The Present and Future of California’s Electricity Grid

The Energy Gang

Wood Mackenzie

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4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 1 July 2022

⏱️ 63 minutes

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Summary

California is one of the world’s largest economies in its own right, with a population of 40 million generating $3.4 trillion in GDP. It is also a pioneer in the development of clean energy, generating about 23% of its electricity from renewables in 2020, a long way ahead of the US average.

On today’s episode, the Energy Gang welcomes a special guest: Elliot Mainzer, the President and CEO of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). CAISO is the non-profit responsible for managing the flow of electricity that serves over 80% of California. Regular team member Melissa Lott, from the Center on Global Energy Policy, joins host Ed Crooks to examine the current state of the power grid in California and how it’s faring in the energy transition.

They talk about how the grid can keep up with changing technologies and manage the challenges created by a rising reliance on solar and wind power. And they discuss the significance of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, California’s single largest source of electricity, which is scheduled for closure in 2025. There have been suggestions that the life of the plant should be extended. What are the implications of this? And what needs to happen for the plant to be closed for good while maintaining reliability and preventing a rise in carbon dioxide emissions?

Finally, Elliot Mainzer looks ahead to the long term. California has a commitment to running its electricity grid on 100 zero-carbon energy by 2045. Is that realistic? And what needs to happen to achieve it?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to The Energy Gang, a discussion show where this episode we're going to be talking
0:06.4	about the present and future of the electricity grid. I'm Idkruks.
0:11.3	Joining me today is Melissa Lott, Director of Research at Columbia University's Centre
0:16.3	on Global Energy Policy. Hello Melissa, how are you?
0:18.6	Hey Adam, doing great. Yeah, it's been a fun couple of weeks here. It's good to see you
0:22.7	and good to be on here with Elliot today.
0:24.6	Yeah, exactly. As you say, we have an exciting special guest joining us on the show to
0:29.9	do today. I've been thinking vaguely about kicking off with an impromptu acappella performance
0:34.4	of maybe California dreaming by everyone's own brothers or possibly a California love by
0:39.8	two-pack, which is another so much great music from the great state of California, because
0:44.7	what we're going to be doing today, as I say, we're going to be talking about the electricity
0:48.1	grid and very specifically the electricity grid in California and very pleased to welcome
0:53.5	a special guest of energy gang this week to talk about it. Elliot Meinser, who is the
0:57.4	president and chief executive officer of the California independent system operator,
1:01.8	Kaiso, which runs the California grid. Really looking forward to the conversation with you
1:06.3	Elliot today. Thanks very much for joining us.
1:08.1	This is me, Tidz. It's a great pleasure to be here. Thanks so much.
1:10.6	I mean, there's obviously an enormous amount to talk about in California. I think it's
1:13.8	going to be a conversation that will be really interesting to people not just in the state
1:17.9	of California, but around the world. California, of course, is one of the world's largest
1:22.3	economies in its own right. Generally, I think to be the fifth largest in terms of GDP ahead
1:27.2	of the UK and ahead of India. It's also a pioneer, of course, in many areas in the development
	...

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