Pasadena has moved significantly closer to its goal of sourcing 100 percent of its energy needs from carbon-free power by the end of 2030, but it’s still expected to have some reliance on fossil fuels until new technologies emerge.
The Pasadena City Council voted last week to approve a $512 million, 20-year contract that will allow Pasadena Water and Power to purchase solar photovoltaic energy and battery storage from Bonanza Solar.
The contract will provide a maximum of 105 megawatts of solar power and up to four hours of dispatchable battery energy not to exceed 55 megawatts. The deal is set to begin Dec. 31, 2027, when the 300MW Bonanza Project in Nevada is expected to start operations.
The contract aims to replace the 108MW of energy that will be lost when the city leaves the Intermountain Power Project coal-fired plant power agreement in June 2027, on its way to meeting its renewable energy goals to be implemented in its 2023 Integrated Resource Plan.
Pasadena’s 2023 IRP, governing how the city will meet its energy needs, was approved in December and will get an update this year after protests from climate activists, who pushed the plan to go further in meeting renewable energy goals. While the plan approved by the council meets all the required climate change goals, it relies on assumptions of significant resource acquisition, capital upgrades, infrastructure improvements and technology advancements that may not pan out.
Because of this, it includes “waypoints” in 2026 and 2028 where PWP and policymakers can review their assumptions and make adjustments, along with a dashboard to track progress.
Pasadena Water and Power is expected to return to the city council with an “optimized” version of the plan by June 2024; to hire a green energy consultant to review the updated IRP; and to bring regular updates to the city council and municipal services committee.
According to City Manager Miguel Marquez, with recent projects expected to come online soon and other energy contracts still being negotiated, the city is between 70 and 95 percent of the way to replacing IPP’s energy production and reaching the city’s renewable energy goals.
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