Where renewables recently supplied 100% of energy needs

The California Independent System Operator achieved a new record at 97.6% renewable power in April 2022, a milestone surpassed on May 2 when 99.9% of system electricity supply was derived from renewable sources. And yet again, the record was broken on May 8, with 103% of the state’s power needs being met by renewables for a few hours.

Clean power production in California has tripled since 2005, largely due to increased cost efficiency in renewable energy. Over the last decade, the price of renewable energy has plummeted: wind has become three times more affordable and solar has become 10 times more affordable, making it more cost-effective than any fossil fuel-burning power source.

City leadership on renewable energy hit an all time high in the last year, having more than doubled the amount of clean power deals made in the previous year. Aiming to achieve a carbon-free power system by 2045, California now has over 15,000 MW of grid-connected solar and almost 8,000 MW of wind, as well as 2,700 MW of storage, which is expected to grow to about 4,000 MW in June 2022. An additional 600 MW of solar and 200 MW of wind are also expected to join the grid in the near term.