399.16. (a) Various electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources located within the WECC transmission network service area shall be eligible to comply with the renewables portfolio standard procurement requirements in Section 399.15. These electricity products may be differentiated by their impacts on the operation of the grid in supplying electricity, as well as meeting the requirements of this article.
(b) Consistent with the goals of procuring the least-cost and best-fit electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources that meet project viability principles adopted by the commission pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 399.13 and that provide the benefits set forth in Section 399.11, a balanced portfolio of eligible renewable energy resources shall be procured consisting of the following portfolio content categories:
(1) Eligible renewable energy resource electricity products that meet either of the following criteria:
(A) Have a first point of interconnection with a California balancing authority, have a first point of interconnection with distribution facilities used to serve end users within a California balancing authority area, or are scheduled from the eligible renewable energy resource into a California balancing authority without substituting electricity from another source. The use of another source to provide real-time ancillary services required to maintain an hourly or subhourly import schedule into a California balancing authority shall be permitted, but only the fraction of the schedule actually generated by the eligible renewable energy resource shall count toward this portfolio content category.
(B) Have an agreement to dynamically transfer electricity to a California balancing authority.
(2) Firmed and shaped eligible renewable energy resource electricity products providing incremental electricity and scheduled into a California balancing authority.
(3) Eligible renewable energy resource electricity products, or any fraction of the electricity generated, including unbundled renewable energy credits, that do not qualify under the criteria of paragraph (1) or (2).
(c) In order to achieve a balanced portfolio, all retail sellers shall meet the following requirements for all procurement credited toward each compliance period:
(1) Not less than 50 percent for the compliance period ending December 31, 2013, 65 percent for the compliance period ending December 31, 2016, and 75 percent for each compliance period thereafter, of the eligible renewable energy resource electricity products associated with contracts executed after June 1, 2010, shall meet the product content requirements of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b).
(2) Not more than 25 percent for the compliance period ending December 31, 2013, 15 percent for the compliance period ending December 31, 2016, and 10 percent for each compliance period thereafter, of the eligible renewable energy resource electricity products associated with contracts executed after June 1, 2010, shall meet the product content requirements of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b).
(3) Any renewable energy resources contracts executed on or after June 1, 2010, not subject to the limitations of paragraph (1) or (2), shall meet the product content requirements of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b).
(4) For purposes of electric service providers only, the restrictions in this subdivision on crediting eligible renewable energy resource electricity products to each compliance period shall apply to contracts executed after January 13, 2011.
(d) Any contract or ownership agreement originally executed prior to June 1, 2010, shall count in full toward the procurement requirements established pursuant to this article, if all of the following conditions are met:
(1) The renewable energy resource was eligible under the rules in place as of the date when the contract was executed.
(2) For an electrical corporation, the contract has been approved by the commission, even if that approval occurs after June 1, 2010.
(3) Any contract amendments or modifications occurring after June 1, 2010, do not increase the nameplate capacity or expected quantities of annual generation, or substitute a different renewable energy resource. The duration of the contract may be extended if the original contract specified a procurement commitment of 15 or more years.
(e) A retail seller may apply to the commission for a reduction of a procurement content requirement of subdivision (c). The commission may reduce a procurement content requirement of subdivision (c) to the extent the retail seller demonstrates that it cannot comply with that subdivision because of conditions beyond the control of the retail seller as provided in paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of Section 399.15. The commission shall not, under any circumstance, reduce the obligation specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) below 65 percent for any compliance period obligation after December 31, 2016.
(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 401, Sec. 2. (SB 155) Effective January 1, 2020.)