While skeptics once doubted California’s ambitious clean energy goals, the Golden State has shattered expectations in 2025. The numbers don’t lie. A record-breaking 52.3% of renewables in 2024, and fossil fuel generation plummeted to a pathetic 36.3%. Not bad for a state everyone said couldn’t possibly run on sunshine.
The solar takeover is real. By April 2025, solar officially dethroned natural gas as California’s top electricity source, generating 83.1 TWh compared to natural gas’s 81.6 TWh over 12 months. That’s 33.9% of total generation. Solar’s dominance isn’t stopping anytime soon with 23.8 GW already operating and another 20.6 GW in the pipeline as of October 2025.
Solar now reigns supreme in California, outshining natural gas and proving clean energy skeptics wrong.
Batteries are having their moment too. A whopping 5,743 MW of energy storage was added in 2024 alone—a 69% jump from the previous year. The battery fleet now exceeds 15,000 MW, up an absurd 1,944% since 2019. These batteries are essential for shifting excess daytime solar to evening hours. Without them, we’d be wasting a lot more clean energy. These advancements in energy storage technology are crucial for addressing the intermittency issues typical of renewable energy sources.
California hit two-thirds clean energy for the first time in 2025. Even more impressive, the state managed 100% clean energy for part of the day during the first 217 days of 2025—averaging 7 hours daily of fossil-free electricity. This achievement continues the state’s progress toward its 100% carbon-free goal by 2045. Take that, climate deniers.
Challenges remain, of course. Curtailment is a real problem, with 2.5 million MWh wasted by May 2025. In March alone, 17.8% of solar output was curtailed. Utility rates are a mixed bag too. PG&E customers will see rates fall 5.7% in January 2026, while SDG&E customers face a 10% hike.
The state’s ambitious goals require doubling energy generation capacity by 2045 to hit 100% clean. This economic transformation has proven remarkably beneficial, as California’s GDP has grown by 78% since 2000 while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20%. But with coal finally dead as of November 2025, California’s clean energy revolution seems unstoppable.
References
- https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/electric-power/121625-california-got-a-record-523-of-power-from-renewables-in-2024-report
- https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/07/14/in-historic-first-california-powered-by-two-thirds-clean-energy-becoming-largest-economy-in-the-world-to-achieve-milestone/
- https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/07/09/solar-becomes-top-source-of-electricity-in-california/
- https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/research/2025/11/rapid-solar-build-continues-to-cloud-sunny-economics-in-california
- https://greeninnovationindex.org/2023-edition/key-findings/
- https://www.energycentral.com/energy-biz/post/california-ious-january-1-2026-rate-filings-different-headlines-same-ZtatkYlFvVDRRSq
- https://calmatters.org/environment/climate-change/2024/08/california-clean-power-progress-grid/
- https://www.ppic.org/publication/californians-and-the-energy-transition/
