Dive Summary:

• The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is recommending a “no” vote for two purchase agreements in which Southern California Edison (SCE) will buy power from solar developer BrightSource Energy’s pending Rio Mesa project.
• The CPUC’s staff said the agreements are not only too expensive, but also won’t have ways to store electricity for later use; three other SCE proposals involve different power plants that will have energy storage.
• A vote on the five agreements was expected to occur on Thursday, but was pushed to next month in light of the opposition.

From the article:

Pairing energy storage with solar power generation is not just a good idea, it could influence whether a project receives regulatory approval. Solar developer BrightSource Energy and utility Southern California Edison are finding this out as they face potential rejection for two of their five projects that lack the energy storage component.

The staff of California Public Utilities Commission is recommending a “no” vote for two power purchase agreements in which SCE will buy power from BrightSource’s yet-to-be-built Rio Mesa solar project. The staff said the two agreements are too expensive and noted that the power plants for the contracts won’t have ways to store electricity for later use. The three remaining power purchase agreements between the two companies involve other power plants that will have energy storage, which will give Edison more flexibility to manage supply and demand. ...