Focus
California lowers electric sector GHG target, directs procurement of more than 40 GW of clean energy resources
 Utility Dive – February 14
California regulators last Thursday approved long-term plans to ensure electric system reliability, requiring the development of more renewable energy and storage resources, along with deeper cuts to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) adopted a 2032 GHG emissions target of 35 million metric tons for the state's electric sector, marking an almost 25% cut to the previous goal. Utilities will need to procure approximately 25.5 GW of new renewables and 15 GW of storage and demand response resources by 2032.
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News
Irvine is largest city in O.C. to choose 100% renewable energy
Los Angeles Times – February 10
Irvine is now the largest city in Orange County to choose to receive its energy from 100% renewable sources. The Irvine City Council unanimously voted last Tuesday night in favor of a resolution, becoming the last member of the Orange County Power Authority to decide its renewable energy rates. In the last few weeks, Huntington Beach and Buena Park also chose 100% renewable energy, while Fullerton settled on 70%.
Greenbacker enters Washington state via solar acquisition from TUUSSO Energy
Connect CRE – February 10
Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC has acquired a 20 MW pre-operational solar portfolio from TUUSSO Energy. For New York City-based Greenbacker, the portfolio marks its first assets in Washington State. Located in central Washington’s Kittitas County, the projects are all expected to reach commercial operation this year.
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Projects
MCE approves 100 MW, union-built California solar + storage project
Solar Power World – February 14
California community choice aggregator MCE greenlit a 100 MW solar project that will be paired with 75 MW of battery storage. The Golden Fields Solar project, located in Kern County, was selected with unanimous support by MCE’s Technical Committee of the Board. The project will help MCE meet the California Public Utilities Commission’s mid-term reliability mandate, which requires MCE to procure an additional 72 MW of solar + storage capacity by 2025.
Competing proposal filed for Lake Elsinore pumped storage location
Renewable Energy World – February 14
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has received a new application for a preliminary permit for a pumped storage project at Lake Elsinore, California. The location is the site of the Lake Elsinore Advanced Pumped Storage (LEAPS) project, which was proposed by Nevada Hydro Company Inc. FERC dismissed the LEAPS application in December 2021.
SDG&E approved to add three energy storage facilities to strengthen summer grid reliability
T&D World – February 14
The California Public Utilities Commission authorized San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) to build three new energy storage facilities totaling 161 MW / 664 MWh to provide the state with greater capacity to meet high energy demand on summer days and at night after solar power dissipates. The company completed the Top Gun Energy Storage, a 30 MW / 120 MWh lithium-ion battery system, last June. By March, SDG&E plans to begin commercial operation of another lithium-ion battery storage facility in Kearny Mesa, which will provide 20 MW / 80 MWh. A third lithium-ion storage facility, 40 MW / 160 MWh, is under construction in Fallbrook.
Sempra Infrastructure completes first cross-border wind farm between U.S. and Mexico
Windpower Engineering – February 8
Sempra Infrastructure started operations on Phase II of its Energía Sierra Juàrez (ESJ) wind farm in Tecate, Baja California. ESJ, the first cross-border renewable energy project between Mexico and the United States, now provides 263 MW of zero-carbon electricity to the California electricity market.
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