Not content with setting a Renewable Portfolio Standard that ends at 2020, California Governor Jerry Brown and state legislators are pushing for the Golden State to get 50% of its energy from renewable resources by 2030.
To meet this ambitious target, California must build a system that is largely based on renewable electricity, like wind and solar. This is not an easy task. The primary reason? Sunshine and wind are only available at certain times of the day and can be variable during those times.
Traditionally, managers of the electricity grid have relied upon dirty “peaker” power plants – usually fossil fuel-fired and only needed a couple of days a year – to balance the grid during periods of variability or when electricity demand exceeds supply. But, in a world where 50% of our energy comes from renewable sources as a means to achieving a clean energy economy, we can’t rely on these dirty peaker plants to balance the variability of wind and solar.
Luckily, technology is available today that can help fill the gap of these peaker plants – and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is starting to embrace it.
This technology, also known as demand-side resources, is defined by the CPUC as:
By encouraging customers to use energy more wisely through demand-side resources like these, utility companies can avoid the need to produce more energy as the state’s population increases. This will also cut down on infrastructure costs, as fewer power plants and transmission lines will need to be built, and those savings can be passed on to customers. Further, by leveraging the ability of electric vehicles to charge at times when there is an abundance of clean power available, as well as distributed generation, California will be able to use increasing amounts of renewable energy.
Currently, there are a number of these innovative, demand-side solutions available in California. In order to bring them together, the CPUC, under the direction of Commissioner Michel Florio, initiated a new proceedingto, “create a consistent regulatory framework for the guidance, planning, and evaluation of integrated demand side resource programs.”
EDF would like to make sure the CPUC advances the following outcomes, as stated in our formal comments:
This new effort by the CPUC is a terrific opportunity for more coordinated, cost-effective deployment of demand-side resources that can better address California’s energy needs, improve customer choice, and reduce carbon pollution from our energy system. It’s a chance to make real, lasting change in California. Similar to the transformative effect “Beatlemania” had on music and popular culture, California’s clean energy policies can transform how we make, move, and use electricity.
As an attorney with EDF’s California Climate and Clean Energy teams, Larissa Koehler assists with litigation and regulatory proceedings. She also engages in policy analysis and advocacy for key issues relevant to the US Climate and Energy program. This post originally appeared on EDF's California Dream 2.0 blog.