A California initiative has issued a new report stating that new infrastructure costing $15.7 billion will be needed to integrate enough renewable power into the system in order to meet mandates currently under consideration within the state.  California is considering requiring that one-third of the state’s power come from renewable sources within 10 years.

However, the report stated that smart grid technology that allows for distributed generation coming from solar panels installed on rooftops could significantly reduce those costs.  Before that can happen, solar power must become as economically feasible as other renewable energy sources.

The report came from the Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative and was in line with June findings of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that said transmission infrastructure costing $12 billion would be needed to meet the renewable power supply requirements.

California already has legislation in place that will require one-fifth of the state’s power supply to come from renewable power in 2010. Lawmakers in the state are currently considering boosting that requirement to one-third by 2020.

The CPUC report said that a vast web of new transmission lines criss-crossing the Central Valley north and south and west to east across mountain ranges and deserts.  The report doesn’t detail exactly where the transmission lines will go.

State regulators approved the new Sunrise Powerlink, a new power line that is to connect the San Diego metro area with solar thermal plants that are planned for the desert area in the southeast.  Opponents to the new power line have appealed the regulators’ decision.

Another massive transmission project planned for the Central Valley region was cancelled in July by the Transmission Agency of Northern California when several utilities withdrew their support for the project after vocal opposition from environmental groups and affected landowners.

California is searching for ways to address energy problems that the rest of the country is beginning to consider.  California, a state that often relies on power supplied from other states, is seeking to address the state’s energy issues by boosting the supply of renewable power.

Nationwide, boosting the renewable power supply will require transmitting it from where it is most efficiently generated.  Wind turbines function best in the windy Midwest while solar power is most practical in the desert southwest.  Renewable power will have to be transmitted to the densely populated areas that need it.  Smart grid technology will ensure the power is used or stored using battery technology that is still largely under development.

ITC Holdings, a venture capitalist focused on the energy transmission grid, has proposed the construction of a massive transmission project that will cost between $10 billion and $12 billion.  Nicknamed the “Green Power Express” the project will link wind farms in the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Iowa to load centres in the upper Midwest.

Federal lawmakers are currently considering granting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) more authority in placing interstate transmission lines.  Still, if enough homes and businesses installed solar panels on their rooftops – and utilities integrated the generated power using smart grid technology – many of the new transmission lines won’t be necessary.

California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA  94102
http://www.cpuc.ca.gov

ITC Holdings Corp.
27175 Energy Way
Novi, Michigan 48377
http://www.itc-holdings.com

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20426
http://www.ferc.gov

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