California sets new benchmark for clean energy innovation with over 40,000 megawatts of solar capacity and booming battery infrastructure
Sacramento, California – California has passed a significant milestone on its path to a cleaner, greener future. Governor Gavin Newsom said that in 2023, two-thirds of the state’s electricity came from clean energy sources. This was a record-setting 67%. This makes California the greatest economy in the world that gets such a large amount of its electricity from clean sources.
The state has revealed new data that indicates a lot of development compared to past years. Only 41% of retail electricity sales came from clean energy ten years ago. That number was 61% in 2022. Now that the state has the most recent numbers, it’s evident that solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, geothermal, and biomass are all changing California’s electricity grid in what appears to be a dramatic transformation.
Adding to this, 2024 was another year of progress. The state added 7,000 megawatts of clean capacity to the grid, which is the most in one year in California’s history. That milestone also surpassed records from 2022 and 2023, making it three years in a row of record-breaking expansion in renewable energy infrastructure.
Governor Newsom said that California’s accomplishment is important for the whole world and that it is a turning point in the fight against climate change.
“Not since the Industrial Revolution have we seen this kind of rapid transformation,” he said. “As the federal government turns its back on innovation and commonsense, California is making our clean energy future a reality. The world’s fourth largest economy is running on two-thirds clean power – the largest economy on the planet to achieve this milestone.”
The state’s economy shows such alignment. California’s GDP has expanded by 78% since 2000, while its greenhouse gas emissions have gone down by 20%. Since 2009, emissions from electric generation have been lowered in half. These successes come as California continues to lead the country in renewable energy jobs, with more than 500,000 people working in the field—seven times as many as in fossil fuel businesses.
The state’s electrical grid is also working better than before. California has been running on 100% clean electricity for around seven hours a day on average since the beginning of the year. For at least part of the day, clean energy has powered the grid on almost 30% of all days this year. Since 2022, the number of renewable energy days has gone up by 750%.
Solar is still the biggest part of the renewable mix, with more than 21,000 megawatts of utility-scale solar capacity online and another 19,000 megawatts behind the meter. The state has also developed more than 15,000 megawatts of battery storage, which is almost 20 times what it had in 2019. These batteries hold extra solar energy that is made during the day and let it out when demand is high in the evening.
“California has achieved yet another major milestone on our journey to a clean energy future. The latest numbers show how our state is demonstrating that clean energy is mainstream and is here to stay,” said California Energy Commission (CEC) Chair David Hochschild.
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The state is moving faster and faster toward its goal of getting 100% clean energy by 2045. California continues to be setting the example for what a clean energy economy can look like in the 21st century with each new milestone.
