Notes: Capacity includes only Full Capacity.
Source: California ISO Generator Interconnection.
Analysis by Beacon Economics
Highlight
- In 2022, California added 674 MW of solar and only 2.8 MW of natural gas –less than 0.4 percent of capacity added to the grid. The total rated capacity added was 66.2 percent lower than the total energy resources in 2021. Still, it is 38.1 percent higher than 2020 energy resource capacity. Battery storage capacity grew from about 500 MW in 2020 to 5,000 MW in May 2023 (the latest data) in the CAISO balancing area. Over half of this capacity is physically paired with other generation technologies, especially renewables, either sharing a point of interconnection under the co-located model or as a single hybrid resource.158 In 2023, stand-alone battery storage accounted for 47.1 percent of the total installed battery capacity, while co-located battery storage with solar accounted for 35.3 percent of the total installed battery capacity—an increase by more than 50 percent in just one year. Co-located battery storage was the fastest growing battery type in 2023—adding 2,000 MW to the grid. Conversely, stand-alone battery storage experienced a slight decrease of 1,000 MW in 2023, from 2022.159
158 California ISO. Special Report on Battery Storage. Released July 7, 2023. Assessed Aug 26, 2023. Available at: http://www.caiso.com/Documents/2022-Special-Report-on-Battery-Storage-Jul-7-2023.pdf
159 California ISO. Special Report on Battery Storage. July 7, 2023. Assessed Sep 19,2023. Available at: https://www.caiso.com/Documents/2022-Special-Report-on-Battery-Storage-Jul-7-2023.pdf
More About
Renewable Energy
Related Content