Forecasting

The CEC Releases “Improving Short-term Load Forecasts by Incorporating Solar PV Generation” Interim Report

October 20, 2017

The California Energy Commission’s (CEC) Energy Research and Development Division supports energy research and development programs to spur innovation in energy efficiency, renewable energy and advanced clean generation, energy-related environmental protection, energy transmission, and distribution and transportation.

In 2012, the Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) was established by the California Public Utilities Commission to fund public investments in research to create and advance new energy solution, foster regional innovation and bring ideas from the lab to the marketplace. The CEC and the state’s three largest investor-owned utilities were selected to administer the EPIC funds and advance novel technologies, tools and strategies that provide benefits to their electric ratepayers.

The CEC recently released the interim report “Improving Short-Term Load Forecasts by Incorporating Solar PV Generation” for the grant number CEC-EPC-14-001 conducted by Itron Inc. The information from this project contributes to Energy Research and Development Division’s EPIC Program.

The interim report investigates three different methods to integrate behind-the-meter solar photovoltaic (PV) forecasts with an operational net load forecast. This work determined how to best integrate rapidly growing behind-the-meter PV into net load forecasts for the California Independent System Operator. See the full report here.

By Paige Schaefer


Sr Forecast Analyst


Paige Schaefer is a Product Marketing Manager in Itron’s Outcomes group for the strategy, planning and implementation of projects supporting marketing functions spanning electricity, water and gas business units. She interacts directly with sales, product and corporate marketing to identify new marketing opportunities, recommend actions and the coordination of targeted campaigns to increase brand awareness and market share where she works closely with the teams to develop content and strategies. In addition, she provides website support, event coordination and manages Itron’s Energy Forecasting Group (EFG), which supports end-use data development, the Statistical End-use Approach (SAE) and coordinates their annual meeting for discussing modeling and forecasting issues. Paige has a B.S. in Business Administration from San Diego State University with an emphasis in Marketing.