97% Of New Calif. Grid Power Will Come From Solar In 2nd Half 2013

A recent discovery by Herman Trabish of Greentech Media, in regard to California’s power grid, is that 97% of new electricity to be added in the second half of this year will come from solar power projects.

According to a 2012 report on market issues and performance (known as the ISO report), 1,633 megawatts of capacity are expected to be added to the grid in the second half of 2013, and 1,581 of those will come from solar power projects. 52 megawatts will come from biomass projects.

“By the end of the first half of the year, the ISO will have added 3,391 megawatts of nameplate capacity, of which 2,296 megawatts will be natural gas, 565 megawatts will be wind and 530 megawatts will be solar,” said Trabish.

Apparently this isn’t a one-time thing, either. According to V. John White, executive director of the Center for Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, solar is set to keep growing at a pretty fast pace in California thanks to solar hitting grid parity throughout the state. He also added that it will be crucial to broaden the mix in coming years, utilizing out-of-state resources to help develop a diverse portfolio of clean energy.

Overall, it is still unclear as to how California’s grid will continue to evolve, but the forecast is showing that solar power is growing at a rapid pace and isn’t set to slow down anytime soon. When combined with other forms of clean energy and the support needed to maintain a lucrative solar industry, California could definitely give a whole new meaning to why we call it “the sunshine state.”

Via Planetsave