California Energy Commission
Encyclopedia
The California Energy Commission is California
’s primary energy policy
and planning
agency
. Created in 1974 and headquartered in Sacramento
, the Commission has responsibility for activities that include forecasting future energy needs, promoting energy efficiency
through appliance and building standards, and supporting renewable energy
technologies. The Commission is a division of the California Natural Resources Agency, which is under the direction of Cabinet Secretary John Laird
.
, a California politician
, co-authored the 1974 Warren-Alquist State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Act that created the Commission. The Act required that, prior to constructing or modifying an electric generating plant, the Commission was to certify the need for the plant and the suitability of the site of the plant.
In 1976, the California legislature amended the Warren-Alquist Act to require the Commission, prior to any new nuclear generating plants
being built, to certify that there is sufficient capacity to store spent fuel rods, and to establish a moratorium
on the certification of any new nuclear generating plants until the federal government has approved and established a means for the disposal of high level nuclear waste
. A legal challenge to this amendment by two electric utilities resulted in the United States Supreme Court case Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, which upheld the amended Act.
Dr. Arthur H Rosenfeld
, now a member of the U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu's Energy Advisory Board, was a Commissioner of the Energy Commission from 2000-2010.
On 17 January 2001 a state of emergency declared during the California electricity crisis
allowed the state to buy electricity for the financially strapped utility companies. The emergency authority allowed Davis to order the California Energy Commission to streamline the application process for new power plants.
On 21 August 2006, the Governor signed Senate Bill SB 1, which directs the California Public Utilities Commission
and the CEC to implement the California Solar Initiative
program consistent with specific requirements and budget limits set forth in the legislation.
emissions by 2020.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
’s primary energy policy
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
and planning
Energy planning
Energy planning has a number of different meanings. However, one common meaning of the term is the process of developing long-range policies to help guide the future of a local, national, regional or even the global energy system...
agency
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
. Created in 1974 and headquartered in Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, the Commission has responsibility for activities that include forecasting future energy needs, promoting energy efficiency
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
through appliance and building standards, and supporting renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
technologies. The Commission is a division of the California Natural Resources Agency, which is under the direction of Cabinet Secretary John Laird
John Laird
John Laird was a Scottish shipbuilder and key figure in the development of the town of Birkenhead. He was the elder brother of Macgregor Laird. He was one of the first to use iron in the construction of ships.- Origins :...
.
History
Al AlquistAl Alquist
-Biography:Born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of a Swedish immigrant who worked for the railroads, he was barely a teenager when he started carrying water to railroad work crews. He became a timekeeper, switchman, brakeman and conductor, before serving with the Army Air Forces during World War II...
, a California politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, co-authored the 1974 Warren-Alquist State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Act that created the Commission. The Act required that, prior to constructing or modifying an electric generating plant, the Commission was to certify the need for the plant and the suitability of the site of the plant.
In 1976, the California legislature amended the Warren-Alquist Act to require the Commission, prior to any new nuclear generating plants
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
being built, to certify that there is sufficient capacity to store spent fuel rods, and to establish a moratorium
Moratorium (law)
A moratorium is a delay or suspension of an activity or a law. In a legal context, it may refer to the temporary suspension of a law to allow a legal challenge to be carried out....
on the certification of any new nuclear generating plants until the federal government has approved and established a means for the disposal of high level nuclear waste
High level waste
High level waste is a type of nuclear waste created by the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. It exists in two main forms:* First and second cycle raffinate and other waste streams created by nuclear reprocessing....
. A legal challenge to this amendment by two electric utilities resulted in the United States Supreme Court case Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, which upheld the amended Act.
Dr. Arthur H Rosenfeld
Arthur H Rosenfeld
Dr. Arthur H Rosenfeld is a former Commissioner of the California Energy Commission, serving from 2000 until his retirement in 2010....
, now a member of the U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu's Energy Advisory Board, was a Commissioner of the Energy Commission from 2000-2010.
On 17 January 2001 a state of emergency declared during the California electricity crisis
California electricity crisis
The California electricity crisis, also known as the Western U.S. Energy Crisis of 2000 and 2001 was a situation in which California had a shortage of electricity caused by market manipulations and illegal shutdowns of pipelines by Texas energy consortiums...
allowed the state to buy electricity for the financially strapped utility companies. The emergency authority allowed Davis to order the California Energy Commission to streamline the application process for new power plants.
On 21 August 2006, the Governor signed Senate Bill SB 1, which directs the California Public Utilities Commission
California Public Utilities Commission
The California Public Utilities Commission is a regulatory agency which regulates privately owned public utilities in the state of California, including electric power, telecommunications, natural gas and water companies...
and the CEC to implement the California Solar Initiative
California Solar Initiative
California Solar Initiative is a renewable energy program in the United States.As part of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Million Solar Roofs Program, California has set a goal to create 3,000 megawatts of new, solar-produced electricity by 2016 — moving the state toward a cleaner energy future...
program consistent with specific requirements and budget limits set forth in the legislation.
Current activities
In 2007 the Commission set up relatively strict laws that forbid the signing of new energy supply contracts between utilities and coal-fired power plants. This was a major initiative to stem greenhouse gasGreenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions by 2020.
Organization
- Cabinet Secretary
- Energy Commission
- Executive Director
- Administrative Services Division - responsible for providing centralized accounting, personnel, and information technology services for the entire Commission
- Electrical Supply Analysis Division - responsible for providing analytical assessments of California's electricity and natural gas systems and trends
- Energy Efficiency and Renewables Division - provides assistance to businesses and individual on energy efficiency and conservation
- Energy Facilities Siting Division - responsible for licensing new power plant construction and regulating existing power plants
- Fuels and Transportation Division - responsible for analysising transportation fuels and energy needs
- Research and Development Division - provides public funding to support energy research and technology development
- Executive Director
- Energy Commission
Projects
- Appliance Efficiency ProgramAppliance Efficiency ProgramThe Appliance Efficiency Program is an active component of the California Energy Commission's Efficiency Division. Regulated by the Residential Buildings and Appliances Unit, the program is codified by Title 20, Sections 1601 through 1608, of the California Code of Regulations, better known as the...
- California Fuel Cell PartnershipCalifornia Fuel Cell PartnershipThe California Fuel Cell Partnership is a public-private partnership to promote hydrogen vehicles in California. It is notable as one of the first initiatives for that purpose undertaken in the United States....
- California Solar InitiativeCalifornia Solar InitiativeCalifornia Solar Initiative is a renewable energy program in the United States.As part of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Million Solar Roofs Program, California has set a goal to create 3,000 megawatts of new, solar-produced electricity by 2016 — moving the state toward a cleaner energy future...
- Energy QuestEnergy QuestEnergy Quest is the award-winning energy education website of the California Energy Commission, designed mainly for younger people. Information on the site was mostly developed by the Media & Public Communications Office of the Commission in consultation with educational experts....
- PHEV Research CenterPHEV Research CenterThe PHEV Research Center in the University of California, Davis, United States, provides technology and policy guidance to the state, and to help solve research questions and address commercialization issues for PHEVs.It was launched in 2007 with fundings from the California Air Resources Board ...