Renewable electricity met 100% of California’s electricity demand for the first time ever on Saturday, environmentalistssaid, muchYou can get large amounts of solar energy from Interstate 10, just an hour east the Coachella Valley.
The Stagecoach music festival was a party in the sun. But at 2:45 p.m. energy demand was at 18,672 megawatts. Only 37,172 megawatts of power were available to meet that demand. According to a continuoustracker providedby California Independent System Operator (CAISO), a nonprofit that oversees the state’s bulk electric power system, transmission lines, and power generation, 101% of the energy provided met the demand.
Solar power, or 12,391 megawatts, provided two thirds of the required 18,000 megawatts. The remainder came from other renewable sources, such as wind, geothermal, and other solar power. The milestone was reached in just 15 minutes. After that, it slowed to 97 percent renewables.
As the tracker moved closer to 100 percent, environmentalists who have fought for years for California to have all its power from renewable sources were thrilled.
“California surpasses 100% in historic clean energy day!” Dan Jacobson, senior advisor toEnvironment California tweeted the campaign for SB 100. This law, which requires California to use 100% clean energy by 2045, was passed in 2018.
Laura Deehan, executive Director for Environment California, stated that “once it hit 100% we were extremely excited.” She said that the organization and others worked for 20+ years to push the Golden State toward renewable power, through a series ever more demanding mandates. “California Solar plants play a huge role.”
The group also called for one million solar rooftops in the state. This is an environmentally friendly alternative to the solarfarms which eat large swathes off the Mojave desert’s fragile landscapes.
Deehan and others stated in a statement that there is more to be done, especially at federal level. Advocates are concerned about the Biden administration’s regulatory missteps regarding California’s clean energy targets, despite the incredible progress made this weekend.
They claimed that a Department of Commerce inquiry into tariffs on imported panels of solar power is causing delays to thousands of megawatts of solar plus-storage projects in California. Governor Newsom called it “one of the most important stories in the country.”
Deehan stated that California has shown us that we can do it for a brief, shining moment. Now, we must get our state on 100% clean electricity for the entire day, week and year. It’s time for 100% clean energy, every day.
Janet Wilson, senior environment reporter for The Desert Sun is also co-author of USA Today’sClimatePoint newsletter. You can reach her at [email protected] and @janetwilson66 via Twitter.
