(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) California is heavily dependent on natural gas.
(2) California’s growing population and economy will put a strain on energy supplies and threaten the ability of the state to meet its global warming goals unless specific steps are taken to reduce demand and generate energy cleanly and efficiently.
(3) Water heating for domestic and industrial use relies almost entirely on natural gas and accounts for a significant percentage of the state’s natural gas consumption.
(4) Solar thermal systems represent the major untapped natural gas saving potential in California.
(5) In addition to financial and energy savings, solar water heating systems can help protect against future gas and electricity shortages and reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy.
(6) Solar thermal systems can also help preserve the environment and protect public health by reducing air pollution, including carbon dioxide, a leading global warming gas, and nitrogen oxide, a precursor to smog.
(7) Growing demand for these technologies will create jobs in California as well as promote greater energy independence, protect consumers from rising energy costs, and result in cleaner air.
(8) Installing solar thermal systems in disadvantaged communities can provide local economic benefits while advancing the state’s clean energy goals and policies to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases.
(9) It is in the interest of the State of California to promote solar thermal systems and other technologies that directly reduce demand for natural gas in homes and businesses.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to build a mainstream market for solar thermal systems that directly reduces demand for natural gas in homes, businesses, schools, industrial, agricultural, and government buildings, and buildings occupied by nonprofit organizations.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the solar thermal system incentives created by this article should be a cost-effective investment by gas customers.
(d) It is the intent of the Legislature that this article will encourage the cost-effective deployment of solar thermal systems in residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural markets and in each end-use application sector in a balanced manner. It is the intent of the Legislature that the commission monitor and adjust incentives made available pursuant to this article so that they are cost-effective investments sufficient to significantly increase markets and promote market transformation. It is the additional intent of the Legislature that the commission ensure that increased, uniform growth in each market sector is achieved through program incentives or structure adjustments that prevent overutilization of program resources by any single sector.
(Added by renumbering Section 2862 by Stats. 2017, Ch. 473, Sec. 4. (AB 797) Effective January 1, 2018. Inoperative August 1, 2020. Repealed as of January 1, 2021, pursuant to Section 2867.4.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018