AB 724: Recharging our clean energy effort, part one

The Assembly part of the two-bill Public Goods Charge (PGC) reauthorization package, AB 724 would have reauthorized the renewable energy deployment and energy efficiency programs funded by electric bill fees. The allocations were $75 million annually for the research program (outlined in SB 870), $75 million for renewable energy deployment, and $250 million for energy efficiency retrofits. The renewable deployment program aims to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technologies by providing funds for energy derived from biomass, the New Solar Homes Partnership, clean energy manufacturing, energy storage, and other clean energy deployment. The energy efficiency retrofit program would allow the use of incentives and financial tools that encourage investments in energy efficiency retrofits for residential, commercial, and public buildings.