Green Tariff/Shared Renewables Program (GTSR)

Introduction/Background

Senate Bill (SB) 43  (Wolk 2014) enacted the Green Tariff Shared Renewables (GTSR) Program.  The GTSR Program is intended to (1) expand access "to all eligible renewable energy resources to all ratepayers who are currently unable to access the benefits of onsite generation," and (2) "create a mechanism whereby institutional customers…commercial customers and groups of individuals . . . can meet their needs with electrical generation from eligible renewable energy resources."
The statute further provides that the GTSR Program should "provide support for enhanced community renewables programs to facilitate development of eligible renewable resource projects located close to the source of demand."  By statue, the costs of GTSR may not be borne by customers who did not elect GTSR service.

Program Description

The GTSR program enables PG&E, SCE and SDG&E customers to receive 50 to 100 percent of their electricity demand from renewable sources. The program has a capped enrollment of 600 megawatts (MW) statewide.

The GTSR program has two components: the Green Tariff (GT) component and the Enhanced Community Renewables (ECR) component.  Through GT, a customer may pay the difference between their current generation charge and the cost of procuring 50 to 100 percent renewables.  With ECR, a customer agrees to purchase a share of a community renewable (typically solar) project directly from a developer, and in exchange will receive a credit from their utility for the customer’s avoided generation procurement.  Neither of these program sub-components are dedicated a certain amount of the overall 600MW cap.

Key CPUC Decisions

In January, 2015, the CPUC adopted a Decision (D.15-01-051), beginning the process of GTSR implementation:  it required the utilities to submit their plans for GTSR by May, 2015. The implementation plan includes three phases: Phase I – Green Tariff options for SDG&E and PG&E, Phase II – Green Tariff options for SCE, and Phase III – Enhanced Community Renewables program requirements.  The Commission subsequently issued Resolution 4734-E which clarified some implementation issues raised in the IOU's advice letters.

In May 2016, the CPUC adopted D.16-05-006 that addressed Phase IV, participation of ECR projects in the Renewable Auction Mechanism. In addition, the decision provided guidance on a number of outstanding issues including the reporting of GHG claims, the securities opinion requirement, and forecasting of rate elements, including bill charges and credits.

In July 2017, the CPUC adopted D.17-07-007, which grants the joint Petition for Modification of D.15-01-051, which replaces the AmLaw 100 Securities Option Requirement with a three-part standard which requires that securities opinions come from a lawyer or firm with 1) eight years of experience in securities law, 2) be currently licensed by the California Bar, and 3) carry a minimum of $10 million in professional liability coverage.  These requirements were based on an all-party workshop hosted by the CPUC on October 13, 2016.

In 2019, the CPUC denied SCE's application to terminate its GTSR Program through D.19-05-031, and adopted Resolution E-5028, which extended the GTSR Program beyond its original termination date.  Resolution E-5028 also adopted a number of changes which do not result in a different structure or materially different capacity for the program but do capitalize on lessons-learned to improve the overall customer experience.

In 2021 the CPUC adopted D.21-12-036 which resolves three separate Petitions for Modification which 1) temporarily allows PG&E to continue serving Green Tariff Customers from an interim renewables pool while dedicated new resources are being built 2) grants in part a modification to PG&E’s calculation of its Retained Resource Adequacy rate adder as requested by the Joint Community Choice Aggregators 3) defers issues raised by the Coalition for Community Solar to a future Application for Review that will reexamine, review, or revise the GTSR Program.  These issues are now being considered in A.22-05-022.

In 2022, the Commission authorized SDG&E's request to suspend its Ecochoice, Green Tariff program, but rejected requests to also suspend its Enhanced Community Renewables (ECR) program, and the Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff (DAC-GT) and Community Solar Green Tariff (CSGT) Programs.  New programs consistent with the new criteria described in AB 2316 (Ward, 2022) are being considered in a consolidated Community Solar proceeding. 

Program Status

Per Commission Decision 15-01-051, the three investor-owned utilities are required to file monthly and annual reports, which are available on the Commission's Docket Card for this proceeding.

As of January 2024, 191 MW of new renewable capacity has been built or contracted on behalf of the GTSR program.  For utility-specific reporting, please see the latest annual reports, below.

Cumulative Procured GTSR Capacity (MW)

2016 Annual Reports:  PG&E, SCE, SDG&E 
2017 Annual Reports:  PG&E, SCE, SDG&E 
2018 Annual Reports:  PG&E, SCE, SDG&E 
2019 Annual Reports:  PG&E, SCE, SDG&E 
2020 Annual Reports:  PG&E, SCE, SDG&E 
2021 Annual Reports:  PG&E, SCE, SDG&E
2022 Annual Reports:  PG&E, SCE, SDG&E

Rate Detail Tariff Sheets and Program Names

Each IOU has rebranded and renamed their respective GTSR programs.  Each name, as well as relevant internet link to the utility's GTSR website is included in the table below.  

Relevant Legislation

• SB 43 (2013) Enacted the GTSR Program
• SB 793 (2015) Removed the program's 2019 sunset date and permits participating customers to be provided with a nonbinding estimate of reasonably anticipated bill charges for a period of up to 20 years.
• SB 840 (2016) Extended the operation of the program indefinitely.  The program will now end when the 600 megawatt cap of the program  is reached.
• AB 2316 (2022) Customer Renewable Energy Subscription Programs and the Community Renewable Energy Program.
• AB 2838 (2022) Authorizes the Commission to terminate the Green Tariff Shared Renewables Program.

Contacts

All submitted documents can be found on this proceeding's Docket Card Page for A.12-01-008. Future testimony supporting new programs authorized under AB 2316 and AB 2838 can be found in A.22-05-022.

To join this or any other proceeding's service list, please visit our Service List page.  For more information on how you can participate in this proceeding, please visit the Commission's Public Advisor page.

For questions about the GTSR program, please contact Cherie Chan at cherie.chan@cpuc.ca.gov or (415) 703-1779.