Professor Mark Z. Jacobson of Stanford University spoke with pv magazine about recent research showing that California can easily rely on a large electricity grid dominated by wind-water-solar energy. He says current electricity prices in the state are high due to several reasons that have nothing to do with renewable energy sources. These include high fossil gas prices and the costs of modernizing aging transmission and distribution lines.
New research from Standford University has shown that California could rely massively on renewable energy to meet its electricity demand, without the risk of blackouts and high energy prices.
“Our research shows that the main grid in the world’s fifth largest economy was able to supply more than 100% of the electricity it used from just four clean renewable sources: solar, wind, hydro and geothermal. for five minutes. to more than 10 hours per day for 98 out of 116 days during late winter, all of spring and early summer, and for 132 days through all of 2024, without any power outages.” Mark Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University and lead author of the study, said pv magazine.
According to the study, the growth of solar energy storage, wind energy and batteries in particular has resulted in fossil gas use falling by 40% over the 116 day period and by 25% over the entire year of 2024 compared to 2023. “Compared to 2023, solar, wind and battery capacities increased significantly, with battery capacity doubling,” Jacobson added. “In fact, batteries met a peak of 12% of overnight demand during the period studied. The drop of 25% in gas consumption on the CAISO network in just one year indicates that the complete phase-out of gas is approaching. This also debunks the myth that gas must increase as renewables on the grid increase.”
Jacobson also explained that high electricity prices in California have nothing to do with renewable energy sources. “Without renewables, prices would have been higher,” he continued. “In fact, 10 of the 11 U.S. states with a greater share of their demand powered by renewable energy sources have among the lowest U.S. electricity prices. Instead, in California, the spot price of electricity fell by more than 50% during the interest period between 2023 and 2024, indicating that it was easier to match supply and demand with the increase in renewables and batteries in 2024.”
According to Jacobson, electricity prices in California are high for several reasons that have nothing to do with renewable energy sources. These include high prices for fossil gas, utilities passing on to customers the costs of wildfires caused by arcing on transmission lines, the cost of undergrounding transmission lines to reduce such fires, the costs of the San Bruno and Aliso Canyon gas disasters, the cost of retrofitting gas lines that follow San Bruno, the cost of upgrading aging transmission and distribution lines, and the cost of keeping the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open.
“In summary, available data indicate that increasing the share of wind, solar and hydropower lowers electricity prices in the United States,” Jacobson said. “If high prices occur, they are not due to renewable energy sources.”
The researchers concluded by noting that building an energy system based solely on renewable energy could be technically challenging but economically feasible, with solar energy and behind-the-meter batteries helping to reduce residual fossil gas use in in light of the growing demand for electricity. Moreover, they believe that nighttime demand can be met with offshore wind energy
peaks during the evenings and summers in California, and by shifting more hydropower from daytime to nighttime, and using demand response more effectively.
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