The California Energy Commission (CEC) recently approved two reports that track the state’s path to a clean energy future.
At a business meeting, the CEC adopted the Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR), which assesses and updates major energy trends and issues facing the state’s electricity, natural gas and transportation fuel sectors. The report provides policy recommendations to conserve resources and protect the environment while maintaining energy reliability, says the commission.
The IEPR release comes as California is taking ambitious steps to lower its greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, the CEC notes. The report suggests that a downward trend in GHG emissions must be initiated in the next three years to avoid extreme climate change impacts. It also suggests that the state’s electric grid must evolve to support a low-carbon future that integrates solar and wind energy.
The commission also approved the California Energy Demand Forecast for 2018-2030. The report presents baseline forecasts of natural gas and electricity consumption and of peak demand for California and utility planning areas. The report includes estimates of additional achievable energy efficiency savings and photovoltaic adoption and provides options for managed electricity forecasts for resource planning.
According to the CEC, the forecasts are used in a number of ways, including in planning proceedings for the California Independent System Operator’s transmission plans and the California Public Utilities Commission for integrated resource and distributed resource planning.
At the meeting, the commission also funded the continued operation and maintenance of 16 hydrogen refueling stations located strategically throughout California. Specifically, the CEC approved more than $2 million for operating and maintaining 16 publicly accessible existing hydrogen refueling stations statewide, from San Diego to Truckee. The funds come from the CEC’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, which invests in advanced alternative and renewable fuels and vehicle technologies.
