California’s milestone of meeting 99.87pct of its electricity demand only via renewables was impressive but it was only for a brief spell. On the last day of April, California hit a milestone – for a brief spell during a sunny Saturday afternoon, renewable sources met 99.87% of electricity demand. Power systems outside the U.S. have reached this target before (Denmark with wind power and South Australia with solar alone last year). But California’s main grid, which serves 80% of the state, is far bigger than those examples. Last year, I described South Australia as a glimpse of the power industry’s future. We should think of California the same way but on a much larger scale. Its recent milestone points to a future full of zero-carbon power, with a great deal of variability; there will be new technologies and business models as well as room for further innovation. As well […]