How They’re Doing It
California has been one of the most aggressive states when it comes to tackling climate change since the early 2000’s. The process began with Governor Schwarzenegger and it has continued with Governor Brown. They’ve steadily increased the targets for transferring California’s energy capacity to renewables from a wide range of sources including solar power, wind power, and even geothermal energy.
Solar Power
When solar power was first introduced in California, it was highly inefficient and expensive. Over the years, the technology has been refined and solar panels can be produced for a lot less today. They’re also more efficient at capturing the sun’s energy. Solar energy was once far more expensive to produce than fossil fuel energy, but today it’s competitively priced.
Wind Power
California now has the capacity to produce more than 5000 megawatts of wind-generated electricity. That’s a 350% increase from 2001. Critics may not be impressed with their effect on the landscape and some question the health effects they may have on nearby residents, but they are having a positive effect on the environment. Without wind power, it would be difficult for California’s utilities to meet the states renewable energy goals.
Geothermal
An advantage that California has over other states in reaching renewable energy targets is its access to geothermal energy. The state has been using geothermal energy since the 1960’s and there are at least six working installations at this time. There’s also plenty of room for growth and this will help the state’s public utilities achieve the aggressive targets that have been set.
Why Fossil Fuels Need to Be Replaced
There aren’t too many experts arguing against replacing fossil fuels in the long term. What they don’t all agree on is how quick the timetable needs to be. Some believe that the pollutants they’re releasing into the atmosphere have already pushed us past the global warming tipping point, while others think we still have some time. That debate will likely continue for some time, but the bottom line is we need to make the transition as quickly and safely as possible with as little impact on the economy as possible.
Can There be Too Much of a Good Thing?
No state is doing more than California to move to renewable energy. Some experts believe the state can switch to 100% renewable energy sources before the middle of the century. If that’s true, it will likely be the first jurisdiction in the U.S. to achieve this, if not the first in the world.
