Utility Southern California Edison includes storage as ‘preferred resource’ in 100MW RFO

SCE has made its second RFO as part of the Preferred Resources Pilot, classifying storage as one of those eligible resources. Image: SCE.
US utility Southern California Edison (SCE) has classified energy storage as an "eligible preferred resource" in a 100MW request for offers (RFO) it has issued to acquire renewable energy, capacity and load reduction from new sources.

The RFO serves as the second action launched to support SCE’s Preferred Resources Pilot (PRP) in central and southern Orange County and is looking for 100MW for delivery in 2018.

Caroline McAndrews, director of SCE's Preferred Resources Pilot, said: “Now in its second full year, this pilot is a real-world test where SCE is exploring how cleaner-energy resources can help maintain or improve electric service reliability in a densely populated area.”

Preferred resources for the RFO include renewable distributed generation, demand response, energy storage and renewable generation linked with energy storage.

Projects that stand in line with the RFO requirements can take part in the competitive bidding process, while SCE has scheduled an in-person bidder's conference on Oct. 7 in the Orange County area.

“The grid of the future will have a mix of these preferred resources providing reliable and affordable service to our customers while reducing or eliminating the need to build new gas-fired plants,” the director of the Preferred Resources Pilot for SCE, Carol McAndrews, said.

“Now in its second full year, this pilot is a real-world test where SCE is exploring how cleaner-energy resources can help maintain or improve electric service reliability in a densely populated area. This second RFO helps us prepare for the future and keeps us moving forward in obtaining the cleaner resources needed for this innovative project.”

The utility, along with California’s other two investor-owned utilities (IOUS), also issued its Distribution Resources Plan for approval to the state Public Utilities’ Commission (PUC) earlier this year, through which the utilities and the state are seeking to migrate towards more distributed and therefore less centralised energy networks, with solar and storage already playing a major part.

Additional reporting by Andy Colthorpe.