A slate of new Integrated Resource Plans and sustainability proposals indicate U.S. utilities are realizing the business case for clean energy technologies. But many utilities are still hedging their bets on a mix of resources.
It’s become politically and economically advantageous to embrace clean energy. But many utilities are skeptical of a renewables-dominant future.
So where do power companies break down in their approach?
The ambitious
In a Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) ranking of utilities integrating the most solar in their portfolios, the usual suspects — including PG&E, Southern California Edison, Austin Energy and Xcel Energy — mostly came out on top.
Those companies are known for their renewable energy commitments.
In its latest corporate sustainability report, Minnesota-based Xcel achieved a 40 percent carbon-free portfolio that mostly relied on wind and nuclear. By 2022, the utility said its wind capacity alone would reach 40 percent, totaling a 61 percent carbon-free mix. It also said natural gas use will shrink from 23 percent in 2017 to 12 percent in 2022, and coal will drop 10 percent over that same period, to 27 percent. Through 2027, Xcel will retire 40 percent of its owned coal capacity.
Duke Energy Progress North Carolina also ranked in the top five for annual megawatts of solar, as did South Carolina Electric & Gas. In April, Duke reported that the utility added over 1,000 megawatts of wind, solar, and biomass in 2017, amounting to more than 6.4 gigawatts total. Wind and solar accounted for the great majority.
In its recently released sustainability report, Duke outlined storage projects including 75 megawatts included in its IRP for the Carolinas. Utilities in states like California and Arizona are taking a similar path, choosing battery storage over gas peaker plants.
SEPA’s rankings for megawatts of solar per customer and installed storage also spotlighted some smaller utilities, such as Wisconsin’s Madison Electric, Tucson Electric and Power, and Moreno Valley Utility.
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