Kicking things off, session chair and GRC member Charlene Wardlow of the California Department of Conservation DOGGR introduces the panelists.
Angelina Galetiva of Cal ISO said that decarbonization is creating opportunities to develop a high renewables and high DER energy services industry. The growth of renewables to 60% of energy supply by 2030 is going to be dominated by solar which poses a problem of intermittency. Large scale battery storage projects are increasing to mitigate this problem.
William Pettitt commented on why we need long-term thinking in the California energy market. Will pointed out that geothermal energy can be the top renewable on certain days when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow. There is between 6-11 GWe of conventional geothermal energy that can be brought online by 2050. Additionally, there is more than 100 GWe of EGS that can be exploited. Levelized Cost of Electricity studies regularly list geothermal energy as among the top energy resources.
Bruce Wilcox of the Salton Sea Policy group, said they had been working with geothermal energy developers to help restore the Salton Sea. A short-term ten year plan will start restoring habitats and decreasing the salinity of the lake. He suggests that instead of spending money on permitting maybe geothermal energy developers could pay for restoration.
Vince Signorroti of EnergySource, developers of the successful 49 MW John L. Featherstone geothermal power plant said the plant started operations in March 2010. A second Hudson Ranch II project has not been so successful. The future for EnergySource includes lithium coproduction. The company is beyond the proof-concept stage of lithium production. He thinks any other geothermal power project at the Salton Sea should also include a lithium production component.
Rod Colwell talked about the Controlled Thermal Resources Hells Kitchen lithium from geothermal brine project - he describes it as a mining project with thermal energy as a by-product. Other traditional methods of lithium mining are not sustainable. Mining at the Salton Sea will be much more efficient. Technology companies prefer to buy lithium from more sustainable sources. The company hopes to have a production facility complete by 2023.
Q & A: Angelina Galetiva of Cal ISO said that geothermal energy should be given more consideration as an important component of a renewable energy portfolio. Will Pettitt said that the state of California needs to step up if they are to achieve 100% carbon-free energy by 2045.
