The US state of California has achieved an unprecedented milestone in the field of renewable energy in the United States.
Electricity supplies in the state from wind, water, and solar energy exceeded 100% of demand for a record period of 98 consecutive days since the beginning of the winter season, without any power outages at all, during the past year of 2024.
According to the "Electric" website, compared to the same period in 2023, solar energy production in California increased by 31%, wind energy increased by 8%, and batteries saw an astonishing increase of 105%.
Solar rechargeable batteries provided up to 12% of the state's nighttime electricity demand by storing and redistributing excess solar energy.
The site mentioned that this superiority of clean energy in performing its tasks in the American state came at a time when electricity prices in California were rising, but it confirmed that there is no connection between the achievement of relying on clean energy and the rise in electricity prices in the state.
He explained that this increase in electricity prices is due to other reasons, primarily the recovery of utility companies' costs for wildfire mitigation, investments in transmission and distribution, and the costs of measuring consumed energy.
Researchers from Stanford University, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the University of California, Berkeley, found that states with higher shares of renewable energy are now entering a phase of declining electricity prices.
The data also demonstrated the reliability and benefits of California's large wind, water, and solar energy-dominated electricity grid.
The researchers concluded that despite the rapid growth and widespread adoption of water, wind, and solar energy projects, electricity prices have seen an immediate decline in recent weeks, by more than 50% compared to the same period last year.
There were also no power outages, which gives confidence that adding more solar, wind, and battery energy should not be a cause for concern in the future.
