Renewable electricity powered California just shy of 100% for the first time in history
Source:USA Today
From:Taiwan Trade Center, Chicago
Update Time:2022/05/13
On Saturday, April 30, 2022, California achieved a renewable energy milestone, 100% renewable energy was being used across the state. Renewable electricity met just shy of 100% of California's demand for the first time on April 30, much of it was generated from solar power produced along Interstate 10, an hour east of the Coachella Valley.
Anna Gonzales, spokeswoman for California Independent System Operator, a nonprofit that oversees the state's bulk electric power system and transmission lines said, "at 2:50 (p.m.), we reached 99.87 % of load served by all renewables, which broke the previous record," Solar power provided two-thirds of the renewable energy on April 30. Environmentalists who've pushed for years for all of California's power to come from renewables were ecstatic as they watched the tracker edge to 100% and slightly beyond. "Once it hit 100%, we were very excited," said Laura Deehan, executive director for Environment California. She said the organization and others have worked for 20 years to push the Golden State to complete renewable power via a series of ever-tougher mandates. "California solar plants play a really big role."
But Gonzales said CAISO double-checked the data Monday and had to adjust it slightly because of reserves and other resource needs. Environment California pushed for 1 million solar rooftops statewide, which has been achieved, adding what some say is a more environmentally friendly form of solar power than the solar farms, which eat up large swaths of the Mojave Desert and fragile landscapes.
Laura Deehan said in a statement that more needs to be done, especially at the federal level. “Need to act with that same boldness--- Despite incredible progress illustrated by the milestone this weekend, a baffling regulatory misstep by the Biden administration has advocates concerned about backsliding on California’s clean energy targets." Deehan said a Department of Commerce inquiry into tariffs on imported solar panels is delaying thousands of megawatts of solar-storage projects in California. She continued, “California has shown that, for one brief and shining moment, we could do it! It's time to move to 100% clean energy, 100% of the time.” A record 10% of the world's power was generated by wind and solar methods in 2021.
California has achieved a massive milestone being the first state in the US to achieve a day of 100% renewable energy. The state still needs to work on its energy reserves for when solar power is not as effective on cloudy days or at night. California sets an example for the rest of the US that renewable energy is achievable and can be applied in ways, like on the roofs of houses, that do not interrupt the natural landscape. Time will tell if Biden's administration policies on imported solar panels will affect the renewable energy industry.
Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/05/02/california-renewable-energy-100/9612901002/