Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), a subsidiary of PG&E Corp., says it has exceeded California’s Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) goal requiring energy providers to deliver 33% renewable energy by the end of 2020.
PG&E estimates that it delivered over 35% from specified eligible-renewable resources to its customers last year, according to its recent Form 10-K. Overall, more than 88% of the electricity PG&E delivered to its customers last year came from greenhouse gas (GHG)-free resources, including eligible-renewable, nuclear and large hydroelectric energy.
“As we pass this major mile-marker of 33% RPS on the road to our clean energy future, it’s a great example of how we’re delivering on our commitment to serving people, the planet and California’s prosperity,” says Patti Poppe, CEO of PG&E Corp. “More renewable energy on the electric grid helps us ensure cleaner air and better health for our customers. We are proud to have one of the cleanest energy portfolios in the nation.”
At 45%, large-scale solar energy accounts for the largest portion of PG&E’s total renewable energy power mix. The company has 239 RPS-eligible power purchase contracts, representing over 6,700 MW of renewable energy – over 4,100 MW is solar energy. PG&E also owns 445 MW of RPS-eligible generation, including 13 solar power plants, which are mainly located in the Central Valley and generate up to 152 MW of clean power. PG&E says it has connected more than 535,000 customers with private rooftop solar to the electricity grid. The rooftop solar in the company’s service area represents about 20% of all rooftop solar in the country.
The company currently has contracts for battery energy storage projects totaling more than 1,400 MW of capacity to be deployed throughout its service area and the state through 2023. PG&E is well-positioned with the battery energy storage projects under contract to meet the state’s ambitious clean energy and storage goals while ensuring grid reliability.
In addition to large, grid-scale battery energy storage, PG&E connects hundreds to thousands of new, behind-the-meter (BTM) battery energy storage systems to the grid every month. To date, more than 19,000 PG&E customers have installed and connected BTM battery energy storage systems to the grid throughout PG&E’s service area – most of which are residential customers – totaling more than 230 MW of capacity.
Photo: California Energy Commission building
This is definitely a great sign for the alternative energy industry. The fact that PG&E exceeded California’s RPS goal requiring energy providers to deliver 33% renewable energy by the end of 2020 is a huge step in the right direction.
However, one of the big issues that happened in March is the fact they are raising customer utility prices by 8% to pay for wildfire mitigation efforts. This shows how important Solar Panels + Battery Storage are becoming for homeowners to not only lower their electricity bills, but to be able to be less reliant on companies like PG&E.