Data reveals big milestones for California's wind, water and solar power production

Renewable energy sources have been consistently meeting the state grid's power demands for the past couple of months.

Renewable energy sources have been consistently meeting the state grid's power demands for the past couple of months.

FOR TRANSFORMING ITS POWER GRID AND ENERGY. LEADERS ARE AIMING FOR 100% RENEWABLE SOURCES BY THE END OF 2045. AND NOW THERE’S DATA TO SHOW THAT THE STATE IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK AND METEOROLOGIST HEATHER WALDMAN IS HERE RIGHT NOW WITH SOME OF THE NUMBERS. HEATHER. YEAH. SO FOR THE FIRST TIME, RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES ARE CONSISTENTLY MEETING OR EXCEEDING 100% OF DEMAND ON CALIFORNIA’S POWER GRID. THAT’S AT LEAST FOR PART OF THE DAY. I SPOKE WITH A STANFORD UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR WHO HAS BEEN TRACKING DATA PUBLISHED BY THE CALIFORNIA INDEPENDENT SYSTEM OPERATOR. HIS NAME IS MARK JACOBSON. HE SAYS THAT DURING THE PAST 52 DAYS, WIND, WATER AND SOLAR HAVE FULFILLED AN AVERAGE OF 61.5% OF DEMAND FOR A 24 HOUR PERIOD, 44 OF THOSE DAYS HAD RENEWABLE MEET OR EXCEED 100% OF DEMAND FOR AT LEAST 15 MINUTES, AND IN MANY CASES THAT LASTED SEVERAL HOURS. WIND, WATER AND SOLAR PROVIDED A MAXIMUM OF 148% OF DEMAND. AT ONE POINT, AND THE DIFFERENCE ABOVE 100%. HALF OF THAT GOES INTO BATTERIES, WHICH ARE THEN USED TO PROVIDE ELECTRICITY AT NIGHT, AND THE OTHER HALF IS EXPORTED TO OUT OF STATE, JACOBSON NOTED TWO MAJOR FACTORS IN MAKING THESE MILESTONES. THE STATE HAS DOUBLED ITS ABILITY TO STORE EXCESS RENEWABLE ENERGY, MAKING THE GRID MORE FLEXIBLE AND ROOFTOP SOLAR CONTINUES TO GROW, ALONG WITH UTILITY SCALE SOLAR POWER GENERATED BY ROOFTOP SOLAR IS NOT TABULATED BY CAL ISO, BUT IT CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE STRESS ON THE GRID. BUT WHAT IT DOES DO IS SOLAR ON PEOPLE’S ROOFS, INCLUDING BUSINESSES, IS USED FIRST TO PROVIDE ELECTRICITY FOR PEOPLE’S HOMES AND BUILDINGS, AND THAT ELECTRICITY THEN DOES NOT NEED TO COME FROM THE GRID. SO YOU GET THIS DROP IN DEMAND ON THE GRID DURING THE DAY. UH, IN ADDITION, DUE TO THE ROOFTOP SOLAR, IN ADDITION TO THE THE HIGH SOLAR PRODUCTION FROM THE UTILITY SCALE SOLAR DURING THE DAY, ROOFTOP SOLAR PANELS CAN CURRENTLY SUPPLY UP TO 12% OF CALIFORNIA’S ENERGY DEMAND. BUT THE REAL TEST, OF COURSE, WILL COME THIS SUMMER, WHEN THE DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY INCREASES SIGNIFICANTLY. USUALLY IN THE SUMMER IN CALIFORNIA, THE ELECTRICITY DEMAND DOUBLES, SO IT GOES FROM LIKE 25GW OF PEAK TO AROUND 50GW OF PEAK OF OF ELECTRICITY, OF POWER AND JACOBSON SAYS THAT EXPANDING OFFSHORE WIND POWER GENERATION CAN HELP MEET THAT DEMAND. DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS. THAT’S BECAUSE THAT OFFSHORE WIND IS AT ITS PEAK DURING THE SUMMER. AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, OVERNIGHT. WHEN WE DON’T HAVE AS MUCH SOLAR, THAT IS INTERESTING. YEAH, WELL, CALIFORNIA, AS WE ALL KNOW, HAS SOME OF THE HIGHEST ENERGY COSTS IN THE COUNTRY. SO DOES SWITCHING TO RENEWABLES HAVE AN IMPACT? YEAH, THAT’S SOMETHING THAT JACOBSON AND I TALKED ABOUT SPECIFICALLY. HE SAYS THAT ADDING RENEWABLES HELPS TO ACTUALLY KEEP THE COST OF ELECTRICITY IN CHECK. AND HE LISTED A REASON WHY THERE ARE 11 U.S. STATES WITH A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF RENEWABLE POWER THAN CALIFORNIA. TEN OF THOSE STATES HAVE SOME OF THE LOWEST ENERGY COSTS IN THE COUNTRY. CALIFORNIA’S HIGH ENERGY PRICES START WITH HIGH NATURAL GAS PRICES. THAT’S A SOURCE THAT THE STATE IS TRYING TO MOVE AWAY FROM UTILITIES ARE ALSO PASSING ON THE COST OF WILDFIRE AND OTHER DISASTER DAMAGE, A

Data reveals big milestones for California's wind, water and solar power production

Renewable energy sources have been consistently meeting the state grid's power demands for the past couple of months.

Renewable energy sources are making up a growing portion of California's power supply. For the first time, wind, water and solar power combined are consistently meeting or surpassing 100% of the demand on the state's grid for at least part of a day. Mark Jacobson is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. Jacobson has been carefully tracking supply and demand fluctuations on California's grid for the past two months."We’ve made a lot of progress," Jacobson said, referring to state energy leaders' goal of achieving 100% renewable sources by the year 2045. Officials set that goal as a part of California's strategy to mitigate the impacts of human-caused climate change, which is a direct result of a reliance on fossil fuels.According to data shared publicly on the California Independent System Operator's website, during the past 52 days wind, water and solar power have accounted for an average of 61.5% of the state's electricity demand. During that stretch, 44 days saw renewable energy sources meet or exceed 100% of state demand for at least 15 minutes. Last weekend wind, water and solar power covered California's energy demand for 9 hours and 45 minutes. Jacobson said that is a new record for the state."To get 100% renewables day and night, what we need is not only more solar and batteries but offshore wind which peaks at night and in the summers," Jacobson said.Over the past year, California has doubled its battery storage capacity. Jacobson said that currently, these utility-scale batteries can hold enough power to meet a quarter of the state's energy demands during the spring. That added battery capacity allows grid operators to capture excess renewable power as it is generated. That stored power can then be used later when renewable sources like the sun aren't available. Growth in the solar power industry is also helping the state expand its renewable energy supply. Grid-scale solar farms provide energy directly for the grid. Jacobson said that the increasing use of rooftop solar has a benefit, too."People’s rooftop solar, that accounts for about 12% of all California electricity generation. However, that is not included in the grid electricity production," Jacobson said. "But it's used first to provide electricity for people's homes and buildings and that electricity, then does not need to come from the grid."During the hot summer months, the electricity demand in California typically doubles. Given that, Jacobson said he doesn't expect renewables to maintain their share of the power supply — at least not yet. "What we need is not only more solar and batteries but offshore wind which peaks at night and in the summers," Jacobson said. Currently, California ranks 12th in the U.S. when considering the percentage of electricity that comes from renewable sources. South Dakota, Montana, Iowa, Washington and Oregon make up the top five. Of the 11 states ahead of California, 10 have some of the lowest energy costs in the country. California's power rates are the third highest in the country. That is largely a result of the high cost of natural gas, a source that the state is trying to move away from. Individual utility companies are also passing the costs of wildfire and other disaster damage, as well as the cost of modernizing infrastructure, onto their customers.

Renewable energy sources are making up a growing portion of California's power supply.

For the first time, wind, water and solar power combined are consistently meeting or surpassing 100% of the demand on the state's grid for at least part of a day.

Mark Jacobson is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. Jacobson has been carefully tracking supply and demand fluctuations on California's grid for the past two months.

"We’ve made a lot of progress," Jacobson said, referring to state energy leaders' goal of achieving 100% renewable sources by the year 2045. Officials set that goal as a part of California's strategy to mitigate the impacts of human-caused climate change, which is a direct result of a reliance on fossil fuels.

According to data shared publicly on the California Independent System Operator's website, during the past 52 days wind, water and solar power have accounted for an average of 61.5% of the state's electricity demand.

During that stretch, 44 days saw renewable energy sources meet or exceed 100% of state demand for at least 15 minutes. Last weekend wind, water and solar power covered California's energy demand for 9 hours and 45 minutes. Jacobson said that is a new record for the state.

"To get 100% renewables day and night, what we need is not only more solar and batteries but offshore wind which peaks at night and in the summers," Jacobson said.

Over the past year, California has doubled its battery storage capacity. Jacobson said that currently, these utility-scale batteries can hold enough power to meet a quarter of the state's energy demands during the spring.

That added battery capacity allows grid operators to capture excess renewable power as it is generated. That stored power can then be used later when renewable sources like the sun aren't available.

Growth in the solar power industry is also helping the state expand its renewable energy supply. Grid-scale solar farms provide energy directly for the grid. Jacobson said that the increasing use of rooftop solar has a benefit, too.

"People’s rooftop solar, that accounts for about 12% of all California electricity generation. However, that is not included in the grid electricity production," Jacobson said. "But it's used first to provide electricity for people's homes and buildings and that electricity, then does not need to come from the grid."

During the hot summer months, the electricity demand in California typically doubles. Given that, Jacobson said he doesn't expect renewables to maintain their share of the power supply — at least not yet.

"What we need is not only more solar and batteries but offshore wind which peaks at night and in the summers," Jacobson said.

Currently, California ranks 12th in the U.S. when considering the percentage of electricity that comes from renewable sources. South Dakota, Montana, Iowa, Washington and Oregon make up the top five. Of the 11 states ahead of California, 10 have some of the lowest energy costs in the country.

California's power rates are the third highest in the country. That is largely a result of the high cost of natural gas, a source that the state is trying to move away from. Individual utility companies are also passing the costs of wildfire and other disaster damage, as well as the cost of modernizing infrastructure, onto their customers.

Data reveals big milestones for California's wind, water and solar power production

Renewable energy sources have been consistently meeting the state grid's power demands for the past couple of months.

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