California energy-storage bill is a first

The California Legislature passed the nation’s first energy-storage bill before it closed its books Aug. 31, according to media reports.

If approved by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Assembly Bill 2514 would require PG&E, Southern California Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric (the “Big Three”) to meet mandates in the next five to 10 years that will require the companies to implement energy-storage systems that can absorb and store energy to be used later. The mandates will be determined by the California Public Utilities Commission.

In other environmentally related legislative news, the single-use plastic-bag ban was not approved.