Southern California Edison Requests Project to Advance Renewable Energy Operations

Business Wire, March 19, 2008

ROSEMEAD, Calif. -- Southern California Edison (SCE) has filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission to enhance renewable energy operations.

If approved, the Renewable Integration and Advancement (RIA) Program would fund and develop innovative systems and technologies to enhance safe and reliable energy deliveries as more intermittent renewable resources come on line to meet the state's renewable energy goals. The program would focus on better integrating existing renewable resource technologies, such as wind and solar, with a view toward optimizing the operations of existing transmission and distribution capacity. SCE is seeking authorization of funding over two years for this program.

Although no specific projects yet have been identified, examples of the type of projects the RIA program may consider and enable include:

* Testing and installing energy storage devices to capture surplus energy at night and releasing to the grid during the peak-demand hours of the day when the value of the energy is greater.

* Studying the joint production of solar and wind resources to make the most of renewable transmission lines, such as those in the Tehachapi region of Kern County.

* Testing hardware (such as capacitors, batteries, forecasting and monitoring devices) to improve system communications as new renewables are connected to the system.

* Researching best practices and system designs to improve the growth of California's renewable resource portfolio.

"This project is an important part of our commitment to reduce carbon emissions and fight climate change. It presents an opportunity to leverage existing infrastructure and proven generating technologies to increase the contribution of renewable resources while enhancing safety and system reliability," said SCE Vice President Stuart Hemphill, who is in charge of renewable and alternative power.

SCE, the nation's leader in renewable energy with about 16 percent of its total energy portfolio from renewable sources, would serve as the program's administrator. The RIA program would enable studies or other research efforts, environmental assessments or other technology analysis, field-test technologies and equipment, and provide technical expertise and engineering review. The program will also seek co-funding from federal, state and local agencies.

An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is the largest electric utility in California, serving a population of more than 13 million via 4.8 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.