A California bill (AB 2345) intended to expand access to solar energy for non-residential customers is moving through the Senate.  

This bill would direct the CPUC to require each large utility to establish a tariff or tariffs that provide for bill credits for electricity generated by eligible renewable resources to be credited to electrical accounts of non-residential customers. According to the bill, the CPUC must ensure that:

• The credits reflect the full value of the electricity from the renewable generating facilities.
• The credits are established using the same methodology that is used to determine credits under the standard contract or tariff for eligible customer-generators (i.e., the same as the NEM successor program).
• The credits do not cause shifting of costs to bundled service customers of an electrical corporation.

Generation accounts would be required to be sited behind the meter of a government property, commercial property, landfill, port, warehouse, parking lot, industrial zone, brownfield site, area where oil and gas activity is the primary land use, or location sited in any area determined to have high locational value. (Prior to the August amendments and as passed by the Assembly, this bill did not relate to renewable energy.)