Unlocking California’s electric grid

How can we get the most out of our existing electric grid?

California’s clean energy transition– our journey from a dirty fossil fuel-powered society to a state powered by clean energy– is well underway as more clean energy projects come online and we successfully meet more and more of our energy demand with renewables. 

To meet our 100% clean electricity goal by 2045 and to electrify other sectors to meet our climate goals, we’ll need to substantially expand the size of our electric grid, tripling our current electric grid capacity. California’s power grid needs a serious upgrade to handle the large amount of clean energy that will power our lives today and in the coming years.

However, new transmission lines can take a long time to build: a conservative estimate of the average time from planning to completion of a transmission project is 13 years. Transmission capacity is also very expensive to construct, and these upgrades are paid for by California’s ratepayers through utility bills. Transmission projects can also damage sensitive ecosystems depending on where they are sited.

California should seek to minimize how much new transmission capacity it must build to meet its energy needs. One way to do this is to get the most out of our existing grid with relatively easy upgrades using grid enhancing technologies and advanced reconductoring.

What are grid enhancing technologies?

Grid enhancing technologies (GETs) are hardware and software that allow existing power lines to be used to their fullest capacity. This suite of technologies, which include sensors, power flow control devices, and analytical tools, help improve reliability, safety and efficiency. GETs can reduce grid congestion by 40% or more, and can often pay for themselves in less than a year of operation. 

GETs can also be implemented in a matter of months, rather than the years or decades it takes to build completely new transmission capacity. We need reliable clean energy in the near term, and GETs can help us significantly ramp up our transmission capacity by making better use of both existing assets and new power lines.

What is advanced reconductoring?

Advanced reconductoring is the process of replacing old, inefficient power lines with new and improved conductive materials, which significantly improves the line’s capacity, efficiency and strength. 

Replacing power lines with advanced conductors could quadruple new transmission capacity by 2035, putting California’s clean energy goals much closer within reach. They also help reduce the wildfire risk of aging power lines. Upgrading power lines with advanced conductors can also generate more than $2.2 billion in annual consumer savings nationally by reducing transmission losses. Advanced conductors should be coupled with GETs to achieve the full benefits of transmission upgrades.

Let’s upgrade California’s electric grid efficiently

Environment California is proud to sponsor SB 1006 (Padilla), which would require California’s utilities to jointly prepare a strategic plan for GETs and periodically evaluate which power lines could be reconductored to cost-effectively increase transmission capacity and help connect more renewable energy resources to the grid.

Together, GETs and advanced conductors can help California keep pace with the rapid build out of clean energy technologies by using our existing transmission infrastructure and capacity more effectively. Let’s unlock the grid with these new technologies!