Solar Power Has Increased 5,900% since the 2001 Energy Crisis

Since the last time heat waves threatened rolling blackouts around the state in 2001, California has installed 177 MW of solar photovoltaic power systems on nearly 20,000 homes, businesses, schools and government buildings (1).  Given that solar power systems generate electricity at a time California needs it most—while the sun is out and air conditioners are on full-blast—this 5,900% increase in the amount of solar power installed in California over the past four years will make a real difference on a day like today.

Further, thanks to the California Solar Initiative adopted by the California Energy Commission this past January, California has set a goal of building 3,000 MW of solar power on a million roofs by 2016 (2).  Meeting this goal would mean 6% of California’s summer-time peak load would be met with clean, reliable solar power helping give grid operators a healthy margin between energy supply and demand.

In addition to installing more solar power, California also needs to do more to conserve energy and build other types of renewable energy resources like wind turbines and geothermal power plants.  While California’s homes and appliances are more efficient than ever, because our population is growing and we are building larger homes and filling them with more electrical appliances, our overall energy consumption is on the rise. The solution to this problem is to continue to tighten conservation and efficiency measures while also building more clean renewable energy such as solar power.  

(1)  Based on data collected by the California Energy Commission’s Emerging Renewables Program and data from the California Public Utilities Commission on the Self-Generation Incentive Program.