Focus
California grid reaches record 97.6% renewable share
Renew Economy – April 19
California has set a new record of 97.6% instantaneous renewables on its grid, marking a major new milestone on the way to a carbon free grid by 2040. The new milestone was reached at 3:39 pm on Sunday, April 3, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) said late last week – beating the previous record of 96.4% set on March 27, 2022. The CAISO grid currently boasts 26,443 MW worth of renewable energy, including 15,148 MW worth of solar and 7,892 MW worth of wind, with the remaining sources coming from small hydroelectric, geothermal, and biofuels.
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News
Pumped storage is having a moment. Will it shift renewables?
E&E News – April 15
A massive clean energy project that doesn’t rely on wind or solar could help solve some of California’s electricity challenges — if it can get built. Nine years after first proposing the San Vicente Energy Storage Facility, the city of San Diego and the San Diego County Water Authority announced in January that they were in talks with a private developer to advance the hydroelectric pumped storage project, which would be constructed northeast of the city. The development is an example of what the hydropower industry hopes will be a tipping point for one of the oldest sources of renewable energy, even as some analysts and environmentalists remain skeptical of whether the challenges for water power can be overcome.
BLM announces clean energy growth on public lands
The Hill – April 20
Clean energy on public lands is growing, with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) increasing its renewable energy permitting by 35% last fiscal year. According to a new report from the agency, BLM authorized or facilitated 12 public lands projects and supported the development of 2,890 MW — enough to power more than 300 million LED lights — of generating capacity from onshore wind, solar, and geothermal energy. This is up significantly from the fiscal year 2020 total of 2,148 MW.
Grid interconnection queue filled with solar and energy storage projects
Power Magazine – April 14
A study conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows more than 1.1 TW of solar and energy storage capacity in the U.S. power grid’s interconnection queue at the end of 2021. Even if only 23% of the projects in the current queue are completed, that would total 322 GW, which is more than one and a half times the capacity of all utility-scale coal-fired power plants operating in the U.S. today.
Los Angeles leads the nation in solar power capacity
Spectrum News – April 19
Los Angeles ranks first in the nation for installed solar photovoltaic capacity, according to the nonprofit Environment California Research and Policy Center’s eighth annual Shining Cities report released on Tuesday. San Diego ranks second, with San Jose, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Riverside also placing in the top 20. In recent years, the city of Los Angeles streamlined the solar permitting process with instant applications to speed up adoption. Now, a statewide version of instant solar permitting, the Solar Access Act, or SB 379, is making its way through the California legislature.
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Projects
Tesla battery energy storage system goes online in Moss Landing
The Willits Review – April 18
The Tesla Megapack battery energy storage system at Moss Landing is fully energized and certified for market participation, bringing 182.5 MW of stored energy capacity to the California power grid. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. announced on Monday that Elkhorn Battery, named for its location at its Moss Landing electric substation in Monterey County near Elkhorn Slough, has been commissioned after final testing.
Ormat seals 26 MW geothermal PPA with California CCA
Renewables Now – April 18
Ormat Technologies has signed a deal with Peninsula Clean Energy to sell the community choice aggregator electricity from a 26 MW geothermal power plant in California’s Imperial Valley. The parties have signed a 15-year power purchase agreement for the entire output of Ormat’s Heber 2 facility, the power producer announced last Thursday.
NV Energy seeking renewables projects in latest RFP
PV-Tech – April 13
Nevada utility NV Energy has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for renewables projects to add to its portfolio in the state. The utility is seeking projects of a minimum size of 20 MW and that are compliant with the state’s renewable portfolio standards, including proposals that incorporate co-located energy storage.
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