The Green Future Arrives In California As Utilities Hit 20% Renewable Energy Target

Source: Forbes

While national renewable energy policies – or the lack there of – remain mired in Congressional election-year politics, the great green future has already arrived in California.

On Tuesday, state regulators announced that California’s three big investor-owned utilities – Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison – had reached a mandated target – called the renewable portfolio standard, or RPS, to obtain at least 20% of the electricity they sell from renewable sources.

In 2011, the three utilities collectively secured 20.6% of the electricity sold to retail customers from solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable power generation. Southern California led the field with 21.1% of sales coming from renewables, followed by SDG&G at 20.8% and PG&E at 20.1%.

In fact, “2011 showed the greatest year-to-year increase in the capacity of renewable generation achieving commercial operation since the beginning of the program, and 2012 is already on track to far surpass 2011,” stated the California Public Utilities Commission in a report released Tuesday.

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Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddwoody/2012/08/01/the-green-future-arrives-in-california-as-utilities-hit-20-renewable-energy-target/

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