WECC said the addition 80 GW of wind and solar resources to the Western grid in the next decade will require higher planning reserve margins than anticipated.

A WECC study found that the West needs emerging technologies capable of replicating the performance of gas plants to reach 100% clean energy by 2040.

The West's reliance on imports could prove problematic during summer heat waves or when hydroelectric generation dries up because of drought, WECC said.

WECC's annual resource adequacy assessment warned that customers throughout the Western Interconnection will be at risk of load loss by 2025.

WECC's annual Western Assessment of Resource Adequacy will focus on variability in demand and generation, the organization's Board of Directors heard Wednesday.