California Energy Demand 2016-2026, Preliminary Electricity Forecast

The California Energy Demand 2016-2026, Preliminary Electricity Forecast describes the California Energy Commission’s preliminary 10-year forecasts for electricity consumption, retail sales, and peak demand for each of five major electricity planning areas and for the state as a whole. This forecast supports the analysis and recommendations of the 2014 Integrated Energy Policy Report Update. The forecast includes three full scenarios: a high energy demand case, a low energy demand case, and a mid energy demand case. The high energy demand case incorporates relatively high economic/demographic growth and climate change impacts and relatively low electricity rates and self-generation impacts. The low energy demand case includes lower economic/demographic growth, higher assumed rates, and higher self-generation impacts. The mid case uses input assumptions at levels between the high and low cases. Forecasts are provided at both the planning area and climate zone level.