On February 13th, 2013 the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) ruled that Southern California Edison (SCE, Rosemead, California, US) must procure 50 MW of energy storage among new capacity.

This requirement is expected to pave the way for greater penetration of variable renewable energy, including wind and solar, on the SCE grid. Additionally, CPUC ruled that SCE must procure 150 MW through "preferred resources", including energy efficiency, demand response and distributed generation.

"Today’s decision begins the hard work of rebuilding antiquated electric infrastructure in and around Los Angeles," said Commissioner Mike Florio.

"Going forward, SCE’s customers will not be solely reliant on a fossil fueled electric supply. They will increasingly have their electric needs met by a competitive portfolio of energy efficiency, electric storage, demand response, and distributed generation. This is a critical step, bridging our past and future."

The California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA) has called the ruling a 'major breakthrough' for energy storage both in California and nationally.

1.0 - 1.2 GW of natural gas included in order

The requirements for energy storage and preferred resources is part of an order for SCE to procure between 1.4 GW and 1.8 GW of new generation in the Los Angeles Basin. 1.0 - 1.2 GW of this new generation must be from conventional natural gas-fired resources.

SCE must now file an application for each local reliability area seeking approval of contracts from the procurement process mandated by the ruling. Such applications are expected in late 2013 and or early 2014.

2013-02-18 | Courtesy: CPUC | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH

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