Transmission Key to LA’s Renewable Goals

With a goal of going 100% renewable by 2035, Los Angeles will
need to amp up its transmission resources and nearly double its
renewable energy production.


In this episode of Grid Talk, we talk with Jason Rondou who is
the Director of Resource Planning, Development and Programs, at
the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).


“2030 is right around the corner and we have the opportunity and
the plans to get to 80% renewable by 2030 which will put us at
97% carbon-free and so we’ve got the framework of how to achieve
that,” said Rondou.


“If you look at all the storage, all of the solar, all of the
wind, all the geothermal that we have to-day, we’re going to have
to double it.”


The podcast also hits on the importance of long-term storage to
ensure the reliability of and all renewable system and how
hydrogen may be the answer.


“When you have consecutive high heat days and you have the threat
of something like a wildfire or earthquake, we need to ensure
that we have the ability to provide power for multiple days
should we have an outage for multiple days, and hydrogen does
provide that opportunity for us.”


Jason Rondou oversees LADWP’s LA100 Study, which aims to identify
the major investments required to reliably and cost-effectively
transition LADWP to 100% renewable energy. Mr. Rondou was
formerly responsible for LADWP’s entry into the California
Independent System Operator’s Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) as
well as its demand response, local solar development, and
community solar programs. He previously worked at the Los Angeles
Department of Transportation on light rail development and bus
rapid transit.


Mr. Rondou graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a
degree in Electrical Engineering and has a Master of Public
Administration from USC and an MBA from UCLA.