State Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), who, between serving as Assembly speaker and being elected to the state Senate, was a global clean-energy entrepreneur, advanced a pair of energy bills in the Senate Energy Committee. Together, the bills strengthen California’s clean energy leadership on energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The first bill, SB 1131, streamlines the state’s energy efficiency programs for agricultural and industrial customers, which make up one-fifth of all electricity use and nearly one-third of natural gas use statewide. The second bill, SB 1136, will help the state integrate California’s significant renewable energy resources by updating the state’s Resource Adequacy program.

The passage of SB 350 in 2015 increased California’s renewable energy goal to 50 percent and doubled the energy efficiency goal for the state.

Assembly Bill 802 (also in 2015) further updated the state’s publicly funded energy efficiency programs.

Senate Bill 1131 will increase opportunities to find energy efficiency in the agricultural and industrial sectors in order to achieve significant GHG savings.

“These large energy users have been discouraged from participating in energy efficiency programs in California because the state’s rules did not properly incentivize savings,” Hertzberg said. “Since the 1970’s energy crisis, California has aggressively pursued automobile, appliance, residential and commercial energy efficiency. Now we can build on that world-leading focus and capture savings from the remaining low hanging fruit – and our biggest energy users.”

The second bill, SB 1136, addresses the state’s Resource Adequacy program, which was initially created in the wake of the 2000 and 2001 energy crisis. Hertzberg helped lead the state out of crisis as speaker of the Assembly, and RA is the reason California hasn’t had electricity shortages over the last 18 years.

However, the RA law was written in an era with little renewable energy on the grid and prior to the passage of climate change legislation, including AB 32.

Today, renewable energy – principally wind and solar – makes up nearly 33 percent of our electricity. Managing those intermittent power sources requires additional flexible resources that provide voltage stability, and ramping power (when the sun goes down or the wind dies down).

Senate Bill 1136 helps integrate those power sources by aligning RA with today’s clean energy and clean air goals.

“It’s time we look at the new world order in defining resource adequacy,” said Senator Hertzberg as he concluded his testimony in support of the bill.

Both bills now head to the Senate Appropriations Committee.