As California's Renewable Capacity Increases, Grid Operator Curtails Its Use

June 18, 2025--Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Balancing a grid's fluctuating supply and demand needs is more challenging than ever for grid operators when intermittent renewable supplies are in the mix. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which manages most of the state's grid, is dealing with the irony of curtailing more and more wind and solar power even as the supply capacities of those sources increase. That is according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA reports that "In 2024, CAISO curtailed 3.4 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of utility-scale wind and solar output, a 29% increase from the amount of electricity curtailed in 2023."