Lay of the Land
As we start to look back on significant new laws approved by California’s Legislature in 2015, climate change once again took a prominent role. In particular, SB 350 ups the State’s targets for the amount of electricity to be generated in future years from eligible renewable energy resources and sold to retail customers, setting the goal of 50% by 2030. The law also requires the California Energy Commission to set annual targets to double energy efficiency in buildings by 2030. With SB 350, California has strongly reaffirmed its role as a leader in the effort to confront global climate change, while also providing a clear signal to renewable energy developers that solar and wind will continue to play a growing role in the state’s energy future.
SB 350 also emphasizes the important role of electric vehicles in California’s overall scheme to combat climate change, declaring that “[d]eploying electric vehicles should assist in grid management, integrating generation from eligible renewable energy resources, and reducing fuel costs for vehicle drivers . . . .” The bill promotes the development of additional electric vehicle charging infrastructure to encourage greater use of electric cars.
SB 350 follows the renewable energy equation inherent in previous California climate change legislation by relying not only on increasing the sources of renewable energy generation, but also on the reduction of statewide electricity and natural gas demand. As consumers see not only the environmental benefits of energy efficiency, but also the personal economic savings, many renewable energy policies have come to be seen as “win-win.” As a result, Continue reading