Program areas at CEERT
During 2023, CEERT accomplished the following:CEERTs multi-year advocacy was instrumental in a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Decision adopting a Preferred System Plan that meets an unprecedentedly low 25-million metric ton greenhouse-gas emissions target for the power sector by 2035. This PSP portfolio will enable California to meet its ambitious climate and clean-energy goals, and to reduce GHG emissions on the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) grid by 85% in 2045 while achieving a level of 113% clean energy (including exports). CAISOs 2022-2023 Transmission Plan (TP) mapped a 2032 base scenario of 26,597 mega-watts (MW) in new clean generation, while a more far-reaching 2035 sensitivity scenario studied transmission needs for 70,489 MW of clean resources. CEERT successfully argued at the CAISO and CPUC that this sensitivity scenario be the base case for the 2023-2024 TP. We are now advocating for an even more aggressive base case in the 2024-2025 TP. Partnered with our affiliates Latino Equity Advocacy and Policy Institute and Golden State Clean Energy/Westlands Solar Park to realize the San Joaquin Valley's potential for 30,000 megawatts of new large-scale solar, bring the benefits of those projects to local communities, and secure residents full access to workforce training and employment programs. Worked closely with Comit Civico del Valle, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, and the Imperial Irrigation District to secure maximal development of new 24/7 geothermal generating plants by the Salton Sea, the extraction of lithium from geothermal brine, and community benefits and workforce training opportunities for Imperial Valley residents. With our allies in nearby states, furthered recent encouraging progress on the establishment of an Extended Day-Ahead Market and an eventual Regional Transmission Organization, both of which will result in improved renewables trading and cost savings across the West. Published three hard-hitting, widely distributed reports on key transmission expansion projects for California, especially in the Los Angeles Basin to reduce dependence on gas-fired power plants and in the Central Valley to greatly increase solar generation output. Began to push for increased adoption and use of grid-enhancing technologies, dynamic line rating, advanced power conductors, and high-voltage direct-current lines in advocating with state agencies for expanding transmission capacity in affordable ways.Worked to establish a Central Procurement Entity for long lead-time resources with system-wide benefits, including geothermal, offshore wind, and pumped hydro storage.In light of the states budget deficit, advocated that the CEC rescind operating subsidies from the general fund for the Diablo Canyon nuclear facility and outmoded gas-fired plants, and reallocate the funds to clean energy and demand-response infrastructure. Considerably advanced state plans for expanded transmission. In May the CAISO adopted its 2022-2023 Transmission Plan (TP), which detailed a ten-year 2032 base scenario of 26,597 MW in new clean generation. A more far-reaching 2035 sensitivity scenario studied transmission needs for 70,489 MW of new clean resources, encompassing 33,640 MW of solar, 12,301 MW of wind, 20,673 MW of battery storage, 2,000 MW of long-duration storage, and 1,746 MW of geothermal. CEERTs vigorous transmission advocacy at the CAISO and CPUC, and our three recent transmission reports, successfully argued that this sensitivity scenario be used as the base-case portfolio for the 2023-2024 TP. We are now advocating that an even more aggressive base-case be used for the upcoming 2024-2025 TP. Published three widely distributed reports on transmission: the first on planning and key projects in California; the second on the need to expand transmission into the Los Angeles Basin to improve reliability and reduce dependence on gas-fired plants; and the third on the need to expand transmission in the Central Valley to enable large-scale solar and storage projects on disturbed, formerly agricultural land. Worked with Renewable Northwest, Western Resource Advocates, Western Grid Group, and other partners in neighboring states to further recent encouraging progress toward establishing an Extended Day-Ahead Market and an eventual Regional Transmission Organization, both of which will result in improved renewables trading and cost savings across the West. Began to push for increased adoption and use of grid-enhancing technologies, dynamic line rating, advanced power conductors, and high-voltage direct-current lines in advocating with state agencies for expanding near-term transmission capacity in affordable ways.The CAISO has identified 30,000 MW of solar that can be developed in the Central Valley. CEERT Valley affiliate Westlands Solar Park is California's largest renewable energy project, and has a capacity of 2,700 MW, of which 1,170 are in active development or already constructed. We are working with WSP on permitting and the expanded transmission capacity that their projects require. CEERT is also collaborating with our longtime affiliate Latino Equity Advocacy and Policy Institute on securing local residents access to workforce training and employment programs as a major part of an overall benefits package for disadvantaged communities that are adjacent to large-scale solar generation sites in the Valley. In the Imperial Valley, CEERT is working closely with Comit Civico del Valle, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, and the Imperial Irrigation District to secure maximal development of new 24/7 geothermal generating plants along with the extraction of lithium from geothermal brine, and a robust Community Benefits Agreement to accompany this development. Comit Civico del Valle has appointed CEERT Executive Director V. John White to its Technical Advisory Committee for the Imperial County Programmatic Environmental Impact Report on expanding geothermal power production and developing lithium recovery facilities. CEERTs multi-year advocacy was instrumental in a 2/14/24 CPUC Decision adopting a Preferred System Plan portfolio that meets an unprecedentedly low 25-million metric ton greenhouse-gas target for the power sector by 2035. This PSP portfolio would enable California to meet its ambitious climate and clean-energy goals, and reduce GHG emissions on the CAISO grid by 58% in 2035 and by 85% in 2045, compared to 2020, while achieving a level of 113% clean energy (including exports). In line with CEERTs advocacy, the CPUCs 2/14/24 Decision additionally recommended that the CAISO analyze the transmission buildout needed to retire 15,000 megawatts of gas-fired generation by 2039, at which point, according to CPUC President Alice Reynolds, the use of gas-fired generation would be reduced by 90% from 2024 levels.During the year, CARB staff determined, in accord with CEERTs position, that the CARB Climate Change Scoping Plans overreliance on carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies would not achieve California's 2030 climate goals, and additional emission-reduction measures, including tightening up cap-and-trade limits, will be needed. CEERTs V. John White worked with the CARB Scoping Plan communications team, and suggested that they adopt a Climate Implementation Plan to track progress in GHG reductions and identify weaknesses and failures that can be mitigated. Pushed for reform and updating of CPUC General Order (GO) 131-D, which governs the siting of transmission infrastructure in California, to bring it in line with the directives of Senate Bill 529 that call for expediting the permitting of transmission upgrades and expansions. With many other parties, we objected to a proposed decision that ignored a broadly supported multi-party Settlement Agreement covering modifications of GO 131-D, and we advocated that Phase 2 of the proceeding take up additional needed changes. Strongly opposed a decision in the Resource Adequacy proceeding that adopted rules that are contrary to law, fact, and policy, and wrongly impose unsupported adverse impacts on Demand Response (DR) programs and providers. CEERT has long upheld DR as a crucial resource that can displace gas, provide grid reliability and flexibility, and avoid rolling blackouts during heat waves. With allied parties, persuaded the CPUC in its Resource Adequacy proceeding to include greenhouse-gas heat rate information on publicly available disadvantaged community status in its Master Resource Database. Helped induce the CPUC in its Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) proceeding to consider, at such point as it becomes more feasible, a longer-term planning horizon for future generation and transmission projects.Recommended that a new sensitivity case be developed in the IRP to eliminate gas-fired power plants adjacent to disadvantaged communities in the Los Angeles Basin, and continued to oppose the use of the problematic RESOLVE tool for capacity expansion modeling. Took pa