Public Power - November 2008 - (Page 35)

The geothermal potential of the Salton Sea in Imperial County, Calif., holds part of the answer to LADWP’s longer term goal of meeting 35 percent of electricity supply with renewable resources by 2020. Photo courtesy National Renewable Energy Laboratory. approximately 13 MW. The utility and the city are working on a program to expand the solar program. “The plan will be a far reaching one that incorporates various strategies to increase solar in our portfolio,” said Nahai. A third renewable, geothermal, won’t be a large component of the 2010 portfolio, said Nahai. “But it will be very significant with respect to our goal of 35 percent renewables in our energy mix by 2020.” www.APPAnet.org Like geothermal, biomass is not yet a major player, but LADWP wants to see the technology nurtured so it can become part of the utility’s portfolio. “As we start to diversify away from coal, we are looking at three major resources—solar, wind and geothermal,” said Nahai. He calls this LADWP’s three-legged stool. “It will provide us with baseload and intermittent resources that will help with the peaking pattern we’re beginning to see.” That pattern—peaks that last for a number of days and then abate—is driven by heat waves such as the one Los Angeles experienced in mid-August. Solar can do much to help deal with the utility’s peaking requirements, said Nahai. But only if the LADWP ensures that all renewables are properly integrated in its system and pattern of energy use. The 2010 goal might be considered challenge enough for the LADWP. But it has committed to clearing an even higher hurdle—meeting 35 percent of energy needs from renewables by 2020, a goal of the state’s renewable portfolio standard. The LADWP supports the goal, but Nahai sees two major challenges to meeting it. First, he thinks it is unlikely that any utility in California will be able to reach the goal without building some transmission lines. And second, there is the issue of price and what kind of mechanisms will be put in place to prevent a price explosion. Not only must new transmission be built to fully exploit the state’s renewable resources, but it must be built in a timely fashion and in a way that protects the environment, locally and globally, said Nahai. “This is critical.” The LADWP finds itself in a fortunate position, as the utility owns 28 percent of California’s transmission network. Take the Pine Tree wind farm that is under construction. The utility already has transmission that will bring that wind energy to Los Angeles. And the LADWP is involved in negotiations with a couple of solar thermal projects in the Mojave Desert that are located near utility transmission lines. Other planned renewable projects will require upgrades to existing transmission corridors. That will happen over the next couple of years, in time for the 2010 goal, said Nahai. New transmission projects will be NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2008 35 http://www.APPAnet.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - November 2008

Public Power - November 2008 Contents Perspective 10 Questions Capturing Knowledge Before It Retires Jackson’s GIS Search Keeping a Job Journal Japan Tackles the Kyoto Protocol Getting to 20 by 10 Damless Hydro Power Earthquake: The Hidden Disaster For Engineers Safety For Governing Boards DEED Hometown Connections Parting Shot

Public Power - November 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.