California Undaunted by FERC Staff Critique of Rolling Blackouts
California’s grid operator this week brushed off recent FERC staff criticism of its handling of last summer’s heat wave that resulted in state-ordered rolling blackouts throughout the nation’s most populous state last Aug. 14-15.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s staff concluded that the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) overestimated the capacity available from demand response and renewables. Critics in the industry also speculated that it was an indication the state is relying too much on power from intermittent renewable sources.
CAISO officials told NGI that a proposed FERC technical conference can help clarify and resolve some of the issues raised since the FERC commissioners, on a 2-1 vote, rejected a proposed order to examine whether CAISO’s rules are “unduly discriminatory or preferential” by favoring green resources over natural gas, hydroelectric and nuclear.
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Dive Brief:
Industry groups and ratepayer advocates in California are pushing for a cautious approach toward procuring new resources, as part of the state s bid to prepare the electric system for summer 2021 and avoid a repeat of the rolling blackouts that occurred in August.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) opened a rulemaking in November aimed at addressing potential reliability challenges in 2021, and is considering a host of options including implementing efficiency upgrades to existing power plants. But in comments filed with the agency, some groups questioned the need for additional procurement.
A big concern is that the CPUC proceeding has jumped ahead to figuring out procurement for summer 2021 without better understanding the need, if any, for these resources, Mark Specht, energy analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in an email. Without a clear understanding of the need, there s a risk that the CPUC will require costly and unnecessary proc