Running things on 100% renewable energy is an admirable goal, but is it achievable?
It's happened on small scales, as with Lego, for example, but what about a large, diverse, populous area with significant demands? California has proven that it is indeed possible, after satisfying 100% of its energy demands with renewable energy.
It's an encouraging sign of things to come.
While the news doesn't mean that California will always be able to meet energy demands using solely renewable energy, it's a big step towards a future that relies less on fossil fuels.
California has been a trendsetter when it comes to renewable energy, but there's a vast difference between meeting some of the demand and all of the demand solely using renewable energy.
Dan Jacobson, senior adviser to Environment California, proudly announced the news.
The next day, Environment California crunched the numbers and found that, due to power reserves and other resource needs, the state didn't quite meet the threshold for 100% renewable energy. But even after the adjustment, the state came very close.
Countering the jubilant news, some on Twitter replied with negativity. Complaining that the state's unprecedented milestone didn't last forever is kind of like looking at the moon landing and complaining that we haven't reached other solar systems yet.
This Twitter user correctly pointed out that a step in the right direction is just that: a step in the right direction. If California can run under renewables under ideal circumstances, it also bodes well for less-than-ideal circumstances.
The Golden State gets plenty of sunshine, which helps feed the state's numerous solar farms. An initiative by Environment California to install one million solar rooftops throughout the state was recently reached, and more are being installed every week.
Solar energy is renewable, but panels require a lot of space. In some parts of California, vast solar farms dominate the landscape, leading to ecological concerns about the flora and fauna that live there.
The state may not be able to run on renewable energy at all times. Regardless, the milestone is big news.
"California has shown that, for one brief and shining moment, we could do it!" said Laura Deehan of Environment California. "It's time to move to 100 percent clean energy, 100 percent of the time."
