The state of California – by some estimates the fifth or sixth biggest economy in the world – has extended its run of reaching a peak of more than 100 per cent renewables to 17 out of the last 18 days.
According to Stanford University’s Mark Jacobsen, the author of several landmark reports on how the world can switch to wind, water and solar for its power needs, says those output from those sources have exceeded demand for between one quarter of an hour and six hours on those 17 days.
California’s 100 per cent renewable peaks are driven by solar during the middle of the day – it still face the challenge of how to deliver the rest of the capacity needed to meet that goal.
Last month, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) adopted a plan that mandates the construction of more than 56GW of new renewable capacity by 2035. It expects to reach 113 per cent renewables (with the excess being exported), by 2045.
