California is a national leader in clean energy development and deployment, but a new bill submitted in the state legislature acknowledges that, by California's standards, the state is falling well short of where it should be.Â
Submitted by Los Angeles State Senator Henry Stern, the bill would require the state's Energy Commission to develop a plan to begin connecting 6 gigawatts, per year, of clean energy to the state's grid. This would be a four-fold increase over what the state has averaged in clean energy grid connections over the last decade, but lawmakers say it's critical in order for the state to reach its lofty goals of 100% clean energy by 2045. That's right, 100% clean energy by 2045, not net-zero, or a 50% decrease in carbon footprint, just straight up clean energy.Â
Those goals are spurring another story in the state—the general warming up to clean energy alternatives now that wind and solar have gained momentum in the wide market. Another bill submitted this legislative session seeks to put more focus into producing other clean energy solutions, from hydrogen and geothermal to long-duration storage. Â
LA Times writer Sammy Roth wrote about Los Angeles's forrays into green hydrogen. I trust we're going to see more of this research and deployment over the next decade as the urgency of our climate goals exceeds the capabilities of wind and solar.Â
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