More solar and wind power, California lawmakers say

A bill that would require a third of the state’s electricity to come from renewable sources such as the sun and the wind is headed to Gov. Jerry Brown after passage Tuesday.

The governor supports the concept. “He’ll consider the bill closely when it reaches his desk,” spokeswoman Elizabeth Ashford said.

The bill passed the Assembly by a 55-19 vote. The Senate approved it last week.

“This bill establishes California as the national leader in clean energy,” its author, Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, said in a statement. He said it will improve the environment and stimulate the economy while protecting ratepayers.

“Senate Bill 2X sends a signal to renewable energy providers that California wants them here,” he said. “They will respond, as they have in the past, with billions of dollars in investments that will provide jobs and tax revenues.”

Critics say the bill forces utilities to turn to more expensive sources of energy, which will drive up business costs and hurt the state’s competitiveness.

The California Public Utilities Commission estimated in 2009 that the tens of billions spent on new solar and wind farms will be passed along in rates, resulting in a 7.1 percent increase in spending on power statewide.

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