According to the Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) Quarterly Report for the second quarter of 2010, the IOUs are contracting with renewable projects at an unprecedented rate.
The IOUs are requesting approval of more than 50 contracts before the end of the year, which is twice as much as the utilities have requested in prior years. More than a dozen of these projects are requesting American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding.
In 2009, the state’s IOUs collectively served 15.4% of their electricity with renewable energy, up from 13% in 2008.
According to CPUC, this increase is due to factors including: newly installed renewable capacity; small hydroelectric facilities generating more power; more contracts with existing facilities; and customers using less electricity in 2009 than in 2008, so the utilities’ renewable procurement accounted for a greater percentage of retail sales.
