By Stephen Kishewitsch
California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation September 10 that commits the state, now considered the world’s fifth largest economy, to source 100% of its electricity from renewable energy, and other zero carbon sources, by the end of 2045. The legislation sets mandatory minimum renewable electricity targets of 33% by 2020 and 60% by 2030. Governor Brown also signed an Executive Order establishing a new goal to make California as a whole carbon neutral by that date.
California already gets some 30% of its power supply from renewable sources. The new legislation would add to the agenda by raising the current target for the end of 2026 to 50 percent renewables, and 60 percent by the end of December 2030.
According to the bill, these targets could be met by displacing fossil fuel consumption within the state, and/or by adding new electrical generating facilities in the transmission network within the larger Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) service area. The bill would prevent achieving the target by generators in the state selling some of their fossil-based power elsewhere: “The achievement of this policy for California shall not increase carbon emissions elsewhere in the western grid and shall not allow resource shuffling.”
The wording of the bill gives the state’s utilities an out under certain conditions, such as if “[t]here is inadequate transmission capacity to allow for sufficient electricity to be delivered from proposed eligible renewable energy resource projects using the current operational protocols of the Independent System Operator,” or “if there is an insufficient supply of eligible renewable energy resources available to the retail seller.”
Utility Dive pointed out in an article the following day that critics have expressed doubts about the likely success of the targets. For example, in the previous week two bills that would have accelerated the acquisition of renewable energy had failed to pass the legislature. Business groups have actively expressed concern over possible electricity price hikes that the requirement might cause, and groups like the Utility Reform Network, a ratepayer watchdog based in San Francisco, have complained about the possible loss of state control of its supply through such potential grid expansion.
“[I]t seems like the state is trying to move forward with 100% renewable without really understanding how to do it,” a September 11 article in Forbes commented.
Text of the bill is here.