From Electrek (Industry blog) : In a major clean energy benchmark, wind, solar, and hydro exceeded 100% of demand on California’s main grid for 30 of the past 38 days. Stanford University professor of civil and environmental engineering Mark Z. Jacobson has been tracking California’s renewables performance. Jacobson notes that supply exceeds demand for “0.25-6 h per day,” and that’s an important fact. The continuity lies not in renewables running the grid for the entire day but in the fact that it’s happening on a consistent daily basis, which has never been achieved before.
At the two-week record mark, Ian Magruder at Rewiring America made this great point.
“And what makes it even better is that California has the largest grid-connected battery storage facility in the world (came online in January …), meaning those batteries were filling up with excess energy from the sun all afternoon today and are now deploying as we speak to offset a good chunk of the methane gas generation that California still uses overnight.” On April 2, the California Independent System Operator (ISO) recommended 26 new transmission projects worth $6.1 billion, with a big number being devoted to offshore wind. In response, Jacobson predicted that California will entirely be on renewables and battery storage 24/7 by 2035.”
Yes I know its Feb-Apr the months with the least amount of load on the California system, but it’s a start.
Yes I know the cost of electricity is high in California (only compared to the rest of the coast line – don’t know how you folks in the rest of the country can afford your electricity), but that is mostly due to insurance cost and payouts due to the fires, caused by poor maintenance and stupidity. Some of the cost of the new battery systems. Not because of renewables, because the per kwh cost is still lower than non-renewables.
Yes I know it wasn’t for 24 hour periods, but only for parts of the day, but the batteries extended the time, and as more renewables come on line it will get better…..baby steps!