- AB 32
- California Global Warming Solutions Act (Stats. 2006, ch. 488). Established California's cap-and-trade program and the framework for greenhouse-gas emission reductions.
- AB 1054
- Wildfire Insurance Fund Act (Stats. 2019, ch. 79). Created the $21 billion California wildfire insurance fund.
- AB 1890
- Electric Utility Industry Restructuring Act (Stats. 1996, ch. 854). Section 381 created the Public Purpose Programs surcharge effective January 1, 1998.
- Avoided Cost Calculator (ACC)
- The CPUC methodology used under NEM 3.0 to value exported solar generation. Replaced full retail-rate net metering for new interconnections after April 2023.
- CalEnviroScreen
- California's environmental-justice screening tool, administered by OEHHA. Identifies census tracts qualifying as disadvantaged communities (DACs).
- Cap-and-Trade
- California's market-based greenhouse-gas reduction program established under AB 32. Major emitters purchase allowances at quarterly auctions; proceeds fund clean-energy programs.
- CARB
- California Air Resources Board. State agency administering the cap-and-trade program and tracking statewide greenhouse-gas emissions.
- CARE
- California Alternate Rates for Energy. Income-qualified bill discount program: ~30% off electric, ~20% off gas.
- CEC
- California Energy Commission. State agency overseeing energy planning, Title 24 building standards, and the SB 100 implementation alongside CPUC and CARB.
- Climate Credit
- Twice-yearly residential bill credit funded by cap-and-trade auction proceeds and distributed automatically by utilities.
- CPUC
- California Public Utilities Commission. State agency regulating investor-owned utilities and administering most ratepayer-funded energy programs.
- DAC
- Disadvantaged Community. A census tract identified by CalEnviroScreen as facing disproportionate environmental and socioeconomic burden.
- DAC-SASH
- Disadvantaged Communities — Single-family Solar Homes. Provides no-cost solar PV installation for income-qualified single-family homeowners in DACs.
- EPIC
- Electric Program Investment Charge. CEC-administered RD&D funding source supported by the Public Purpose Programs surcharge.
- Energy Community
- U.S. Department of Energy designation for census tracts qualifying for the §48E ITC 10% bonus credit. Qualifying criteria include fossil-fuel employment, unemployment, brownfield status, or coal-mine/plant closure.
- ESA
- Energy Savings Assistance Program. No-cost weatherization, lighting, and appliance upgrades for income-qualified residential customers.
- FERA
- Family Electric Rate Assistance. ~18% electric bill discount for households of 3+ with income just above CARE limits.
- GRID Alternatives
- California-based nonprofit that serves as the CPUC-approved program administrator for DAC-SASH.
- Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
- Federal statute (Public Law 117-169, 2022) providing the §48E ITC, Energy Community bonus, and other federal clean-energy credits.
- Investor-Owned Utility (IOU)
- Privately owned, publicly traded utility regulated by the CPUC. PG&E, SCE, SDG&E, and SoCalGas are California's major IOUs.
- ITC
- Investment Tax Credit. Federal tax credit applied to qualifying clean-energy investments under §48E for commercial-scale installations.
- kWh
- Kilowatt-hour. Unit of electrical energy. One kilowatt-hour equals one kilowatt of power consumed for one hour.
- NEM
- Net Energy Metering. The general term for tariffs governing how investor-owned utilities compensate customers for excess generation sent back to the grid.
- NEM 3.0 / NBT
- Net Billing Tariff. The current NEM tariff established by CPUC Decision D.22-12-056, effective April 2023 for new interconnections. Values exported generation at Avoided Cost Calculator rates rather than retail rates.
- PG&E
- Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Investor-owned utility serving northern and central California.
- PPA
- Power Purchase Agreement. A contract under which a third party owns the solar PV system and the homeowner buys the electricity produced at a contracted rate.
- PPP
- Public Purpose Programs surcharge. Non-bypassable charge on every PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E utility bill since January 1998. Funds the majority of California's ratepayer-financed energy programs.
- PV
- Photovoltaic. Refers to solar panel technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity.
- RPS
- Renewables Portfolio Standard. California's statutory requirement that utilities procure a specified percentage of electricity from eligible renewable resources, accelerated by SB 100 to 60% by 2030.
- SB 100
- California 100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018. Mandates 60% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% zero-carbon retail electricity by 2045.
- SCE
- Southern California Edison. Investor-owned utility serving most of southern California (excluding San Diego and parts of Los Angeles).
- SDG&E
- San Diego Gas & Electric. Investor-owned utility serving San Diego County and southern Orange County.
- SGIP
- Self-Generation Incentive Program. Statewide rebate program for energy storage (batteries) administered by CPUC.
- SoCalGas
- Southern California Gas Company. Investor-owned utility serving most of southern and central California for natural gas service.
- Title 24
- California Code of Regulations Title 24, Part 6. Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The 2019 update, effective January 1, 2020, requires solar PV on most new low-rise residential construction.
- TPO
- Third-Party-Owned. Refers to PPA and operating-lease solar arrangements in which the system is owned by a financing entity rather than the homeowner. Allows the financing entity to claim §48E ITC and pass through the value.
