Peak Demand Bill passes senate + Brawley resident pleads guilty in $272K tax scheme
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Last Week, the State Senate voted 37 to 13 in favor of Senate Bill 338 authored by Sen. Nancy Skinner, which the intent is for California utilities to consider carbon-free resources to combat peak energy demand.
The bill had passed the assembly in Aug. and is now on its way to Gov. Jerry Brown.
The bill would require utilities to develop carbon-free alternatives to gas generation for meeting peak demand in their integrated resource plans. The state is currently evaluating how to manage midday solar over generation and a steep ramp in evening power demand while meeting ambitious climate change goals.
Currently, California routinely experiences hours of plentiful solar generation at midday followed by a steep increase in evening power demand nicknamed the “duck curve” for the shape of its load chart.
In order to meet the evening ramp utilities usually rely on natural gas generators, but California utilities are under a mandate to cut carbon emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, and according to Utility Dive, clean energy advocates say solar and storage can meet local power needs at a lower cost.
Skinner’s bill is one of two proposed earlier this year pushing utilities to use more of that renewable energy during peak demand hours. If it becomes law, utilities would have to alter their International Registration Plans (IRP) processes to evaluate the role of existing renewable generation, grid operational efficiencies, energy storage and distributed energy resources, including energy efficiency to meet the hours of peak demand.