Anaheim Public Utilities Shows Significant Progress On Clean Energy Goals

California’s public utilities are showing promising signs when it comes to the transition to renewable energy.

Senate Bill 350 requires California’s publicly owned utilities to update the public and regulators on their plans to progress toward meeting the state’s ambitious renewable energy goals at least once every five years, with the first ones to be submitted to the California Energy Commission in 2019.

These updates, called Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs), offer a detailed look into how POUs across the state plan to pivot away from fossil fuels and expand their renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.

Anaheim Public Utilities, one of the larger POUs, indicated in its 2018 IRP that it is on track to significantly reduce its fossil fuels dependence. The report also noted Anaheim is on solid footing to meeting the latest renewable energy targets.

The utility’s latest Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) report, which breaks down the various sources of energy used by Anaheim, lists renewable energy sources at 29 percent of its total energy portfolio for 2018. The number illustrates that the utility is on its way to achieving the clean energy goals set by Senate Bill 350, according to the plan.

With SB 100, California utilities need to obtain 60 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Anaheim indicated in its IRP that its future portfolio should have enough flexibility to absorb additional renewable energy purchases beyond the 50 percent RPS requirement.

The plan said Anaheim’s sizable portfolio of clean energy will see sharp increases in the coming years thanks to the expansion of new solar power generating stations, as well as the utility’s divestment from coal power.

Anaheim delivers more than 3.7 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy to 350,000 residents and more than 15,000 businesses across its service area.