The Santa Barbara Independent publishes stories from CalMatters.org on state and local issues affecting readers in Santa Barbara County.
California has given America a glimpse of what running one of the world’s largest economies on renewable energy could look like.
The state recently reached a milestone: 100 days this year with 100% carbon-free, renewable electricity for at least part of the day, according to Mark Z. Jacobson, professor of engineering at Stanford University.
The state has reached this milestone, avoiding blackouts and emergency power outages this year despite the hottest July on record.
Energy experts say this progress is largely due to significant public and private investment in renewable energy – particularly in batteries that can store solar energy and use it when the sun isn’t shining.
“California has made unprecedented investments in our electric grid over the past few years – and we’re seeing those pay off in real time,” Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement to CalMatters. “Not only is our grid more reliable and resilient, it’s also increasingly running on 100% clean electricity.”
The state faces a major challenge in the coming years: a series of regulations require carbon-free energy while simultaneously ensuring more electric cars on the streets and more electrical appliances in homes. According to state law, California must rely on 60% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% by 2045.
There are signs of progress. From January through mid-July this year, carbon-free, renewable energy in California exceeded demand for 945 hours over 146 days – the equivalent of a month and a half of 100 percent fossil-free electricity, according to the California Energy Commission, the state agency charged with enforcing clean energy mandates.
But California still has a long way to go before it can stop burning fossil fuels to generate electricity. Natural gas, which emits greenhouse gases and air pollutants, remains the state’s main source of electricity.
Just over half of the electricity generated in California in 2022 came from solar, wind and other renewable energy sources, as well as nuclear power, while 36% came from natural gas-fired power plants.
Electric grid reliability is a major concern as the state transitions to solar and wind energy. Unpredictable events like wildfires and winter storms also cause outages, while hot summer months with whirring air conditioners strain supplies.
In August 2020, California experienced its first non-wildfire-related power outage in nearly 20 years, and in late August and September 2022, a severe heat wave forced regulators to ask consumers to voluntarily cut power for 10 days.
Since September 2022 — when California was on the brink of those blackouts and the governor was pleading for conservation — nearly 11,600 new megawatts of clean energy have been added to the state’s power grid, said Elliot Mainzer, executive director of the California Independent System Operator, which manages the grid. (That’s enough to power about 9 million to 12 million homes, though it won’t all be available at the same time.)
One day of renewable energy supply for California
Note: According to California ISO, the data is for informational purposes only. The demand data excludes the charging of battery storage units in the system.
Source:Today’s outlook from California ISO
Credits: Erica Yee, CalMatters
California now has more than 10,000 megawatts of battery capacity, making it the largest network outside of China. Battery power from large commercial plants proved its worth during last month’s heat wave, Mainzer said.
Batteries “made the critical difference,” Mainzer said. “The batteries charge during the day when there is plenty of solar energy, and then feed that energy back into the grid in the afternoon and evening when solar energy production runs out of the system.”
California relies heavily on four-hour lithium-ion batteries, which are available in large, centralized facilities and hybrid systems combined with solar power projects. More homes are also installing batteries in their rooftop solar systems, but they provide only a small amount of electricity.
California needs more large batteries
Source: California Energy Commission, as of April 15, 2024
Credits: Erica Yee, CalMatters
Planning and practicing various emergency scenarios also helped enormously, said Mainzer.
“Our grid operators are now increasingly experienced in dealing with such extreme heat events,” said Mainzer. “Our meteorologists have also done an excellent job of analyzing the conditions for the next day so that the market could respond effectively.”
“The table is set” for clean energy
To reach its goal of 100 percent clean energy, California may need to more than double its energy generation capacity by 2045 while also adopting electric cars, appliances and other technologies, says Siva Gunda, a member of the California Energy Commission.
To reach that goal, California aims to add about 6,000 to 8,000 megawatts of new energy sources each year. The state set a record last year, adding more than 6,000 megawatts, Gunda said. Each megawatt is enough to power between 750 and 1,000 homes.
“The table is set,” said Gunda. “The conditions for success are there, and it’s just a matter of implementing it with a shared vision and collaboration.”
The Commission is closely monitoring a new problem: artificial intelligence, which uses large data centers that consume a lot of electricity. “We are closely monitoring where the burden will increase,” said Gunda.
Stanford’s Jacobson said running on 100% renewable energy is becoming more common.
On the weekend of July 28, California recorded its 100th consecutive day in 144 days in which 100 percent of its electricity came from renewable sources for periods ranging from five minutes to more than 10 hours, he said.
On April 8, a solar eclipse reduced solar power generation and increased demand on the grid, which was met by batteries. On May 5, wind, hydro and solar energy met more than 160% of demand for much of the day.
California continues to waver when it comes to ending its dependence on natural gas and nuclear power.
Fearing rolling blackouts like those in 2020, Newsom and lawmakers allowed some natural gas power plants that were scheduled to go offline to continue operating in 2022.
And the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant will continue to operate while Pacific Gas & Electric seeks federal approval to remain in operation beyond 2025. Nuclear energy is considered renewable and carbon-free, but it generates radioactive waste.
State authorities and private investors want to build a completely new industry with huge floating wind turbines on the sea that will produce 13 percent of California’s electricity by 2045. This could supply 25 million households with electricity. The large-scale projects will cost billions of dollars.
Some Democratic lawmakers hope to make it easier to build wind and solar projects, as local hurdles and permitting processes sometimes take years. They are currently negotiating a package of proposed legislation that could make it easier to build wind and solar projects, CalMatters reported earlier this month. California’s legislative session ends on August 31.
Jacobson said the costs of large-scale solar power projects have “fallen significantly” over the past few decades, largely due to “economies of scale – simply because of the tremendous growth of solar energy on a global scale.”
“No miracle technology has been developed,” he said. “It’s just subtle improvements to existing technologies and deployment, deployment, deployment.”
