The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) authorized the state’s utilities and community choice aggregators (CCAs) to procure 3,300 megawatts of incremental clean energy capacity by 2023, the bulk of which is expected to come from hybrid solar plus-storage-projects and stand-alone battery storage systems. However, the decision also extends operations for one to three years at four coastal power plants that were originally scheduled to close at the end of 2020. Communities and advocates will have another opportunity to argue that these plants should be closed at the State Water Resources Control Board.
“The developers of wind, solar and storage, and the owners of dirty power plants all got something in yesterday’s Public Utilities Commission decision,” said Vote Solar’s senior director of grid integration, Ed Smeloff, in a statement. “Californians are experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change directly related to the use of polluting fossil fuels. In the middle of a prolonged wildfire season, the CPUC should do even more to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels when there are very low cost, reliable alternatives available.
“At the same time, the CPUC’s decision opens up a new opportunity to add a large amount of clean new resources in California such as hybrid solar plus battery storage as well as more imported wind. Now, we need California’s utilities and community choice aggregators to follow through and sign contracts to build these tested, affordable solutions.”
For more information:
9/12 Proposed Decision