California CCAs solicit info on long duration storage, with possible procurement launch this summer

Utility Dive

A group of 11 community choice aggregators (CCA) in California last week issued a request for information (RFI) for storage technologies with a minimum duration of eight hours. The CCAs are looking at long-duration storage for long-term resource planning, according to the RFI. State regulators have found that meeting electric sector greenhouse gas reduction targets could require around 1 GW of long-duration storage in play by 2026.

Depending on the responses to the RFI, some of the CCAs might launch a request for offers for long-duration storage, potentially as soon as this summer, CB Hall, senior power procurement manager at MCE, told Utility Dive. With the RFI, “we wanted to give the market a heads up that certain CCAs may be ready to move quicker than others,” Hall said.

The RFI is a first step in identifying resources that could meet these needs. The 11 CCAs — which include MCE, the Clean Power Alliance of Southern California, CleanPowerSF and Silicon Valley Clean Energy — are open “to a wide variety of proposals,” the request says.

But there are some requirements. Specifically, the CCAs are looking for technologies with a minimum eight-hour duration that can interconnect directly into either the transmission or distribution system and participate in the state’s electricity markets. In addition, they should qualify as “resource adequacy” resources with the CPUC and California Independent System Operator.

Responses to the RFI are due July 1.

“With the long duration storage RFI, CCAs are starting early as these are long-lead-time resources. By collaborating in this way CCAs can optimize their resource planning and procurement efforts, achieve economies of scale, and save ratepayer costs,” Girish Balachandran, CEO of Silicon Valley Clean Energy, said in an emailed statement.

Read more here: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/california-ccas-solicit-info-on-long-duration-storage-with-possible-procur/579505/