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Newsweek
15-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
California Hits 'Historic' Energy Milestone
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. New data shared by the Californian government shows that the state has supplied 100 percent of its electricity demand with clean energy sources for an average of seven hours a day so far this year. More than nine out of 10 days in 2025 saw the state's power being run on completely clean energy sources for an extended period of time in the day—representing a 750 percent increase in clean energy days since 2022. Newsweek has contacted the California Energy Commission for comment via email outside regular working hours. Why It Matters The data signifies a major milestone in California's clean energy deliveries, marking it as the largest economy in the world to achieve this level of clean energy, according to the state government. The success of the state, the world's fourth largest economy, also holds weight for national and international energy policy. Clean energy includes renewable resources—such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass—and large hydroelectric power and nuclear energy. California's goal is to have 100 percent of its retail electricity sales and state agency loads supplied with clean energy by 2045. For years, the Golden State has led in climate action and clean energy adoption, but the present milestone shows the operational reliability of renewable energy at a new level. Power lines and wind turbines in the desert landscape on the outskirts of Palm Springs, California. Power lines and wind turbines in the desert landscape on the outskirts of Palm Springs, California. Pamela Hassell/AP What To Know Alongside this year's achievements, the data showed that in 2023, 67 percent of the state's retail electricity sales came from renewable and zero-carbon electricity generation, compared to 61 percent the previous year and about 41 percent a decade ago. Additionally, in 2024, the state added a record-breaking 7,000 megawatts of clean capacity to the grid, marking the largest single-year increase in clean energy capacity added to the grid in state history. The state has stood out for its energy efficiency. About one in nine U.S. residents live in California, meaning it uses more energy than any other state except Texas. California's energy policies have made its per capita energy use the third lowest in the nation, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported. California's success in its clean energy policies is largely down to "the growth in batteries, solar, and wind in the state combined with the decrease in gas," Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, told Newsweek. Despite California's growing expansion of clean energy use, Texas still leads the way on producing the most electricity from renewable energy sources—leaving the Golden State in second place. California's main proponents of clean energy are solar and battery storage. Since 2019, 25,000 megawatts of new energy resources statewide have been added to the grid, remaining on track to hit the state's 2045 goals, the state government reported. As a result of the state's push toward being fully reliant on clean energy sources, greenhouse gas emissions in California are down 20 percent since 2000, and emissions from electric power have been cut in half since 2009. At the same time, the state's GDP has increased 78 percent. What People Are Saying California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a news release on Monday: "As the federal government turns its back on innovation and commonsense, California is making our clean energy future a reality. The world's fourth largest economy is running on two-thirds clean power—the largest economy on the planet to achieve this milestone. And for the first time ever, clean energy provided 100 percent of the state's power nearly every day this year for some part of the day. Not since the Industrial Revolution have we seen this kind of rapid transformation." Daniel Kammen, a professor of energy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a former senior advisor for energy and innovation at the U.S. Agency for International Development, told Newsweek: "Not only is California the fourth largest economy on the planet, but the state has exported clean energy to neighboring states and Canadian provinces for over 110 days in a row. What this milestone demonstrates is that by investing in clean energy generation and energy storage, economies large and small can be powered with clean energy at costs below fossil fuel generation. The fact that it is now cheaper to build a new clean energy power plant than to simply operate an existing fossil fuel plant has contributed greatly to this evolution." He added: "Research in my laboratory has documented that more jobs are created in the clean energy economy than in the fossil, dirty energy economy as well, which has further spurred this evolution. The lower costs, higher job creation, and with energy policy and planning landscape that integrates clean energy generation and energy storage, it shows that everyone everywhere can make this transition with energy, economic, climate, and social justice benefits." Daniel Nocera, a professor of energy at Harvard University, told Newsweek: "The issue of clean energy comes down to one factor at the end of the day—plain and simple—economics. I do not care what side of the fence you sit with regard to clean energy. If there is not a cost benefit, it is a nonstarter. The significance of clean energy in California is that this state has one of the, if not the, most vibrant economies in the nation. To do so with these achievements in clean energy proves that a vibrant economy may be maintained and grown with the adoption of clean energy. Clean energy is a profitable investment that leads to wealth generation and a vibrant economy." He added: "Some states do not have the access to clean energy resources that California does. What is important is that states will make wise decisions, with the clean energy resources that they possess, to advance their economies and job creation. It is inevitable in my opinion that all will come to finally realize that a commitment to clean energy will be an economic creation win, whatever that milestone is for a given state." Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, told Newsweek: "This achievement shows it is possible to have a clean and renewable grid while maintaining grid stability. Some will say that this achievement is at the expense of high cost of electricity in California. However, California's high electricity cost has nothing to do with renewables. Instead, renewables have prevented costs from being even higher. We know this because California is ranked only No. 12 in terms of the percent of demand met by wind-water-solar (WWS) renewables in the annual average. There are 11 states that, from Q2-2024 to Q1-2025, had 50 to 121 percent of their demand met by WWS, starting with South Dakota (121 percent WWS, 89 percent wind, 30 percent hydro, and 2.7 percent solar). Of those 11 states, 10 had electricity prices at least 1.9 cents/kWh below the national average." He added: "The reason for California's high electricity prices is that utilities have passed onto customers the cost of wildfires caused by transmission line sparks, the costs of the San Bruno and Aliso Canyon gas disasters, the costs of undergrounding gas lines due to San Bruno, the cost of undergrounding transmission lines due to the fires, the high cost of fossil gas in California, the cost of keeping Diablo Canyon nuclear open, and the cost of upgrading transmission lines." California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild said in a news release: "California has achieved yet another major milestone on our journey to a clean energy future. The latest numbers show how our state is demonstrating that clean energy is mainstream and is here to stay." California Public Utilities Commission President Alice Reynolds said in a news release: "California has set ambitious clean energy goals, and utilities and community choice aggregators have stepped up to deliver clean resources at competitive prices to communities up and down the state. We are bringing renewable energy online at an unprecedented scale and pace never seen before." What Happens Next California officials have reaffirmed their commitment to a fully carbon-free electric grid by 2045.
Chicago Tribune
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: The Tribune Editorial Board is right to be skeptical of small modular reactor projects
If Gov. JB Pritzker has opened the door to small modular reactors (SMRs), then it's time to push for the big old-fashioned kind — that seems to be the opening 'give an inch, take a mile' gambit of the editorial 'It's time to lift Illinois' moratorium on new nuclear plants' (April 15). But good for the Tribune Editorial Board for being skeptical about SMRs: It's right to be skeptical about the economic advantage, given that there aren't any certified designs, and projects continue to be delayed or canceled. And good for the board, even as it supports new 'baseload' reactors, for warning readers about how ratepayers have been stuck with huge bills elsewhere and in Illinois for predictable delays and cost overruns. The board is right to point out the years it will take for approval and actual construction. And that acknowledgement is testament to the board's honesty, compared to most nuclear boosters: If climate change were really the major driver here, then too many nuclear power plants need to be built too quickly to have an impact. By the way, when the editorial board says 'nukes don't emit carbon,' it does need to qualify that the only part of nuclear power generation that's carbon-free is the atom-splitting, energy-generating part, since every other aspect, from the mining, processing and transport of nuclear fuel and the construction of plants, to the decommissioning and management of waste, results in carbon dioxide emissions. The board doesn't mention that we have yet to figure out a way to deal with that waste, some of which will remain toxic for many lifetimes. The board doesn't have to refer to health problems at all, in fact. Look at the International Nuclear Workers Study of nearly 310,00 workers from the United Kingdom, France and the U.S. that shows a clear association between low-level radiation exposure and solid cancer mortality. You don't need reactors to blow up for there to be a negative health impact, not just for workers but also those in the neighborhood. Finally, look at the stunning advances in renewal technology. A great place to start is the work of Mark Z. Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. His 2023 book title says it all: 'No Miracles Needed: How Today's Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air.' — Norma Field, Chicago Battle over energy I fully agree with the headline on the nuclear power editorial, but the narrative falls flat on the topic of cost. Yes, cost overruns are a significant concern in any large-scale project. But the main way to control cost is by repetition and learning. The U.S., including Illinois, has allowed our energy infrastructure to atrophy. Rebuilding and repowering our economy will require significant investments that cannot be accurately estimated. Since we caused these problems, we will all need to pay to fix them. The editorial insists that ratepayers shouldn't have to pay for cost overruns. But then who should pay? Everyone benefits from a strong, reliable energy grid. The Tribune Editorial Board suggests that 'Facebook owner Meta or Google or some other tech giant' should have to pay. With that attitude, they will build elsewhere, and the state will suffer. Then the question becomes: How much will ratepayers be willing to pay to avoid brownouts and blackouts such as those in California, where rates are already double or triple what we pay in Illinois. The Illinois Tollway is nearing the end of a 16-year, $15 billion program to rebuild major elements of the tollway system. Building a nuclear power plant is a similar-scale effort, but we have lost experience. There is one major difference, however: A power plant will last well into the next century, whereas the tollway will probably be rebuilt several times. Illinois will need to establish favorable investment environments for mega-projects if we want Big Tech business (and the energy demands they bring) to bolster our economy and create jobs and tax revenue. That battle between states is already brewing. Economic growth is skyrocketing in Georgia and Texas because they are making those tough investments. The winners will be the ones that are willing to take the risk and build the necessary infrastructure. Right now, Illinois is losing. — Thomas Fanning, Naperville CPD needs to dig in Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling's public victory lap over a recent report by the Chicago Police Department consent decree monitor falls a bit flat under closer examination ('CPD praised on meeting goals of consent decree,' April 16). The reality is that CPD has come into compliance with only 16% of the decree's requirements after six years of oversight. And most of that compliance consists of writing policies and filling out forms. The real work to change CPD's historic culture of brutality and discrimination has hardly begun. Particularly vexing is Snelling's suggestion — offered without evidence — that an increase in reported use of force by CPD officers is not an increase at all and just represents an increase in reporting by officers when they use force. If that's true, CPD needs to prove it. We are skeptical because community members continue to report excessive force by officers, and data shows trends going in the wrong direction. For instance, after a decrease from 2020 to 2023, CPD shootings of community members jumped in 2024 and are on track to increase further in 2025. Between the first half of 2023 and the first half of 2024, total recorded uses of force increased a whopping 47%. The frustrating truth is that people in Chicago still do not feel the benefits of the progress CPD has accomplished under the consent decree. Black residents of Chicago continue to make up about 2 in every 3 investigatory stops, and Black residents make up about 70% of those subjected to use of force by officers (they are about one-third of the city's population). These numbers have remained stubbornly consistent since the consent decree went into effect. It is long past time for CPD to stop celebrating paper accomplishments and work to achieve the ultimate goals of the consent decree: decreased harm to people who are Black, brown and disabled and increased trust by the community. We agree with Snelling that it has taken too long, and it is time now to dig in — for real. — Alexandra Block, director, Criminal Legal System and Policing Project, ACLU of Illinois Using Jewish fear We write on behalf of more than 100 rabbis and clergy from across Chicagoland. The congregations we serve and communities we support are politically, racially and economically diverse, and they represent multiple denominations of Jewish practice. We stand against the attacks on civil liberties and democratic norms being carried out in the name of combating antisemitism. In recent weeks, students and others, many with legal status, have been detained or had their visas revoked without explanation or due process, including at the University of Illinois, University of Chicago and Northwestern University. Federal funds for higher education have been frozen or withdrawn, including $790 million at Northwestern. The administration has also announced plans to surveil immigrants' social media. Many of these actions have been presented as a defense of the Jewish community. Yet in truth, Jewish fear is being used as a fig leaf for an anti-democratic agenda of mass deportations, civil rights rollbacks and attacks on higher education. We know that many Jews, including Jewish students on campuses, have felt unsafe in recent months and years. We take those concerns seriously. And we know that throughout history, Jews have been safest in multiracial democracies where the rights of all people, regardless of race, religion, national origin or political opinion, are protected. Education is a core Jewish value, and the institutions that uphold civil liberties and democratic norms have long been essential to Jewish safety and flourishing. As Jewish leaders, we reject the exploitation of our fears and experiences of antisemitism to justify the dismantling of those institutions. Such actions do not protect our community — they use us, and they put us in danger. We just celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover. Each year, we recall the oppression of our ancestors in Egypt and pray for redemption from all forms of violence. We are commanded to retell our stories of persecution and deliverance 'in every generation,' reminding us that our story remains relevant at all times. In the Passover story, it is an erev rav — a mixed multitude — who journeyed together out of Egypt. We are obligated not only to seek justice for ourselves, but also to protect the rights and freedoms afforded to all people. We must speak out against deportations without due process, suppression of free speech, attacks on higher education and the dismantling of democratic norms. Doing so is an expression of our Jewish and American values.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Report reveals how unorthodox power market drastically lowered utility bills — here's how it defied expectations
Did you know that California's power grid met more than 100% of the state's electricity demand using only renewable energy for a record 98 days in 2024? A new study published in Renewable Energy and reported by Electrek found that from late winter to early summer, solar, wind, and hydropower consistently generated more electricity than the state needed, averaging 4.84 surplus hours per day and reaching a peak of 10.1 hours. California adopted more clean energy practices, with solar power up 31%, wind energy growing by 8%, and battery storage more than doubling since 2023. Big battery systems, including lithium-ion storage, played a huge part by holding on to extra solar power during the day and sending out up to 12% of the state's electricity at night. Some feared that depending more on renewables would make electricity unreliable or drive up costs, but that wasn't the case. No blackouts occurred, and electricity prices fell by over 50% compared to the previous year. A research team from Stanford University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the University of California, Berkeley studied these trends and found that running California's grid primarily on renewables is not only possible but also costs. "The main grid in the world's fifth-largest economy was able to provide more than 100% of the electricity that it used from only four clean renewable sources: solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal," said Mark Z. Jacobson, a Stanford professor and co-author of the study. For Californians, this means cheaper power bills and a more stable energy supply. Burning gas dropped by 40% during this time, meaning fewer emissions in the air and less need to bring in fuel from outside the state. California isn't the only place making big moves in clean energy. Texas hit record highs in wind and solar power generation, while Iowa and South Dakota now get more than 60% of their electricity from renewables. At the same time, new tech such as floating solar panels and better battery storage is helping keep power grids stable and lowering costs. With more states stepping up their investments, running on mostly clean energy isn't just an idea for the future; it's already happening. Do you think your city has good air quality? Definitely Somewhat Depends on the time of year Not at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. One reader of the Electrek article said, "Just because renewables covered demand at some points doesn't mean it's sustainable long-term." Another reader made their point, saying: "Consumers pay more per kWh in states with higher renewable generation. Love clean energy, but it's pricey." And one commenter said: "No mention of the effect of AI and Bitcoin on the grid. Hopefully, Bitcoin will go away and all that energy can be used for cheaper power for homes and EV charging." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
