USA, California: CAISO CEO - “The critical thing is to have the portfolio. It is not solar or wind or geothermal. It is solar and wind and geothermal.”

The head of California's ISO is on a mission to regionalize and decarbonize (Utility Dive)

Steve Berberich wants utilities' help in bridging California’s borders and moving beyond 50% renewables

California’s system operator is moving ahead with its plans to organize 38 independent power providing systems into a western region grid and market.

Nobody is more passionate about this history-making plan than California Independent System Operator (CAISO) President and CEO Steve Berberich. Just-released preliminary assessments of the regionalization plan to integrate the separate balancing authority areas (BAAs) into a single market give him more reason to push ahead.

Historically, that resource portfolio was composed of coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy. State mandates across the West now require renewables but “the same thing holds true,” he said. “We need wind, we need solar, we need geothermal, and we need a portfolio of resources.”

“The critical thing is to have the portfolio. It is not solar or wind or geothermal. It is solar and wind and geothermal,” Berberich stressed.

There will be a GRC Fieldtrip to the headquarters of CAISO from the GRC Annual Meeting & GEA Geothermal Energy Expo, October 23-26, Sacramento, California.

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