As California’s investor utilities draw closer to meeting their mandated energy storage targets, work is already underway to up the ante.
One effort involves legislation that calls for an additional 2,000 MW of energy storage in the state. Existing mandates call for California utilities to procure nearly 1,900 MW of energy storage.
Earlier this month, the California Public Utilities Commission approved a proposal by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) for five new energy storage projects totaling 83.5 MW.
Adding those projects to the utility’s energy storage portfolio “virtually fulfills SDG&E’s energy storage procurement requirement under AB 2514,” spokesman Wes Jones told Utility Dive via email.
California established the first energy storage target in the nation in 2010 with the passage of AB 2514, which established a target of 1,325 MW of energy storage by 2020 for the state’s three investor-owned utilities (IOUs). The state added a new target in 2016 with passage of AB 2868, which calls for 500 MW of behind-the-meter storage, or 166.6 MW for each IOU.
California utilities on target toward energy storage goals
SDG&E’s target under AB 2514 is 165 MW. Between existing energy storage projects and projects under development, SDG&E has about 191 MW of energy storage, according to a tally by Strategen Consulting and confirmed by SDG&E. Not all 191 MW of those projects may qualify for meeting the AB 2514 target because the law caps the contribution of utility owned energy storage at 50% of qualifying facilities.
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