Energy transition

Rise of Renewables

Clean power is getting cheaper. Demand is growing too. Waiting for a better deal has a cost of its own.

Play Rise of Renewables See what’s at stake

Free to play in your browser. Choose your difficulty in the game.

The situation

Your starting point

Your California utility starts in 2002 with nuclear and oil generation. Over the next twelve years, changing technology costs create opportunities to build a different fleet.

The difficult part is timing. Buy early and later projects may be cheaper. Wait and you may have too little power while construction catches up. Your existing plants have to carry the utility through that gap.

The choices

What will you do?

  1. Choose your moment to build

    Watch the cost of new capacity alongside the supply forecast. A lower purchase price is useful only if the plant opens in time.

  2. Make room for variable output

    Compare the hours when wind and solar generate with the hours customers need power. Plan the rest of the fleet around that difference.

  3. Pay for the transition

    Keep construction, operating expenses and customer prices in balance as the fleet changes. Future savings still need funding today.

Put your plan to the test

Find a pace of investment that follows falling costs without falling behind demand.

Build, watch what happens, and try a different approach. The grid is yours to run.

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