California has added 1,200 megawatts of battery storage to its electric grid over the past six months, adding to its nation’s leading energy footprint and pushing the state toward clean energy, officials said Thursday.
Gov. Gavin Newlom announced the latest milestone while making the rounds at the United Nations climate summit in Belém, Brazil, where he take out global climate leadership amid a notable absence of officials from the Trump administration.
With the latest additions, the golden state has reached 16,942 megawatts of existing battery storage – about one-third of the estimated amount needed to reach its goal of 100% clean energy by 2045.
Battery energy storage systems capture excess wind and solar energy and push it into the grid during peak demand hours, or when the sun is constant.
Newlom used the announcement as an opportunity to take a swipe at President Trump, who has focused heavily on the growth of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal while slamming funding for renewable energy projects in California and the US.
“Donald Trump’s Energy Agenda puts China first — allowing Beijing to seize the global energy economy and the good-paying jobs, manufacturing, and economic prosperity that come with it. “California will not stand by and watch.”
While China continues to burn fossil fuels, the country is breaking world records for investment in renewable energy and battery storage. By 2024, China has committed to 37 gigawatts of battery storage, more than the combined additions of the US and Europe, according to Tank Train Tank Ember.
But battery conservation has also undergone a transformation in California, helping the state avoid mounting blackouts and emergency calls for energy conservation, known as FLEX alerts, over the past several years. California now has more installed battery capacity than any other state on the planet except China, according to the news.
“Now we rule,” he said at a climate planting event in São Paulo on Monday before heading to Belém.
Experts say the state’s benefits are impressive. The US has about 37 gigawatts of total battery capacity, about half of which is in California, said Maia Leroy, founder of energy consulting firm Lumeninergy LLC.
“California wants a big win here,” Leroy said. He said the state’s capacity of 16,942 Megawatts – or gigawatts – or gigawatts – is enough energy for nearly 13 million homes for four hours, the average battery life.
Storage trauma is associated with rapid solar growth in the environment. Together, solar batteries and have eliminated more than 37% of the use of tossil gas in the state’s main grid, the independent system operator of California, according to Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of engineering at Stanford University.
Jacobson said: “This is a number of large batteries.
Energy conservation is one of the many areas California hopes to highlight at this year’s police conference. Representatives from the Government – including New Newloom, the secretary of the environment of California, Air Clowfoot and the chair of the board of the Air Air Aauren Sanchez – entered the meeting and some agreements this week.
Among them is the guarantee of Global Energy Storage and the guarantee of the Grid, which began the direction of last year’s conference that puts the global Gigawatlos of energy storage with 20.5 new infrastructures for transmission of energy in 2030.
The promise is a good start, but the world needs more than retention and referrals, Jacobson said.
“California is moving faster than the rest of the US, but to do what is done, California also needs to build batteries, while growing offshore wind, ocean solar, ocean rooftop solar and soothermar and geothermal,” he said.
The state is working toward those goals, including moving forward with an offshore wind project that lost nearly half a billion dollars in federal funds from federal administration this year.
Other agreements signed in COP so far this year include joint partnership and Memorandum of Understanding with Colombia, Chile, Nigeria, reduction of urban transport, reduction of harmful gas and reduction of green
Times staff writer Melody Gutierrez contributed to this report.
