By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent
Something magical happened in California yesterday. Governor Jerry Brown signed into law SB 100, which takes the state’s renewable portfolio standards (RPS) to 100% by 2045.
Imagine that. The world’s fifth-largest economy is now on its way to getting 100% of its electricity from non-fossil-fuel sources within the next 30 years. If you had suggested such a thing even seven years ago, when I first joined the solar industry, people would have called you insane (or worse).
But now that it’s done, it’s time to complete the circle and get the governor’s signature on SB 700, the companion bill to SB 100 that extends the incentive program for energy storage.
Governor Brown himself appears to recognize that the two bills are inextricably intertwined, saying at yesterday’s signing ceremony that the 100% by 2045 goal couldn’t be reached without a significant increase in storage.
“To get to 100% clean energy in a manner that ensures reliability and reduces cost, we must use a variety of strategies,” Brown said in his signing statement. “Energy storage, increased efficiency and adjusting energy use to the time of day when we have the most power will all help with the transition.”
So what’s staying your hand, governor? Get on this and sign SB 700 already.
When SB 700 passed a couple of weeks ago, Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar & Storage Association, said this:
SB 700 will do for storage what SB 1 did for solar over a decade ago, namely create a mainstream market by driving up demand and driving down costs all while creating jobs and clean energy choices for consumers.
From SB 1 we got to SB 100, and it’s time for California to lead on storage as well as it has lead on solar energy. After all, as California goes, so goes the rest of the country – and the rest of the country has a lot of catching up to do.
More:
SB 700 Passes California Assembly – SGIP Program Extended Five Years