Energy in California
Sources of California in-state utility-scale electricity generation for 2023[1] This accounted for 77% of CA's demand in 2023; the remaining 23% was imported.
[3] As of 2018[update], per capita consumption was the fourth-lowest in the United States partially because of the mild climate and energy efficiency programs.
[4] Energy consumption in California is dominated by transportation, due to the high number of motor vehicles and long commutes.
Natural gas-fired power plants typically account for almost one-half of in-state electricity generation.
[7][8] Widespread rolling blackouts were narrowly avoided due to conservation efforts, though several thousand customers in Palo Alto and Alameda had their power cut when the California Independent System Operator told those cities' municipal power companies to shed load.
[7][8] The CEO of CAISO stated that the 3,300 megawatts of grid storage batteries added since the August 2020 rolling blackouts were definitely helpful during this event.
[11] In 2016, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced new rules for connecting coming generation sources to grid.
[24][25] Major blackouts in California include: In August 2020, during a heat wave which affected the entire West coast, air conditioning usage caused the peak load to hit 47 GW, and CAISO issued rolling blackouts to avoid a larger system shutdown.
[28][29] State agencies identified three main causes: inadequate preparation for heat waves made worse by climate change, insufficient power in the early evening due to sequencing errors in the shift to renewable energy, and market mechanisms that allowed power to be exported during the shortage.
From Utah, a 2.4 GW HVDC line, Path 27, provides coal generated electricity to Los Angeles.
From the Southeast, Path 46 brings up to 10.6 GW of electricity from sources including hydroelectric, fossil fuels, nuclear, and solar from generating stations in Nevada and Arizona.
[39] Because renewables cannot generate power 24/7, and it is cost prohibitive to install enough solar panels, wind turbines and batteries to supply sufficient electricity to ensure resource adequacy during extended cloudy or windless periods, researchers have estimated that the state will still need between 17 and 35 GW of natural gas fueled capacity in 2050.
These plants have a combined capacity of 354 megawatts (MW) making them at one time the largest solar power installation in the world.
The Beacon Solar Project, which generates 250 MW for the LADWP, was completed in 2017 in the northwestern Mojave Desert.
[49] A facility known as "The Geysers," located in the Mayacamas Mountains north of San Francisco, is the largest group of geothermal power plants in the world, with more than 750 MW of installed capacity.
Assembly Bill 2514 directed the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to adopt an energy storage program and procurement target.
The owner, Pacific Gas & Electric, had previously agreed to shut down the two reactors at the site in 2025, but California State Lawmakers have since passed Senate Bill 856 on September 1, 2022, to extend Diablo Canyon operations through 2030.
[79] California's crude oil and natural gas deposits are located in six geological basins in the Central Valley and along the coast.
The refineries are configured to produce cleaner fuels, including reformulated motor gasoline and low-sulfur diesel, to meet strict Federal and State environmental regulations.
[90] Gasoline consumption fluctuates with economic conditions and gas prices, but has generally remained flat since 2000, despite increasing population.
Gavin Newsom issued an executive order requiring all passenger cars and trucks (not delivery, long-haul, or construction vehicles) sold after 2035 be fully electric.
[106][107] California receives most of its natural gas by pipeline from production regions in the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest, and western Canada.
[107] Some of this is seasonally stored in the Aliso Canyon Oil Field, and its 2015 leak caused California to install grid batteries to compensate.
[109] In August 2018, California's legislature passed legislation that mandates completely carbon-free electricity generation by 2045.
[114] The California regulations were challenged in court by light bulb manufacturers but a judge ruled it was proper under the congressional exemption previously granted.
