California's approach to decarbonizing the electricity sector and the role of dispatchable, low-carbon technologies

Abstract

California's Senate Bill 100 establishes a goal to reach a zero-carbon grid by 2045, which opens the door for currently available low-carbon, dispatchable energy sources to contribute to California's decarbonization. This study utilizes a detailed capacity expansion and dispatch model of California to assess the role that low-carbon, dispatchable resources can have for California's energy future. The results show that including dispatchable, low carbon resources result in a significantly cheaper decarbonized system. In addition, leaving the optionality for more resources provides less uncertainty for future energy systems costs across varying technology cost estimates, weather patterns, and operational constraints. While California's 2045 zero-carbon grid policy establishes a strong premise for optionality, other regulatory updates will be necessary to deploy low-carbon, dispatchable resources efficiently.