California is cranking out impressive numbers for clean energy production, with its combined wind, solar, and hydro power exceeding demand on 91 of 102 days up to and including June 16.
This impressive stat doesn't mean that the grid ran on renewable energy all day for those days; instead, it means that supply exceeded 100% of main grid demand for at least 0.25-6 hours per day, per a recent article in Electrek that tracked the streak into May.
Up until May 31, the state also had a run of 55 days straight with wind, solar, and hydro energy supply exceeding 100% demand for a portion of each day.
Mark Z. Jacobson (@mzjacobson), a civil and environmental engineering professor at Stanford University, has been tracking California's renewable energy achievements. When the state reaches a new milestone, he shares the news via X, formerly known as Twitter.
According to Jacobson, the increasing use of clean energy to meet and exceed needs has become the new normal for Californians.
"This is not an anomaly," Jacobson wrote in one of his posts. "It is the new reality. The percentages [of electricity demand met by renewables] will only increase each year."
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Jacobson predicts the state will run solely on renewable energy and battery storage by 2035.
For California residents, using renewable energy is saving households money, as clean energy is cheaper than non-renewable energy sources.
While there are initial costs to set up the infrastructure to support renewable energy sources, your utility bill will decrease after switching to a renewable energy source, saving you money in the long run. After switching to solar energy, for example, you can save anywhere between $25,000 to $33,000 on electricity during the lifetime of a system, according to Forbes.
Transitioning toward clean energy is also a major step in ensuring a safer, more sustainable future. Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind energy, do not release harmful carbon pollution into the atmosphere while they're producing electricity. Thus, by using more renewable energy, you can help decrease the total amount of planet-warming pollution.
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"California has always been progressive and effective in new technology for renewable energy," one reader of the Electrek post commented. "Go California! Go Clean Energy!"
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