California has set a new record this month when its power grid briefly ran on 97% renewable energy.
Bloomberg reported that the California Independent System Operator said the state hit the 97% renewable energy mark at 3:39 p.m. on Sunday, April 3rd, eliminating the previous record of 96.4% that had been set only a week earlier.
"While these all-time highs are for a brief time, they solidly demonstrate the advances being made to reliably achieve California's clean energy goals," – California Independent System Operator CEO Elliot Mainzer said in a statement.
California has boosted solar and wind energy production over the last few years with the goal of generating half its energy from renewable resources by 2025.
Lawmakers are continuing to craft legislation to speed the transition to clean energy, with over 25 bills under consideration in the Legislature.
"In 2021, California was second in the nation, after Texas, in total electricity generation from renewable resources, including generation from small-scale solar PV generation. California is the nation's top producer of electricity from solar, geothermal, and biomass resources. The state is also the nation's fourth-largest producer of electricity from conventional hydroelectric power after Washington, Oregon, and New York and is sixth-largest from wind energy." – U.S. Energy Information Agency.
While renewable sources of energy are growing nationwide, the challenge for California and the U.S. is to make sure the milestones for renewable-power generation continue to fall on a regular basis.
Chair of the California Independent System Operator board of governors, Ashutosh Bhagwat, said last week's record was a promising sign.
"These moments help crystallize the vision of the modern, efficient and sustainable grid of the future." – The Sierra Sun Times.
