Transmission & Distribution
Replacement of Dirty Oakland Peaker Delayed
The plan to swap out the polluting Oakland Energy Center with battery storage this coming January has been delayed because of interconnection issues. It is a serious problem that is not limited to this plan to replace polluting energy with cleaner alternatives. Last week, California Public Utilities Commission member Martha Guzman Aceves pointed to […]
California Grid Operator Aims for 2024 Regional Day-Ahead Market
The California-led real-time Energy Imbalance Market has delivered significant savings to Western power providers, but other regions’ market ambitions are threatening the plan to expand it to a day-head market in three years.
The Northwest Power Pool is developing a capacity sharing program, and the Southwest Power Pool is developing a day-ahead market. […]
Shorts
Strong dry offshore winds resulted in Pacific Gas & Electric shutting off power to 25,000 customers in 20 counties starting Oct. 11 to protect against power lines sparking fires. The counties with the largest number of shutoffs were Butte, Shasta, and Tehama. By the end of the day on Tuesday, Oct. 12, nearly all […]
Out-of-State Utilities Join Forces to Consider Western Market
Updated Oct. 13
A dozen utilities from Puget Sound to Colorado have announced they’re exploring the formation of a western-wide trading market amid the shifting energy landscape. Such a market could give the California Independent System Operator a run for its money since it is also currently trying to expand its real-time Western Energy Imbalance […]
Report Points to Bureaucratic, Legal and Supply Chain Obstacles to Clean Grid
Staff at the California Public Utilities Commission and Energy Commission are required by law and executive order to ratchet down emissions from the electricity sector and simultaneously add new generation to the grid. But a new CEC report points out several ways the agencies and grid operator’s own bureaucracies–as well as matters outside […]
Edison Warns California Won’t Make its Greenhouse Gas Limits
Edison International added its voice to warnings that California will not reach its greenhouse gas reduction mandate set for 2030 under the 15-year old AB 32 without major changes at the state and federal levels, and government financial assistance.
“Planning, siting and permitting must evolve to reduce project lead times and forge new social contracts,” […]