Photo voltaic Passes 100% of Energy Demand in California! [UPDATED]

Join each day information updates from CleanTechnica on e mail. Or observe us on Google Information!

California has been a frontrunner within the set up of solar energy vegetation and wind energy vegetation for a few years now (regardless of its current anti-rooftop photo voltaic shift through “Internet Metering 3.0”). That has led to increasingly of its electrical energy era coming from renewables. The development has been happening for years, however there are a few current developments that ought to actually get individuals’s consideration.

File Photo voltaic Energy in California Passes 100% of Energy Demand

For 55 days in a row, electrical energy from photo voltaic, wind, and water (hydro) energy exceeded 100% of energy demand on California’s predominant grid for a part of the day. Additionally, going again additional, that has been achieved in 80 out of the final 87 days. That’s since early March (Worldwide Ladies’s Day), late winter.

Repetition turns a speculation right into a idea.

The idea right here is that we will constantly and more and more provide clear, renewable vitality to California’s grid.

For 54 straight days and 78 of 84, #WindWaterSolar provide has exceeded 100% of demand throughout a part of every day. pic.twitter.com/nZxCeE8qCG

— Mark Z. Jacobson (@mzjacobson) Might 30, 2024

80 of 87 days with #WindWaterSolar>100% of California predominant grid demand

55-day streak damaged, however new one begins

Leap in demand resulting from excessive temp brought on WWS to assembly a max of solely 99.4% demand Fri Might 31

However, on Sat Jun 1, WWS exceeded demand 8.7 h, peaking at 136.4% of demand pic.twitter.com/mLdYmQ0Ulp

— Mark Z. Jacobson (@mzjacobson) June 2, 2024

As a part of that, solar energy lately hit report output, and it really surpassed 100% of energy demand briefly.

As you possibly can see above, at its peak, solar energy was offering 102.1% of electrical energy demand in California. Collectively, wind, water, and photo voltaic peaked at 136.4% of electrical energy demand!

Clearly, California’s progress on renewables is proving pro-renewables advocates proper. However what concerning the notorious “duck curve?”…

California Rapidly Fixing the Duck Curve

The most effective information is that California appears to rapidly be chopping the duck curve all the way down to measurement. The duck curve mainly comes all the way down to this: “In some vitality markets, each day peak demand happens after sundown, when solar energy is not obtainable. In places the place a considerable quantity of photo voltaic electrical capability has been put in, the quantity of energy that should be generated from sources apart from photo voltaic or wind shows a speedy improve round sundown and peaks within the mid-evening hours, producing a graph that resembles the silhouette of a duck.”

The answer for the duck curve is obvious: vitality storage. Retailer that bursting photo voltaic vitality produced in the midst of the day and progressively use it within the night because the solar goes down and electrical energy demand rises. The excellent news is that California has been making progress on this very quick! Take a look at the graph beneath relating to electrical energy era from pure gasoline and be aware the road for 2023 versus the road for 2024.

Section 2)
Photo voltaic+wind+batteries substitute as much as ~90% of fossil electrical energy

Batteries can mainly resolve downside 1), 2) and three) for you: that’s enormous!

They’ll flatten the “Duck curve” to a razor and it is already began in California:https://t.co/Va66S1WFqD pic.twitter.com/L33ZA9Jk3i

— AukeHoekstra (@AukeHoekstra) Might 25, 2024

Right here’s one other one displaying battery dispatch on the grid:

Fascinating evaluation of the more and more pivotal function that batteries are taking part in on the California grid. They’re steadily consuming away at fossil gasoline. https://t.co/76AijwBAGr

— David Roberts (@drvolts) Might 23, 2024

Certainly — batteries are taking cost and fixing California’s duck curve disaster.

It makes me consider the decade-long internet metering debate and the way a lot the duck curve was used as an excuse to chop rooftop solar energy incentives. how rapidly this duck curve challenge has been solved, one has to surprise how disingenuous a few of these anti-rooftop photo voltaic arguments have been. …

The California Electrical energy Costs Critique

Some individuals like to counter any constructive information about California renewable vitality progress by citing California’s comparatively excessive electrical energy costs. This isn’t from renewables. In truth, analysis has repeatedly proven that renewable vitality drives down electrical energy costs. There are different issues which have resulted in excessive electrical energy costs in California. Mark Z. Jacobson summarizes (textual content modification to spell out phrases):

“California electrical energy costs are excessive as a result of California has the Third-highest fossil gasoline costs in US; & utilities have handed on to clients prices of San Bruno+Aliso Canyon gasoline disasters, retrofitting gasoline pipes, wildfires from transmission sparks, undergrounding traces, and maintaining Diablo Canyon nuclear open.”

CA electrical energy costs are excessive b/c CA has the Third-highest fossil gasoline costs in US; & utilities have handed on to clients prices of San Bruno+Aliso Canyon gasoline disasters, retrofitting gasoline pipes, wildfires from transmission sparks, undergrounding traces, and maintaining DC nuclear open https://t.co/0Il7fmosw9

— Mark Z. Jacobson (@mzjacobson) June 1, 2024

California Renewable Vitality Main the Manner

The general story is that California renewable vitality continues to cleared the path ahead. Solar energy is now peaking at greater than 100% of electrical energy demand, renewables as a complete are peaking at 134% electrical energy demand, the duck curve has been shaved all the way down to mainly no duck curve in any respect (however you possibly can now name the battery cost/discharge curve a duck curve), and the entire state (and world) is benefitting.

Prepare for extra information within the days to return. We’re nonetheless a number of weeks away from the summer season solstice.