California just reached a milestone that was once thought impossible to achieve. For 100 full days, the state’s entire power grid was fueled by renewable energy for some minutes.
Although the entire grid wasn’t supported through solar or wind for full days, just minutes at a time, this feat is still impressive. California has the world’s fifth largest economy and has more than 39 million residents.
Renewable Energy
Thanks to the abundance of natural resources in California, the state is the largest producer of solar energy. Large swaths of desert allow for massive solar farms and thermal facilities to soak up the constant sun.
Other extremely common forms of renewable energy used in the state are hydro-electric dams and wind turbines. If you drive through Palm Springs or the surrounding desert, you’ll likely see hundreds of these large wind mills turning in the distance.
Moving Toward Renewable Energies
Although they have been scrutinized for taking jobs away from the gas and oil sector, moving towards renewable energies benefits everyone.
Clean energy sources are cheaper, so they lower energy costs for residents. The U.N. has also explained that using renewable energy creates more jobs than traditional sources like oil and gas. And, of course, energy sources like solar and wind cause zero harm to the environment and can be used to help lower greenhouse gas emissions for future generations.
Global Warming
Although many people live in temperate zones and still get to enjoy warm summers and cold winters, places like California that are hot all year round, face the brunt of global warming much quicker.
For several days this summer, Death Valley reached 130 degrees Fahrenheit. This scorching temperature is record-breaking, but it likely to become more common as global temperatures rise alongside the massive and constant use of fossil fuels.
More Extreme Weather Patterns
Not only do warmer global temperatures increase the heat index year round, causing more wildfires and a reduction in healthy crops, they also change weather patterns around Earth.
Warmer ocean waters with increased levels from melting glaciers increase the severity and frequency of weather events like tsunamis and hurricanes. In the next year, the Gulf of Mexico is going to experience some of the most violent storms ever seen.
Relying on Clean Energy Is Possible
The fact that California has achieved 100 days in a row of complete reliance on clean energy shows that the goal is possible.
Other countries have already moved entirely away from fossil fuels to feed the energy grid. In Canada, 60% of its total energy needs are met by hydro sources created by its many damaged rivers.
US Residents Are Doubtful
The Pew Research Center found that residents in the United States are still extremely divided on whether they are ready to embrace sources like wind, water, geothermal heat, and the sun.
The study found that a large share of the U.S. thinks that the country should never quit using fossil fuel resources. Despite these views, the Biden administration has passed several acts to get more electric cars on the road and move away from a heavy reliance on oil and gas.
Oil and Gas is Finite
The importance of moving towards renewable energy sources now lies on the fact that one day, fossil fuels will simply run out. The reserves deep in the Earth were caused by millions of years of decaying matter.
The finite resource has no way of being replicated once it’s completely burned off.
Will Fossil Fuels Run Out?
Experts at Stanford University suspect that oil will likely run out by the year 2052 followed by gasoline in 2060.
The numbers are estimated on the current rate of consumption of views compared with the remaining sources left on Earth. Unfortunately, it appears that every year, people consume an increasing amount of energy, despite new resources being used.
World Energy Demands Are Increasing
In 2018, global oil demand grew by 1.3%. Currently, the global population is growing while new industries suck up resources at record rates.
New technologies are one of the biggest culprits for guzzling resources. Things like AI tools and programs take massive amounts of energy along with clean water to cool down complicated warehouses filled with servers.
Electricity Bills Can Be Lower
Despite America’s tight grip on the use of fossil fuels, many people might change their minds when they discover that clean energy can actually lower their monthly energy bills.
A big push from oil and gas companies is put into propaganda and media campaigns telling people that clean energy will destroy jobs, the planet, and their bills.
Total Reliance on Energy Use Was Deemed Impossible
Now that California has accomplished the feat of using renewable energy to completely fuel the energy grid for more than 100 days, the next goal will be much bigger.
In the future, the goals will likely shift to using clean energy for hours or days at a time.
