Renewables Transmission Planning and Development
Transmission is to renewable energy resources what the transcontinental railroad was to opening up the West. We need to connect California's renewable resource-rich regions -- wind from Tehachapi, geothermal and wind from the Imperial Valley, concentrated solar power from the Mojave Desert, and to a lesser extent, bio-energy from the Central Valley—to the large coastal urban load centers of the state where it is needed. Making this vital connection will require a series of massive, multi-billion dollar investments in new transmission infrastructure. In conjunction with the California Energy Commission, we have been promoting a unique stakeholder collaboration project to expedite planning and development of vital transmission projects.
Summary:
CEERT staff continues our work on the implementation of the 33% RPS. However, the CAISO assessment that system requirements should be able to be satisfied with little or no additional infrastructure appears to minimize the need for further system planning to meet the state’s current renewable target.
Staff has therefore proposed that CEERT take the lead in considering implications of longer-term renewable energy goals beyond the 2020 timeframe.
Recent Developments:
Concerns about renewable integration issues have waned as a result of the presentation that the CAISO gave to the CEC on April 29. As a result of the CAISO’s analysis, based on renewable development scenarios the CPUC provided, the presentation concluded, “Assuming that CA achieves its demand side objectives, preliminary results indicate most operational requirements can be satisfied with potential need for measures to address some over-generation conditions.” Furthermore, the CAISO’s recently adopted 2010—2011 transmission plan expects that transmission projects now in the permitting pipeline provide adequate capacity to meet the 33% target.
The devil lurks in the details, so CEERT staff continues our work in various venues on the implementation of the now-official 33% RPS legislation. However, the CAISO assessment that system requirements should be able to be satisfied with little or no additional infrastructure appears to minimize the need for further system planning to meet the state’s current renewable target.
Staff has therefore proposed that CEERT take the lead in considering implications of longer-term renewable energy goals beyond the 2020 timeframe. A goal of 50% renewable penetration by year 2030 might be considered, for example. Under such a scenario, integration issues such as over-generation at sunup and under-generation at sundown become increasingly problematical and will require adequate attention from system planners. In particular, gas-fired generation remaining on the system will need to be considerably more flexible than the current fleet. Failure to consider the implications of increasing reliance on renewables beyond 2020 could result in poor decisions on new or repowered gas-fired generation in the near term. California needs to start thinking “Beyond 2020.”
