SECTIONS 25780-25784 - California Statutes

PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE

SECTION 25780-25784

25780. The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:
(a) It is the goal of the state to install solar energy systems
with a generation capacity equivalent of 3,000 megawatts, to
establish a self-sufficient solar industry in which solar energy
systems are a viable mainstream option for both homes and businesses
in 10 years, and to place solar energy systems on 50 percent of new
homes in 13 years.
(b) A solar initiative should be a cost-effective investment by
ratepayers in peak electricity generation capacity where ratepayers
recoup the cost of their investment through lower rates as a result
of avoiding purchases of electricity at peak rates, with additional
system reliability and pollution reduction benefits.

25781. As used in this chapter, the following terms have the
following meanings:
(a) "California Solar Initiative" means the program providing
ratepayer funded incentives for eligible solar energy systems adopted
by the Public Utilities Commission in Decision 06-01-024.
(b) "kW" means kilowatts or 1,000 watts, as measured from the
alternating current side of the solar energy system inverter
consistent with Section 223 of Title 15 of the United States Code.
(c) "kWh" means kilowatthours, as measured by the number of
kilowatts generated in an hour.
(d) "MW" means megawatts or 1,000,000 watts.
(e) "Solar energy system" means a solar energy device that has the
primary purpose of providing for the collection and distribution of
solar energy for the generation of electricity, that produces at
least one kW, and not more than five MW, alternating current rated
peak electricity, and that meets or exceeds the eligibility criteria
established pursuant to Section 25782.

25782. (a) The commission shall, by January 1, 2008, in
consultation with the Public Utilities Commission, local publicly
owned electric utilities, and interested members of the public,
establish eligibility criteria for solar energy systems receiving
ratepayer funded incentives that include all of the following:
(1) Design, installation, and electrical output standards or
incentives.
(2) The solar energy system is intended primarily to offset part
or all of the consumer's own electricity demand.
(3) All components in the solar energy system are new and unused,
and have not previously been placed in service in any other location
or for any other application.
(4) The solar energy system has a warranty of not less than 10
years to protect against defects and undue degradation of electrical
generation output.
(5) The solar energy system is located on the same premises of the
end-use consumer where the consumer's own electricity demand is
located.
(6) The solar energy system is connected to the electrical
corporation's electrical distribution system within the state.
(7) The solar energy system has meters or other devices in place
to monitor and measure the system's performance and the quantity of
electricity generated by the system.
(8) The solar energy system is installed in conformance with the
manufacturer's specifications and in compliance with all applicable
electrical and building code standards.
(b) The commission shall establish conditions on ratepayer funded
incentives that require all of the following:
(1) Appropriate siting and high quality installation of the solar
energy system by developing installation guidelines that maximize the
performance of the system and prevent qualified systems from being
inefficiently or inappropriately installed. The conditions
established by the commission shall not impact housing designs or
densities presently authorized by a city, county, or city and county.
The goal of this paragraph is to achieve efficient installation of
solar energy systems to promote the greatest energy production per
ratepayer dollar.
(2) Optimal solar energy system performance during periods of peak
electricity demand.
(3) Appropriate energy efficiency improvements in the new or
existing home or commercial structure where the solar energy system
is installed.
(c) The commission shall set rating standards for equipment,
components, and systems to assure reasonable performance and shall
develop standards that provide for compliance with the minimum
ratings.
(d) Upon establishment of eligibility criteria pursuant to
subdivision (a), no ratepayer funded incentives shall be made for a
solar energy system that does not meet the eligibility criteria.

25783. The commission shall do all the following:
(a) Publish educational materials designed to demonstrate how
builders may incorporate solar energy systems during construction as
well as energy efficiency measures that best complement solar energy
systems.
(b) Develop and publish the estimated annual electrical generation
and savings for solar energy systems. The estimates shall vary by
climate zone, type of system, size, life cycle costs, electricity
prices, and other factors the commission determines to be relevant to
a consumer when making a purchasing decision.
(c) Provide assistance to builders and contractors. The assistance
may include technical workshops, training, educational materials,
and related research.
(d) The commission shall annually conduct random audits of solar
energy systems to evaluate their operational performance.

25784. The commission shall adopt guidelines for solar energy
systems receiving ratepayer funded incentives at a publicly noticed
meeting offering all interested parties an opportunity to comment.
Not less than 30 days' public notice shall be given of the meeting
required by this section, before the commission initially adopts
guidelines. Substantive changes to the guidelines shall not be
adopted without at least 10 days' written notice to the public.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any guidelines adopted
pursuant to this chapter shall be exempt from the requirements of
Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3
of Title 2 of the Government Code.