Stalin
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2008
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In contrast to the fossil fuel fossil extracting massive bribes from fertile donor soil, California is a shining light for
anyone with a brain
“We’re running the fourth-largest economy in the world [on] 67%, two thirds, clean energy on nine out of 10 days in 2025,” Newsom said. “Outside of China, there’s only one other jurisdiction in the world – California – that has as much battery storage implemented.”
The Golden state has transformed how it powers its main electrical grid in recent years, setting ambitious targets to create an emission-free grid by 2045 and investing heavily in solar, wind and battery storage. And as the federal government abandons climate initiatives, California seems poised to take on an increasingly important global role.
The state appears to have much to celebrate. Since 2019, the state has added 30,800 megawatts of clean energy and battery storage. And while natural gas still remains the top energy source in the state, that’s on the decline: California saw its largest-ever year-to-year drop in natural gas production this year.
Meanwhile, solar and batteries, which allow energy to be stored for later use, providing an alternative to gas, are stepping up to replace it, said Mark Jacobson, a Stanford professor and renewable energy expert: “This is a remarkable shift.”
State lawmakers in 2018 passed a bill requiring California to generate 60% of its electricity from renewable and zero-carbon sources by 2030 and 100% by 2045.
So far, California appears to be on track, Jacobson said. Clean energy accounted for 67% of retail electricity sales in 2023, according to the most recently available data. For the first time, clean energy – which the state recognizes renewables such as as solar, wind, small hydro, geothermal, and biomass, as well as large hydroelectric and nuclear – provided 100% of power to the state’s main grid almost every day for at least some of the day in 2025.
Renewables are booming worldwide and are expected to grow more quickly than any major energy source over the next 10 years with more projects in the next five years than in the last 40, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
California is no exception and is in the midst of what the state’s energy commission (CEC) has described as the “biggest transformation of its power grid in a century”. The state is seeing new solar and battery storage projects in “record numbers” and is expected to soon completely eliminate coal from its power supply, according to the CEC.
Key to this growth has been the expansion of battery storage, a crucial tool to retain the energy produced from renewable sources. In 2019, California had 771 megawatts – by October of this year, it had almost 17,000. The state has 2.5 times more battery storage available than it did in 2022.
The batteries have helped the state avoid rolling blackouts and allowed the California Independent System Operator (Caiso), the non-profit that manages the flow of electricity on the state’s main grid, to store solar energy when there is an excess during the day.
“Then we can use that stored energy and release it in the evening hours when the sun is going down,” said Mark Rothleder, Caiso’s senior vice-president and chief operating officer. “Having a mix of resources that are capable of producing when needed is an important addition as we try to make this transition to renewable resources.”
But, he said, solar and wind are intermittent sources, meaning they can only be generated when there is sun or wind and the state’s main grid continues to rely on gas resources that can be utilized as needed.
Natural gas was the single largest resource for electricity production in 2024, but natural gas generation fell by 8% that year, in part because of the growing role of solar and wind power and enhanced battery storage, according to the CEC.
www.theguardian.com
comrade stalin
california
anyone with a brain
“We’re running the fourth-largest economy in the world [on] 67%, two thirds, clean energy on nine out of 10 days in 2025,” Newsom said. “Outside of China, there’s only one other jurisdiction in the world – California – that has as much battery storage implemented.”
The Golden state has transformed how it powers its main electrical grid in recent years, setting ambitious targets to create an emission-free grid by 2045 and investing heavily in solar, wind and battery storage. And as the federal government abandons climate initiatives, California seems poised to take on an increasingly important global role.
The state appears to have much to celebrate. Since 2019, the state has added 30,800 megawatts of clean energy and battery storage. And while natural gas still remains the top energy source in the state, that’s on the decline: California saw its largest-ever year-to-year drop in natural gas production this year.
Meanwhile, solar and batteries, which allow energy to be stored for later use, providing an alternative to gas, are stepping up to replace it, said Mark Jacobson, a Stanford professor and renewable energy expert: “This is a remarkable shift.”
State lawmakers in 2018 passed a bill requiring California to generate 60% of its electricity from renewable and zero-carbon sources by 2030 and 100% by 2045.
So far, California appears to be on track, Jacobson said. Clean energy accounted for 67% of retail electricity sales in 2023, according to the most recently available data. For the first time, clean energy – which the state recognizes renewables such as as solar, wind, small hydro, geothermal, and biomass, as well as large hydroelectric and nuclear – provided 100% of power to the state’s main grid almost every day for at least some of the day in 2025.
Renewables are booming worldwide and are expected to grow more quickly than any major energy source over the next 10 years with more projects in the next five years than in the last 40, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
California is no exception and is in the midst of what the state’s energy commission (CEC) has described as the “biggest transformation of its power grid in a century”. The state is seeing new solar and battery storage projects in “record numbers” and is expected to soon completely eliminate coal from its power supply, according to the CEC.
Key to this growth has been the expansion of battery storage, a crucial tool to retain the energy produced from renewable sources. In 2019, California had 771 megawatts – by October of this year, it had almost 17,000. The state has 2.5 times more battery storage available than it did in 2022.
The batteries have helped the state avoid rolling blackouts and allowed the California Independent System Operator (Caiso), the non-profit that manages the flow of electricity on the state’s main grid, to store solar energy when there is an excess during the day.
“Then we can use that stored energy and release it in the evening hours when the sun is going down,” said Mark Rothleder, Caiso’s senior vice-president and chief operating officer. “Having a mix of resources that are capable of producing when needed is an important addition as we try to make this transition to renewable resources.”
But, he said, solar and wind are intermittent sources, meaning they can only be generated when there is sun or wind and the state’s main grid continues to rely on gas resources that can be utilized as needed.
Natural gas was the single largest resource for electricity production in 2024, but natural gas generation fell by 8% that year, in part because of the growing role of solar and wind power and enhanced battery storage, according to the CEC.
‘The biggest transformation in a century’: how California remade itself as a clean energy powerhouse
The Golden State’s clean energy use hit new highs in 2025. As the Trump administration abandons US climate initiatives, can California fill the void?
comrade stalin
california
