California Climate & Energy Collaborative

Tenth Annual ISO Stakeholder Symposium

Sarina Soor
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The California ISO is pleased to announce the tenth anniversary of its Stakeholder Symposium, set for Oct. 17-18, 2018, in downtown Sacramento, California. The event features a new program, new format, engaging speakers, and expanded GridTech Exposition. Early bird registration is now open for the ISO’s tenth Anniversary Stakeholder Symposium and new GridTech Exposition, featuring…

CAISO backs PG&E clean energy plan for Oakland

Sarina Soor
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“PG&E received CAISO approval for its Oakland Clean Energy Initiative (OCEI) March 22. The utility said it will soon open a two-month request-for-proposals process for providers of distributed energy resources to propose storage and efficiency solutions that would provide 20 to 45 MW “of clean energy resources.” CAISO has a reliability-must-run contract with Dynegy, which…

California Sets Two New Solar Records

Sarina Soor
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“Mild temperatures and sunny skies helped California set two new solar records in recent days. On Sunday, March 4, the California Independent System Operator saw an all-time peak percentage of demand served by solar, hitting a record 49.95 percent at 12:58 p.m. That’s up from the previous peak of 47.2 percent set on May 14,…

ISO offers training on the electric grid and markets

Sarina Soor
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“In an effort to help market participants and the general public understand how the electric system works, the California ISO recently unveiled a redesigned and updated “Learning Center” webpage on its website. The page offers a broad array of courses, including webinars, computer-based training modules, a schedule of in-person education events, and resources for a…

ISO’s new webpage tracks emissions

Sarina Soor
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“The California ISO created a new webpage that monitors historical and real-time carbon emissions from resources to generate electricity for the grid’s footprint. The page displays emissions with data from 2014 to present, allowing users to map annual trends, and to track progress of policies designed to reduce electric system emissions. The CO2 page, which went…

California ISO launches renewable energy market report

Sarina Soor
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“The California Independent System Operator (ISO) today unveiled an important and groundbreaking resource for tracking renewable energy data. The new Monthly Renewables Performance Report, posted on the public ISO website, offers a broad menu of metrics related to renewable energy, including net demand, oversupply, curtailments, reliability, and negative pricing, all consolidated in one easy-to-access document.…

California ISO launches expanded online data resource

Sarina Soor
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“The refreshed Today’s Outlook page on the ISO website will allow viewers to quickly see changing patterns of supply and demand, forecasted and actual peaks, energy supplies by resource type, and renewable energy production. The updated net load graph depicts daily system ramps reflecting changes to the power supply system, as it becomes more dominated…

California fires spark CAISO transmission emergency

Sarina Soor
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CAISO on Thursday extended an electric transmission emergency in Ventura County because of raging wildfires in Southern California that have forced the evacuation of almost 200,000 people and threaten about 15,000 structures. The wildfires have been fanned by the seasonal Santa Ana winds originating inland and gusting into populated areas of Southern California. The state’s Department…

Portland General Electric joins California ISO energy market

Sarina Soor
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“The California ISO said Portland General Electric became the fifth western utility to successfully begin full participation in the western Energy Imbalance Market. California ISO said that it and PGE recently completed several weeks of extensive systems testing – the culmination of two years of preparatory work and coordination – and have certified that PGE is ready for…

California Experts Weigh the Next Steps for a Western Regional Grid

Sarina Soor
“While the move toward a Western regional grid stalled in the California legislature this fall, the discussion is not over. Regionalization was a topic of discussion at the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) annual symposium earlier this month in Sacramento. Bills to enable CAISO expansion were pushed back to the very end of the legislative session, due…

Greening the ramp: California looks to carbon-free resources to combat the Duck Curve

Sarina Soor
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“As the Trump administration looks to boost fossil fuels and baseload generators, California policymakers are having the opposite conversation — steadily moving their utilities to a cleaner, more flexible power system. Last month, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed Senate Bill 338, which requires utilities to consider how carbon-free resources can meet peak power needs in their integrated…

California ISO Energy Matters Newsletter – October

Sarina Soor
A new edition of California ISO’s Energy Matters newsletter has been released. Topics include a recap of the August 21st solar eclipse, western Energy Imbalance Market (EIM), heat challenges for the grid, battery storage, and the annual Stakeholder Symposium. Click here to read Energy Matters

California regulators edge away from gas peaker plants

Sarina Soor
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Gas peaking plants are in the crosshairs in California — targets of scrutiny from legislators and regulators alike. Last month, California lawmakers passed SB 338, which would mandate that utilities develop carbon-free alternatives to gas generation for meeting peak demand in their integrated resource plans. The bill awaits an expected signature from Gov. Jerry Brown…