Another Californian utility, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has joined the growing list of those grids preparing to rely on solar plus storage, and has announced a first tranche of 423 MW/1692 MWh of grid scale battery projects. All of the contracts are for Lithium Ion battery systems, designed to smooth solar and wind power, to reduce its intermittency, and allow it to compete more directly with natural gas turbines either designed for capacity or peaker function. This is the first slice of two, with the California Public Utilities Commission calling for PG&E to procure at least 716.9 MW/ 2867.6 GWh of reliability resources to come online between August 1, 2021 and August 1, 2023, leaving almost 300 MW of…