HB 328 Summary

• Establishes community energy program requirements for electric utilities subject to Public Utilities Commission jurisdiction, allowing consumers to subscribe to shared renewable energy facilities and receive bill credits for their proportional share of generated power.

• Requires utilities to purchase all electricity generated by community energy facilities and credit subscriber accounts using a bill credit rate mechanism derived from the utility's total aggregate retail rate minus the distribution cost component.

• Limits utility-owned community energy facilities to 30 percent of total nameplate capacity in service areas and caps all community energy facilities at 50 megawatts alternating current per utility unless the commission approves additional capacity.

• Mandates community energy plans include mechanisms ensuring at least 30 percent of subscribers are low- to moderate-income households and require construction using prevailing wage employees and apprentices for at least 15 percent of labor hours.

• Defines eligible community energy facilities as renewable energy sources (solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric, geothermal, and others) with maximum 5 megawatts nameplate capacity, owned by subscriber organizations, and serving at least five subscribers with no single subscriber owning more than 40 percent of output.