California Leading the Way in Renewable Electricity

June 25, 2024

California is reaching new milestones in renewable electricity generation using solar, wind, and water. California has produced enough electricity to exceed the demand for anywhere from 15 minutes to 9 hours daily for multiple days.

Wind-Water-Solar (WWS)

Renewable energy sources such as wind, geothermal, solar, and hydroelectric are known as wind-water-solar (WWS) sources. While California has reached 100% WWS in past years (2022 and 2023), it was only for an occasional weekend day, never for more than two days in a row or during the week.

Now it is becoming an almost daily occurrence. They are leading the charge in the new era of clean renewable energy around the U.S. and the world.

Excess Energy

Not only is California producing enough green energy for the state, but they are also sending excess energy to other states and storing some in batteries. Electric batteries can then be used to provide electricity at night.

Solar specifically exceeded the demand, one day it peaked at 123% of the demand, according to Mark Jacobson at Scientific American. This solar output only accounts for the solar energy that goes to the overall grid; it does not include rooftop solar energy used by businesses and homes.

Meeting Demand at Night

So far, 100% of WWS days have only been in the winter and spring, and electricity demand in the summer is higher due to air conditioning. While there has not yet been a summer day that reached 100% WWS, California should be able to achieve it using utility solar and additional rooftop solar.

Since solar energy can only be produced during the day, other green ways exist to meet the demand at night, such as daytime solar stored in batteries, offshore wind, and hydropower.