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. 

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

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.

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

Read Next

February 11, 2025
Virtual power plants (VPPs) are networks of small-scale, distributed energy resources, such as solar panels or batteries (and in some instances vehicles) which can together function as a single power plant, providing stability to the electric grid.
February 11, 2025
North American lithium-ion battery recycling specialist Li-Cycle has seen a significant increase in battery energy storage system (BESS) materials in its feedstock.
February 6, 2025
EDF Renewables North America has begun operations on a 375MW/600MWh solar-plus-storage project in California, US.
Premium
February 4, 2025
The Board of Supervisors (BoS) of Orange County, California, has enacted an emergency moratorium on the approval of any new BESS facilities proposed for unincorporated areas of the county in order to protect the “health, safety and welfare” of its residents. 
Premium
February 4, 2025
Eku Energy’s chief technology officer, Elias Saba, discusses the shift in economics of long-duration BESS in Australia’s NEM.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter