California Gov. Newsom outlines plan for clean energy electrical system
California Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out the state’s plans to achieve a clean electricity system produced by 100 percent clean energy.
Newsom’s California Comeback Plan calls for increasing the diversity of the state’s clean energy, including solar, battery storage, onshore and offshore wind, geothermal, and pumped storage. Further, it involves modernizing the grid, incorporating distributed energy resources, and increasing long-duration energy storage projects. In addition, the plan calls for reducing carbon emissions through electrification of the state’s transportation systems, as well as its homes and businesses. Finally, it incorporates grid hardening and resiliency, increasing undergrounding of lines, better detection of faults, and the strategic placement of remote grids in vulnerable communities.
“California leads the nation with its ambitious clean energy goals, and with the climate crisis threatening communities across the West, we must take decisive action to scale up and speed up our transition to a 100 percent clean electricity system that meets the needs of the 22nd century and beyond,” Newsom said. “While we build toward a safe, affordable, and reliable energy future that benefits all our communities, we’re also taking action to meet the challenges caused by climate change that are already at our doorstep.”
Currently, the total percentage of clean energy in the state is 63 percent. Among the latest developments, this past May, California struck an agreement with the federal government to advance offshore wind along the California coast. Also, the state mandated that all new car and delivery and short-haul truck sales will be zero-emission by 2035 and all big-rig truck sales 100 percent zero-emission by 2045. The state is exploring other pathways to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.
In related news, Newsom signed an emergency proclamation to free up energy supply to meet demand during extreme heat events and wildfires that are becoming more intense and to expedite deployment of clean energy resources this year and next year.
Specifically, the proclamation suspends certain permitting requirements to allow greater energy production and creates incentives so that large energy users can move to backup power generation. This will free up energy capacity on the grid for everyone else during critical times when extreme heat events or the interruption of transmission lines from wildfires or other causes threaten the energy supply. It also provides for mitigation to offset impacts from any additional emissions and commits state agencies to track emissions from any emergency measures requiring additional emissions.
