to
commencement of the agreed upon construction.
All winning designs in the competition shall become the property
of the state and may be published and exhibited by the state after
completion of competition.
(e) The judging panel for the competition shall consist of the
following five jurors:
(1) One representative of the Office of the State Architect.
(2) One representative of the commission.
(3) One certificated architect.
(4) One representative of the state's lending institutions.
(5) One developer, builder, or contractor.
The nonagency members shall be appointed by the State Architect.
In recognition of the wide variation in construction costs
statewide, and in order to ensure fair and equitable competition in
all areas of the state, a cost index shall be used to determine
different construction cost and market price requirements for each
category of competition in the major metropolitan areas of the state.
The construction cost and market price figures specified in
paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (b) shall be used as the upper
limit values on which the index shall be based. Construction cost and
market price figures reflecting the diversity in costs in different
areas of the state shall be determined in relation to upper limit
values specified in this section.
The cost index shall be prepared by the Office of the State
Architect and shall be published in the competition program.
The evaluation shall take place in two stages, with an initial
technical review by the commission staff. The staff shall submit to
the judging panel a rigorous technical assessment of the anticipated
energy conservation performance of all submissions. Final selection
shall be made by the judging panel.
Designs submitted to the competition shall be judged on the extent
to which they satisfy the following criteria:
(1) Use of passive solar and other energy conserving design
features.
(2) Amount of energy savings achieved by the design.
(3) Adaptability of the design to widespread use.
(f) The commission shall be responsible for developing rules and
procedures for the conduct of the competition and for the judging,
which rules shall ensure anonymity of designs submitted prior to
final awarding of prizes, shall ensure impartiality of the judging
panel, and shall ensure uniform treatment of competitors.
In administering the competition, the commission shall accomplish
the following tasks:
(1) Preparation of a competition program, including climatological
data for each of the six regional climate zones.
(2) Distribution of competition information and ongoing publicity.
(3) Development of rules and procedures for competitors and
judges.
(4) Preparation of a summary document for the competition,
including a portfolio of winning designs and followup publicity.
(5) Instrumentation of winning dwellings constructed in accordance
with requirements of this section; instrumentation for measurement
of energy conservation performance of the units and ongoing data
collection shall be provided by the commission pursuant to Section
25607.
For purposes of administering the competition, the commission
shall contract with the Office of the State Architect for materials
and services that cannot be performed by its staff.
(g) Cash awards to authors of the winning designs shall be made on
the following basis:
Using the criteria in subdivision (e) of this section, the judging
panel shall select, as follows:
(1) The most outstanding design statewide selected from among the
first place winners in either of two single-family categories in any
of the six climate zones which shall receive the State Solar
Medallion Award and five thousand dollars ($5,000) in addition to the
cash award specified in paragraph (3) of this subdivision.
(2) The most outstanding design statewide selected from among the
first place winners in either of the two multifamily categories in
any of the six climate zones which shall receive the State Solar
Medallion Award and five thousand dollars ($5,000) in addition to the
cash award specified in paragraph (3) of this subdivision.
(3) The first place designs in each of the four competition
categories within each of the six climate zones, which shall each
receive a cash award of five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(4) The second place designs in each of the four competition
categories within each of the six climate zones, which shall each
receive a cash award of two thousand dollars ($2,000).

25605. On or before November 1, 1978, the commission shall develop
and adopt, in cooperation with affected industry and consumer
representatives, and after one or more public hearings, regulations
governing solar devices. The regulations shall be designed to
encourage the development and use of solar energy and to provide
maximum information to the public concerning solar devices. The
regulations may include, but need not be limited to, any or all of
the following:
(a) Standards for testing, inspection, certification, sizing, and
installation of solar devices.
(b) Provisions for the enforcement of the standards. Such
provisions may include any or all of the following:
(1) Procedures for the accreditation by the commission of
laboratories to test and certify solar devices.
(2) Requirements for onsite inspection of solar devices, including
specifying methods for inspection, to determine compliance or
noncompliance with the standards.
(3) Requirements for submission to the commission of any data
resulting from the testing and inspection of solar devices.
(4) Prohibitions on the sale of solar devices which do not meet
minimum requirements for safety and durability as established by the
commission.
(5) Dissemination of the results of the testing, inspection, and
certification program to the public.
(c) In adopting the regulations, the commission shall give due
consideration to their effect on the cost of purchasing, installing,
operating and maintaining solar devices. The commission shall
reassess the regulations as often as it deems necessary, based upon
the value of the regulations in terms of benefits and disadvantages
to the widespread adoption of solar energy systems and the need to
encourage creativity and innovative adaptations of solar energy. The
commission may amend or repeal these regulations based on such
reassessment.
(d) Under no circumstances may the commission preclude any person
from developing, installing, or operating a solar device on his or
her own property.
(e) Any violation of any regulation adopted by the commission
pursuant to this section may be enjoined in the same manner as is
prescribed in Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 25900) of this
division for enjoining a violation of this division.

25605.5. Standards adopted by the commission pursuant to Section
25605, which are building standards as defined in Section 25488.5,
shall be submitted to the State Building Standards Commission for
approval pursuant to, and are governed by, the State Building
Standards Law (Part 2.5 (commencing with Section 18901) of Division
13 of the Health and Safety Code). Building standards adopted by the
commission and published in the State Building Standards Code shall
comply with, and be enforced as provided in, Section 25605.

25608. The commission shall confer with officials of federal
agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology,
the Department of Energy, and the Department of Housing and Urban
Development, to coordinate the adoption of regulations pursuant to
Sections 25603 and 25605.

25609. The commission may, in adopting regulations pursuant to this
chapter, specify the date when the regulations shall take effect.
The commission may specify different dates for different regulations.

25609.5. The effective dates of building standards adopted by the
commission pursuant to Section 25609 are subject to approval pursuant
to the provisions of the State Building Standards Law, Part 2.5
(commencing with Section 18901) of Part 13 of the Health and Safety
Code.

25610. For purposes of carrying out the provisions of this chapter,
the commission may contract with any person for materials and
services that cannot be performed by its staff or other state
agencies, and may apply for federal grants or any other funding.

25616. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage local
agencies to expeditiously review permit applications to site energy
projects, and to encourage energy project developers to consider all
cost-effective and environmentally superior alternatives that achieve
their project objectives.
(b) Subject to the availability of funds appropriated therefor,
the commission shall provide technical assistance and grants-in-aid
to assist local agencies to do either or both of the following:
(1) Site energy production or transmission projects which are not
otherwise subject to the provisions of Chapter 6 (commencing with
Section 25500).
(2) Integrate into their planning processes, and incorporate into
their general plans, methods to achieve cost-effective energy
efficiency.
(c) The commission shall provide assistance at the request of
local agencies and shall coordinate that assistance with the
assistance provided by the Department of Permit Assistance, created
pursuant to Section 15399.50 of the Government Code.
(d) As used in this section, an energy project is any project
designed to produce, convert, or transmit energy as one of its
primary functions.

25617. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature to preserve
diversity of energy resources, including diversity of resources used
in electric generation facilities, industrial and commercial
applications, and transportation.
(b) The commission shall, within the limits of available funds,
provide technical assistance and support for the development of
petroleum diesel fuels which are as clean or cleaner than alternative
clean fuels and clean diesel engines. That technical assistance and
support may include the creation of research, development, and
demonstration programs.

25618. (a) The commission shall facilitate development and
commercialization of ultra low- and zero-emission electric vehicles
and advanced battery technologies, as well as development of an
infrastructure to support maintenance and fueling of those vehicles
in California. Facilitating commercialization of ultra low- and
zero-emission electric vehicles in California shall include, but not
be limited to, the following:
(1) The commission may, in cooperation with county, regional, and
city governments, the state's public and private utilities, and the
private business sector, develop plans for accelerating the
introduction and use of ultra low- and zero-emission electric
vehicles throughout California's air quality nonattainment areas, and
for accelerating the development and implementation of the necessary
infrastructure to support the planned use of those vehicles in
California. These plans shall be consistent with, but not limited to,
the criteria for similar efforts contained in federal loan, grant,
or matching fund projects.
(2) In coordination with other state agencies, the commission
shall seek to maximize the state's use of federal programs, loans,
and matching funds available to states for ultra low- and
zero-emission electric vehicle development and demonstration
programs, and infrastructure development projects.
(b) Priority for implementing demonstration projects under this
section shall be directed toward those areas of the state currently
in a nonattainment status with federal and state air quality
regulations.