The California ISO is celebrating 20 years of reliability, transparency, and innovative vision for the green electric grid of the future. Since 1998, the organization has been skillfully operating an electric system that now serves over 30 million customers, while overseeing a fair and equitable wholesale energy market, generating $9 billion in transactions annually.
California was the first state to restructure its electricity market. The California ISO was formed.
Market participants
Renewables installed capacity
Solar installed capacity
Wind installed capacity
Helped the state navigate through the challenges posed by market manipulation.
Began integrating renewable resources.
Introduced the first-of-its-kind method to evaluate transmission projects based on economic benefits and reliability needs.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger activated a new 500kV line between northern and southern California (Path 15), marking the first such state and federal partnership.
All-time peak load
Provided a mechanism to incentivize developers to build transmission in remote areas.
The first non-capacity/integrated market that grew from three zones to nearly 5,000 nodes, increasing pricing transparency.
The biggest RTO development of the year was the long awaited initiation of [California ISO’s] new market on March 31.
28%Wholesale energy costs
54%Ancillary services expenses
Synchrophasers installed
The ISO logo was updated to depict its evolving role in shaping the future of renewable and advanced technologies.
First utility grade battery installed
Launched the Energy Imbalance Market (EIM)
PacifiCorp joined EIM
NV Energy joined EIM
Arizona Public Service and Puget Sound joined EIM
Board of Governors seated a permanent western EIM Governing Body
Began tracking greenhouse gas emissions produced by resources serving ISO load
Savings in EIM surpassed a quarter billion dollars and reduced carbon emissions equivalent to eliminating 50,000 cars for a year.
Portland General Electric joined EIM
Solar installed capacity reached
Redesigned Today’s Outlook
Major overhaul of the ISO’s most-visited web page providing a central location for accessing key data.
Idaho Power Company and Powerex joined EIM
Launched webpage to track emissions from resources serving ISO load
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California was the first to restructure its power market and create an independent system operator
March 31Began operating the first organized market built from scratch rather than a power pool
Launched Operator in Training Program to ensure having expert operators ready to fill open positions
Began integrating renewable resources via the Participating Intermittent Resources Program
Saved $15 million a year linking the ISO to market, generators, and other participants, as well as internally linking ISO business departments
Began using the first of its kind method to evaluate transmission projects based on economic benefits in addition to reliability needs.
Governor Schwarzenegger and U.S. Deputy Secretary Kyle McSlarrow joined ISO to commission 500kV line between norther and southern California (Path 15), which in its absence help exacerbate 2001 blackouts — 84 mile line — first state and federal partnership of its kind; expected savings $100-$300 mllion a year
Created a new method to incentivize developers to build transmission in remote areas