Statement on Sunrise Powerlink by the

San Diego Renewable Energy Society, November 2007

We support all forms of renewable energy from on-site PV systems to desert power plants. This support includes the new 300 MW solar power plant using dish-Stirling modular technology being built in Imperial County. The basis for this support is the conviction that global warming is real and we the people are causing it due to our overuse of fossil fuels. We are convinced that we must introduce all forms of renewables as rapidly as is expedient, and to more vigorously introduce energy efficiency into all areas.

We think that a balanced approach which uses different kinds of renewables is the best. This includes on-site PV and other on-site solar systems, bio-mass/gas electricity, geothermal, wind, and concentrating solar power (CSP) power such as the dish-Stirling technology. There are four CSP technologies and they have different characteristics that work well together. They all can operate when the sun is out but some technologies can have extended operation by either hybrid operation and/or inexpensive thermal storage. A balanced mix of all these plants can deliver energy to San Diego without needed expensive storage, and can limit the use of fossil fuels to keep the electric system stable and reliable. We feel confident that 50% of San Diego’s electricity can come from renewable energy by the year 2020 (www.sdres.org and click on “SANDAG Report”).

Our regional renewables are distributed between San Diego and Imperial Counties. Some of these renewable resources are in San Diego County (on-site PV, wind and CSP in smaller plants in the Eastern part of SD County), and a much greater amount is in Imperial County (geothermal, wind and massive amounts of CSP in the form of large desert plants). Due to the geographical distribution of these resources and our desire to balance the renewables providing power to San Diego, it may be necessary to use transmission lines to connect some of these renewables to where the people are.

The need for new transmission lines to San Diego depends upon how much energy efficiency is introduced, economic growth, the success of energy management which reduces peak loads, the amount of on-site energy systems including PV and co-generation, the amount of renewable from outside San Diego, the timing of the retirement of older power plants, and electric grid reliability requirements. Whether additional transmission lines will be needed at some point in the future to give San Diego access to regional renewable depends on all these factors.

We do not know if a new transmission line from Imperial County is needed by 2010 as claimed by SDG&E in their application to the CPUC for the Sunrise Power Link, or many years later, or not at all. The CA Public Utilities Commission is evaluating all the factors that go into decided when a new transmission line is needed. If needed, the choice of a particular route should take into consideration all the pertinent factors, and we feel comfortable that all voices are being heard in the CPUC public hearing process. We rely on CPUC to balance all these factors and to decide if and when a new line is needed, and the best route that minimizes impacts.