SACRAMENTO, Calif. /CALIFORNIA NEWSWIRE/ — California has achieved a major clean energy milestone: more than 25,000 megawatts (MW) of new resources have been added to the state’s electric grid over the past five years — an amount equivalent to roughly half of the state’s record peak demand in 2022 and in addition to existing capacity, the California governor’s office announced this week.
This unprecedented growth marks a transformative chapter in the state’s clean energy transition, as California continues to strengthen the reliability of the grid while advancing its ambitious climate and clean air goals.
“Last year, California added a record amount of clean energy – bringing our total new capacity to over 25,000 megawatts in just five years. We’ve never added so much capacity to our grid in such a short amount of time, transforming our power grid to be cleaner and more reliable and resilient than ever before.,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.
California has installed a record amount of clean energy – faster
In 2024 alone, California added approximately 7,000 megawatts (MW) of new clean energy nameplate capacity —representing the largest single-year increase in clean energy capacity added to the grid in state history. This new figure broke the previous records set in both 2022 and 2023, marking a third consecutive year of unprecedented clean energy growth.
“California has set ambitious clean energy goals, and utilities and community choice aggregators have stepped up to deliver clean resources to communities up and down the state,” said California Public Utilities Commission President Alice Reynolds. “We are bringing renewable energy online at an unprecedented scale and pace never seen before.”
This rapid expansion of clean energy capacity is the result of procurement orders from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) aimed at bolstering grid reliability while advancing the state’s clean energy targets and meeting Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) requirements.
Building energy infrastructure is a key part of the Governor’s build more, faster agenda delivering infrastructure upgrades and thousands of jobs across the state.
On track for further clean energy expansion
More than 75,000 MW of new clean energy capacity is expected to come online by 2040. To make this vision a reality, California’s electric grid will continue to evolve to unlock access to new clean energy capacity and power. At the same time, utilities and community choice aggregators are actively contracting with projects that can be built using existing electric infrastructure, helping accelerate the pace of development, at least cost to customers.
Currently, more than 20,000 MW of clean energy projects are already under contract and in development to serve California customers by 2030.
California’s climate leadership
Pollution is down and the economy is up. Greenhouse gas emissions in California are down 20% since 2000 – even as the state’s GDP increased 78% in that same time period.
The state continues to set clean energy records. Last year, California ran on 100% clean electricity for the equivalent of 51 days – with the grid running on 100% clean energy for some period three out of every five days. Since the beginning of the Newsom Administration, battery storage is up to over 15,000 megawatts – a 1,944% increase.
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https://build.ca.gov/
