Arizona’s utility regulator, Andy Tobin, proposed a new energy modernization plan which will update Arizona’s policies on clean energy, storage, biomass, efficiency, vehicles and more.
The sweeping plant, seems to be an intelligent look at the most modern techniques, combined with pragmatic decision-making – to clean a power grid.
Currently, Arizona has a 15% renewable energy mandate by 2025, a goal which has already been met. This new proposal will see that increase to 80% by 2050, “with the ultimate goal of being 100%.” Nuclear power is included in the clean energy target.
For energy storage, a new target of 3GW by 2030 will be set per the original reporting on the topic by Utility Dive. The proposal cites:
“Low priced, and sometimes free electricity, is being exported from surrounding states; at the same time, increasing peak demand in Arizona is causing new expensive investments for ratepayers.”
The smartest thing I’ve ever heard someone do is taking advantage of ‘free stuff.’ California has paid Arizona take electricity in the past.
This 3GW of storage target is the largest volume target so far, California is second at 2GW – however – California’s number is by 2020. If we compute the targets on a per capita basis – Arizona has 6.9 million people versus California’s 39.2 million – we’d have to see California reaching 17GW of energy storage by 2030.
Bloomberg suggests the USA will have about 75GW of energy storage by 2030 – California has a habit of leading the country, and I expect California to blow past 17GW by then – possibly being as much as (or far more depending on doubling pace) 37.5GW (50% of US total).
Technologies that qualify as energy storage include: electrochemical (batteries), mechanical (flywheels/compressed air), thermal (molten salt), and gravitational (pumped hydro).
The proposal sets a target of 90 MW of biomass generated from the ‘treatment’ of 50,000 forests by the end of 2021. Only “high-risk fuel,” sourced 80% from within Arizona, will qualify toward the 90 MW of required biomass energy production.
In another example of renewables coming for gas peaker plants – Arizona’s new proposal includes a new “Clean Peak Standard”, where utilities will be required to use renewable resources during peak hours – with the logic that it’ll drive energy storage construction.
These renewable fed energy storage plants, simply by existing on the network, will probably also offer ancillary services like the Australia 100MW/129MWh Tesla Battery, but it will also be requested to do something much bigger – eating the ‘duck curves’ that arise as a result of growing daytime solar power production.
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