12th March 2014

Solar power in California continues to grow exponentially

Solar power production in California hit a new record of 4,093 megawatts on Saturday 8th March – more than double its capacity in 2013 and quadruple the level seen in 2012.

California has one of the largest and most modern power grids in the world. The new record for solar is enough to power about 3 million homes. Meanwhile, combining wind resources of 5,890MW and solar resources of 5,231MW, the two forms of energy now offer a maximum potential of 11,121MW. All renewables (including geothermal) can provide 15,000MW.

"This shows that California is making remarkable progress in not only getting new resources approved and connected to the grid, but making meaningful contributions in keeping the lights on as well," says Steve Berberich, President and CEO of the California Independent System Operator (ISO). "The milestones illustrate that we are well into a new era when clean, renewable energy is shouldering its share of our electricity needs — and that is exciting."

California remains the largest producer of solar power in the nation, while continuing to build a raft of huge new projects. The McCoy Solar Energy Project, for example, was approved yesterday and will provide 750MW of power, while several other plants of similar size have already begun construction. Clean energy will dominate the region's power supply by 2020, if trends continue. Only Texas surpasses California in terms of wind resources and California is among the top five states for adding wind capacity.

In March 2013, Lancaster in California became the first U.S. city to mandate the inclusion of solar panels on new homes, requiring that "every new housing development must average 1 kilowatt per house."

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