Energy Regions in Transition: Tour of European energy leaders to California

Last year, a most relevant dialogue and knowledge exchange between California and Europe has started which showed both sides how much they can learn from each other. Dave Olsen, member of the Board of Governors of the California ISO (CAISO), visited Brussels and Berlin in December 2013 upon invitation from the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) and presented the Californian integrated grid and renewables generation planning at different events, including RGI’s 3rd European Grid Conference. Subsequently, a delegation of California energy experts and regulatory leaders, facilitated by the Renewable 100 Policy Institute, came to Germany in March 2014 to meet with many of their European counterparts.

We strongly believe that this sort of mutual exchange is a fundamental contribution to a comprehensive learning exercise with the objective of improving reliability, reducing costs and limiting the environmental impacts during the energy transition. To continue and deepen this exchange between California and Europe, the Renewables 100 Policy Institute and the Renewables Grid Initiative organised a tour through the US state under the banner of “Energy Regions in Transition” between the 19th and the 24th of October 2015. A delegation of European grid operators, energy policy leaders, regulators and NGO representatives visited California to exchange experiences in decarbonising the electricity system and learn about how America’s clean energy front runner is handling its transition to 50+% renewable electricity.

This report is meant to give an overview of the discussions we had with different stakeholders.