California has hiring standard for Renewable energyWind, solar, and hydropower provide 100% of the state's energy needs for 25 days out of 32 (and counting).
“What happens to the network with just #Wind_Water_Solar_Energywhen there is #eclipse? Won't the network fail?
No, batteries come into play
This is the 25th of the last 32 days in California #WWS Supply exceeds demand by 0.25-6 hours per day.
Nothing else is needed except adding more WWS https://t.co/N9LTK5xYfP pic.twitter.com/D1Q1MdLaN6
– Mark Z. Jacobson (@mzjacobson) April 8, 2024
This data comes via Mark Z. Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. Jacobson updates his X page (formerly known as Twitter) every time the state hits a record high, which has been practically every day for the past month.
While California has reached 100% renewable energy beforeFor brief moments on exceptionally sunny days, this is the first time the state has maintained this success over an extended period.
Jacobson, for his part, takes the victory lap. “It's become so easy, it's almost boring,” he said. books On LinkedIn.
“It's strange that this doesn't get more news coverage,” said Ian Magruder of Rewireing America booksIn response to Jacobson's post. “This has never happened before in history. Yes, California has briefly achieved this feat before on a few very sunny days since 2022. But it has never happened so consistently over two weeks.”
California's achievement is significant – in order to reduce the massive amount of air pollution and planet-warming gases created by dirty energy sources like gas and oil, we must replace those sources with clean ones, Renewable sources such as solar energy And the wind.
Now, despite what misinformation from dirty energy companies might suggest, California has shown that this can actually be done.
Although California still relies on dirty energy as well as clean energy to power its grid, Jacobson And he expected That the state will reach its goal of being 100% WindWaterSolar permanently by 2035.
“In 2009, when we first proposed 100% [WindWaterSolar]“Utilities and opponents have claimed that the grid would be unstable with more than 20 percent renewable energy, without any evidence,” Jacobson wrote in X, per Renewing the economy. “In 2017, they claimed, without any evidence, that the maximum was 80 percent. In 2020, they claimed that the maximum was 90 percent, then 95 percent. Now, 100 percent universal healthcare is here to stay.” “
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