Is California About to Require that by 2045 All Electricity Must Come from Renewables?

Not exactly. Let me explain. Our lack of even the most basic understanding of how the elecricity system operates (explained below) allows us to mistakenly imagine we are taking actions that will shut down CO2 emitting generators.

A number of headlines read something like "California Poised To Require All Its Electricity To Come From Renewables." SB100 appears to be a bit more complicated, however.  Plus, electricity complies to the laws of physics, not the laws we mere mortals devise. Hoefully, this post will identify several important implications of these distinctions.

Recognize that electrons (what electricity consists of) going over the wires thorughout California flow from all generators located everywhere within what’s called the Western Interconnect (WECC).  Electrons are already present throughout all the electric wires in every building in every community at every moment in time. When you flip a light switch on, more electricity gets generated that replaces what your lights consume. The only way to truly use only electricity from renewables and zero carbon sources is to isolate yourself from everyone else and only be connected to such generators. 

Quoting from SB100, “399.30. (a) ...To fulfill unmet long-term generation resource needs...shall adopt and implement a renewable energy resources procurement plan that requires the utility to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, including renewable energy credits [emphasis added]...”

It might seem like splitting hairs, but the passage “…including renewable energy credits…” is significant. This is a reference to unbundled REC’s. This allows the utility to purchase the environmental attributes of a renewable resource but not the electricity that resource generates. 

Your utility can continue to operate all its existing fossil fuel generators into the foreseeable future as long as it also buys enough unbundled REC’s to meet the new requirements of SB100. 

It’s true that a renewable resource someplace else is generating “green” electrons. It’s just that the owner of the unbundled REC by definition isn’t serving its retail customers with those electrons. The reason that a REC can exist independent of the electrons produced by the wind turbine, for example, is due to how electrons flow, as was discussed at the beginning of this post. 

If what we want to do is cut carbon emissions, REC's only do that to the extent that the resource that produces the REC is built instead of a fossil feul generator being built. This does not address how existing fossil fuel generators now continue operating in the future.