California has a stated RPS goal of serving 33% of its electric load with renewable energy by 2020; however, transmission is a major barrier to achieving this goal. Renewable resources are location constrained. They are often far from the grid and load centers, requiring extensive and expensive transmission upgrades. In order to achieve cost-savings through economies of scale, and to limit environmental impacts and ultimate build-out time, large transmission projects are needed to access large geographic areas of developable, economic renewable resource potential. Proactive renewable transmission planning requires "big picture" judgment that coordinates transmission and resource / procurement planning to avoid piecemealed transmission solutions.
Statewide Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI)
The Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI) is a statewide initiative to help identify the transmission projects needed to accommodate California's renewable energy goals, support future energy policy, and facilitate transmission corridor designation and transmission and generation siting and permitting. RETI will be an open and transparent collaborative process in which all interested parties are encouraged to participate.
RETI will assess all competitive renewable energy zones in California, and possibly neighboring states, that can provide significant electricity to California consumers by the year 2020. RETI will identify those zones that can be developed in the most cost effective and environmentally benign manner and will prepare detailed transmission plans for those zones identified for development.
The RETI effort is supervised by a coordinating committee comprised of California entities responsible for ensuring the implementation of the state's renewable energy policies and development of electric infrastructure, namely:
More information can be found on the RETI website
Reports on Transmission Planning for Renewables
The CPUC, its regulated entities, and other interested parties have conducted several studies of the transmission needed to access renewables in California and surrounding areas. Several of these studies are provided below.
- March 2008 Quarterly Progress Report on BC Renewable Energy Study
- PG&E
December 2007 Quarterly Progress Report on BC Renewable Energy Study
PG&E
September 2007 Quarterly Progress Report on BC Renewable Energy Study
PG&E
June 2007 Quarterly Progress Report on BC Renewable Energy Study
PG&E
Tehachapi Collaborative Second Report
Tehachapi Collaborative Study Group; April 2006
Development Plan for Access to Renewable Resources in the Imperial Valley
Imperial Valley Study Group; September 2005
Transmission in the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area
Tehachapi Collaborative Study Group; March 2005
Electric Transmission Planning for Renewable Resources in California
CPUC Energy Division, prepared for CA Legislature; December 2003
For more general information on transmission permitting, visit the CPUC's Transmission Section.