On one day last weekend, California obtained nearly 100% of its electricity from renewable resources, according to officials.
It is the largest amount of renewable energy ever produced on one day and was provided mostly through the state's extensive solar-power facilities placed along interstate 10 near the Coachella Valley where a music festival was taking place.
Across the state, demand hit 18,672 megawatts during the day, with 99.87% of the load served by all renewables, according to the California Independent System Operator CAISO.
Two-thirds of the power produced came from solar energy, while geothermal, wind and other renewable sources provide the rest.
Laura Deehan, executive director for Environment California, said of the achievement:
"Once it hit 100%, we were very excited. California solar plants play a really big role."
"California has shown that, for one brief and shining moment, we could do it! It's time to move to 100% clean energy, 100% of the time."
While Dan Jacobson, senior advisor to Environment California, tweeted:
"California busts past 100% on this historic day for clean energy!"
Organisations have been pushing recently for one-million solar panels to be placed on roofs of homes and businesses across the state, which could result in California even being a net exporter of green energy to the rest of the US. However, they also say that an ongoing enquiry by the Department of Commerce is delaying thousands of megawatts of solar-plus-storage projects in the Golden State and could potentially rob California of its full green potential.
The breakthrough in achieving nearly 100% of the state's energy through renewables should not be underestimated, given that if California was a nation, it would be the fifth-biggest economy in the world, ahead of India and behind Germany in fourth.
Current President Joe Biden has made it one of his presidential goals to move the US towards a greener future and tackle the climate crisis.
[Based on reporting by: Desert Sun.]
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