California is leading the way to an all-electric future. The continual reduction in the cost of renewable electricity generation is making electricity the energy choice of the future.
California’s Clean Energy and Climate Goals
Over two decades ago, California policymakers established renewable generations targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A vital component of this strategy is adding renewable generation to the electrical distribution grid to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions created by burning fossil fuels.
Many assumed it would be nearly impossible to achieve reduction targets outlined in the regulations when the targets were created. Here’s a great illustration that outlines some of the legislation and the intended goals.
Were California’s Goals Too Agressive?
Over two decades ago, California policymakers established renewable generations targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A vital component of this strategy is adding renewable generation to the electrical distribution grid to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions created by burning fossil fuels.
Many assumed it would be nearly impossible to achieve reduction targets outlined in the regulations when the targets were created. Here’s a great illustration that outlines some of the legislation and the intended goals.
The following illustration is a screenshot from the California Independent System Operator website. CAISO is responsible for forecasting energy needs and managing the electrical supply on the grid. If you are an energy geek or merely an interested party, their website is a great resource.
I took a screenshot of the current electric supply, which includes a breakdown of renewable generation. This information was live at the time I was writing this article on a typical warm summer afternoon. Here’s a link if you want to see where it is in real-time.
The critical thing to observe is the amount of green on the chart on the left. The green portion is the current renewable supply on the grid. In the example above, renewables are 41.6% of the current supply.
Now go back to the first illustration and look at the “moon shot” goals for renewable generation. As you can see, we were hoping to get to 33 percent by 2020 and 50 percent by 2030. We are well beyond these targets, and most of this is due to the lower cost of utility-scale solar generation.
If you monitor these numbers regularly, you will understand why the state is supporting an all-electric future. We routinely hit the 2030 goals of 50 percent renewables, something many
Charley Cormany
Executive Director
Read Advocacy Update from last month: Advocacy Update, June 2021
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