Renewable electrical generation facilities: electrified commuter railroads: regenerative braking: net billing.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not specify that non-compliance is a crime, only that violations of commission requirements are crimes.

Electric Trains Can Help Power Grid

AB-1372 allows electric trains to use regenerative braking to generate electricity, which can then be sold back to the power company and credited on bills.

What This Bill Does

• Adds regenerative braking from electric trains as a renewable energy source for net metering programs.
• Requires electrical corporations to create or update contracts that allow train operators to sell excess electricity generated by regenerative braking back to the grid.
• Specifies that electrical corporations must provide accurate meters to track and credit exported electricity based on its value.

Who It Names or Affects

• Electric train operators, such as the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board.
• Electrical corporations that supply power to homes and businesses.

Terms To Know

Regenerative braking

A system where electric trains convert some of the kinetic energy from braking into electrical energy, which can be used to power other parts of the train or sent back to the grid.

Net metering

A billing arrangement that credits customers who generate their own electricity for any excess they send back to the utility company's grid.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much money train operators will earn from selling electricity.
• It is unclear if all electrical corporations will be required to participate in this program or only those that choose to do so.
• The exact details of the contracts and tariffs are left up to the Public Utilities Commission.

Official Summary Text

AB 1372, as amended, Papan.
Renewable electrical generation facilities: electrified commuter railroads: regenerative braking: net billing.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law requires every electric utility, except as provided, to develop a standard contract or tariff providing for net energy metering, and to make this standard contract or tariff available to eligible customer-generators using renewable electrical generation facilities, as specified. Pursuant to its authority, the commission issued a decision revising net energy metering tariff and subtariffs, commonly known as the net billing tariff.
This bill would include the regenerative braking from electric trains as a renewable electrical generation facility for those purposes, as provided.
Existing law authorizes a community choice aggregator to aggregate the electrical load of interested electricity consumers within its boundaries and requires the community choice aggregator to, among other things, enter into an operating service agreement with an electrical corporation.
This bill would, upon an electrical
corporation, electric service provider, or community choice aggregator
corporation
and an operator of an electrified commuter railroad that produces electricity through the regenerative braking of electric trains, including the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, completing certain technical studies, require the electrical
corporation, electric service provider, or community choice aggregator
corporation
to adopt or modify a net billing contract or tariff that is approved by the
commission or the appropriate rate approving entity, as provided.
commission.
The bill would require that contract or tariff to, among other things, require the
supplier or distributor
electrical corporation
to apply bill credits for the electricity exported to the electrical grid based on its value, as specified. The bill would require the
load-serving entity responsible for the delivery of electricity
electrical corporation
to provide, or install at its cost, if necessary, metering that records and documents electricity imports and exports, as specified.
Under existing law, a violation of any order,
decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
Because a violation of a commission action implementing this bill’s requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF