CAISO drafts 20-year plan to get California on-track for 100% renewables

By Sean Rai-Roche
LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email
Saticoy, a 100MW/400MWh battery project commissioned in California in 2021. Image: Courtesy of Arevon.

California’s energy transition will need 53GW of solar PV by 2045, with the state’s transmission system requiring a US$30.5 billion investment alongside major increases in energy storage to accommodate the extra power.  

A draft version of California ISO’s (CAISO) 20-Year Transmission Outlook report providing a roadmap for the next two decades and a draft 2021-2022 Transmission Plan covering the next 10 years, was issued today. 

It outlined that by 2045, the state would require 53GW of utility-scale solar, 37GW of battery energy storage systems (BESS), 4GW of long-duration storage and more than 2GW of geothermal, alongside 24GW of wind power reserves, all of which need to be connected to the grid.

Created in collaboration with the regulatory California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the state government’s California Energy Commission, the draft plan will be voted on in March by CAISO’s Board of Governors.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

To read the full version of this story, visit PV Tech.

Read Next

August 13, 2026
Hithium has signed a supply agreement with GPG to deliver a 421MWh battery energy storage system for the Fraser Coast project.
August 13, 2026
BW ESS has acquired a 1,000MWh battery storage system in Riverina, New South Wales, from Australian developer ACEnergy.
August 13, 2026
Renewable energy developer-operator Arevon Energy has put its 300MW/1,200MWh Nighthawk Energy Storage Project in Poway, California, US into operation.
August 13, 2026
Denmark-headquartered investor Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has brought its 500MW, 2-hour duration Coalburn 1 battery energy storage system (BESS) into commercial operation.
August 12, 2026
EPEC Group has been awarded a contract to cover the high-voltage connection works for the Lower Wonga Solar Farm in Queensland, Australia, by the EPC contractor INTEC Energy Solutions.