California regulator approves export regime for PV, energy storage to avoid costly grid upgrades

By JP Casey
LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email

California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved requests made by utilities in the state to allow solar and storage facilities to use Limited Generation Profiles (LGPs) to connect to the state’s grid without paying for grid infrastructure upgrades.

An LGP is an energy export schedule that aims to manage the supply of electricity to the grid so that a grid’s hosting capacity, the amount of power it can accept from generation facilities, is not exceeded.

“Now, by taking into account the grid conditions at their proposed project site, and designing an export schedule based on those conditions, project developers have a means to avoid potentially costly grid upgrades,” wrote the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), a non-profit that has lobbied in support of the adoption of LGPs, in response to CPUC’s decision.

“Not only will this save money for individual developers and customers, it will also enable the grid to accommodate significantly higher levels of renewable energy at a lower overall cost.”

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

Not ready to commit yet?
  • 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

The proposals were submitted by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern Edison Company and San Diego Gas & Electric Company, utilities that serve around 24 million customers in California. CPUC has been considering the proposals since 2022, and the decision follows growing interest in updating California’s grid infrastructure, with around US$370 million in new grid investment required in the state.

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

Read Next

Premium
September 10, 2025
California community choice aggregator (CCA) Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) and independent power producer NextEra Energy Resources (NEER) have agreed on the terms of a flexible offtake agreement relating to a 115MW/460MWh standalone BESS. 
Premium
September 8, 2025
Energy-Storage.news Premium speaks with Ryan Hledik, Principal at the Brattle Group, and Lauren Nevitt, Senior Director of Public Policy at Sunrun, on the shaky future of California’s Demand Side Grid Support distributed storage programme.
September 5, 2025
Energy-Storage.news proudly presents our sponsored webinar with Qcells + Geli, on modelling and realising maximum profits from commercial & industrial (C&I) battery storage systems.
September 3, 2025
During the morning of 30 August 2025, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) responded to a possible vegetation fire in the area of independent power producer (IPP) Arevon Energy’s California Flats solar-plus-storage project.
Premium
August 28, 2025
Energy-Storage.news Premium speaks with Sergio Melendez, storage sector manager at CAISO, and Ali Karimian, market optimisation director at GridBeyond, about regulating Bid Cost Recovery Payments in the California Independent System Operator market.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter