Request for Comments on the DRAFT Fourth Solicitation
Background and Purpose
The California Solar Initiative (CSI) is a statewide incentive program that aims to build a self-sustaining solar electricity market. The CSI has a goal of creating 1940 MW of new, solar-produced electricity in California by 2017 (and 3,000 MW on a statewide-basis). The CSI was authorized in 2006 by Senate Bill (SB) 1 (Murray) and subsequently enacted through California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Rulemaking (R.) 06-03-004. Pursuant to SB 1, the CPUC allocated $50 million for a Solar Research, Demonstration, and Deployment (RD&D) Program. Within the Solar RD&D Program, grant funding is further allocated into three target areas:
- Grid integration
- Production technologies
- Business development and deployment
The CPUC Energy Division, through its Program Manager, Itron, Inc., is making available a draft version of the fourth Grant Solicitation for the CSI RD&D Program. The purpose of this notice is to seek comments and feedback from interested stakeholders on the draft solicitation document.
This fourth solicitation will focus on Grid Integration.
Solicitation Summary
Up to $7 million in funding for grid integration research is available through this solicitation. The primary objectives for this solicitation include:
- Overcoming existing barriers to integrating high penetration PV into the electricity grid; and,
- Accelerating the integration and interconnection of high penetration PV into the grid.
Any individual, business, public entity, non-profit institution, university, or national laboratory is eligible to apply for funding. A minimum of 50% match funding is required for each project.
The draft solicitation contains the following sections:
- Introduction
- Priority Areas and Targets for this Solicitation
- Proposal and Submittal Requirements
- Proposal Screening, Review, and Selection Process
Click here to download the DRAFT Fourth Grant Solicitation document PDF
Submitting Comments
The draft of the fourth CSI RD&D Grant Solicitation is posted on the CalSolarResearch.ca.gov website and is now available for review and comment. All comments should be submitted through the website using the online comments form.
http://calsolarresearch.ca.gov/Program-Planning/submit-your-comments.html
Comments will be accepted from now through May 31, 2013.
Finalizing and Releasing the Solicitation
The CPUC staff will review all comments posted and provide direction to Itron on changes and modifications. The solicitation will be finalized and released for possible applications around mid-June 2013.
Key Principles of the Solar RD&D Program
SB 1, signed by Governor Schwarzenegger in August 2006 , authorizes the CPUC to allocate $50 million of the CSI funds for research, demonstration, and deployment of solar technologies. The CPUC adopted the CSI Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment Plan which lays out the seven key principles that the CSI RD&D Program must adhere to:
- Improve the economics of solar technologies by reducing technology costs and increasing system performance;
- Focus on issues that directly benefit California, and that may not be funded by others;
- Fill knowledge gaps to enable successful, wide-scale deployment of solar distributed generation technologies;
- Overcome significant barriers to technology adoption;
- Take advantage of California's wealth of data from past, current, and future installations to fulfill the above;
- Provide bridge funding to help promising solar technologies transition from a pre-commercial state to full commercial viability; and
- Support efforts to address the integration of distributed solar power into the grid in order to maximize its value to California ratepayers.
For more information on the CSI RD&D Program, please visit the CPUC's website at:http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/rdd.htm
For more information on California's Solar Programs administered by the CPUC and the California Energy Commission, please visit the Go Solar Website at: http://www.gosolarcalifornia.com/
