Official Summary Text
AB 1095, as amended, Papan.
California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program: waste heat energy.
Data centers: waste heat energy.
The Bergeson-Peace Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank Act establishes the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (I-Bank) in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, governed by a board of directors. The act, among other things, authorizes the I-Bank to make loans, issue bonds, and provide financial assistance for various types of projects that qualify as economic development or public development facilities. The Climate Catalyst Revolving Loan Fund Act of 2020 authorizes the I-Bank, under the Climate Catalyst Revolving Loan Fund Program, to provide financial assistance to any eligible sponsor or participating party in connection with the financing or refinancing for eligible climate catalyst projects, as defined, either directly to the sponsor or
participating party or to a lending or financial institution, as specified. The act, beginning in the 2021–22 fiscal year, requires the I-Bank to adopt a climate catalyst financing plan, as specified, after meeting and conferring with prescribed authorized consulting agencies concerning specific categories of climate catalyst projects. The act establishes the Climate Catalyst Revolving Loan Fund as a continuously appropriated fund for the purpose of implementing the objectives and provisions of the act.
This bill would authorize the I-Bank to provide financial assistance in connection with the financing or refinancing of an additional category of climate catalyst projects, those projects that enable the capture and conversion of data centers’ waste heat, with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) as the consulting agency. If multiple projects seek funding under this category of climate catalyst projects, the bill
would require the consulting agencies to prioritize funding based on state policy and on financial considerations, as determined by the Energy Commission. By expanding the purposes for which moneys in the fund may be expended, the bill would make an appropriation.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory jurisdiction over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing board. The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the commission to establish a renewables portfolio standard requiring all retail sellers, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, so that the total kilowatthours of those products sold to their retail end-use customers achieves 25% of retail sales by December 31, 2016, 33% by December 31, 2020, 44% by December 31, 2024, 52% by December 31, 2027, and 60% by December 31, 2030. The program additionally requires each local publicly owned
electric utility to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources to achieve the procurement requirements established by the program.
This bill would require that a data center, as defined, that generates waste heat energy, as defined, be eligible to receive renewable energy credits under the program for that waste heat energy if specified conditions are met, including that the waste heat energy is used at the same facility or location where the waste heat was generated, captured, and converted, as specified. The bill would also require that a data center that uses waste heat to provide heating for buildings be eligible to receive renewable energy credits pursuant to a metric, which the bill would require the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to develop, that awards credit based on the
amount of energy usage avoided due to the use of waste heat for building heating, as provided.