WHAT TO KNOW: Governor Gavin Newsom has accelerated growth of the state’s clean electric grid since taking office, and this 5,600 MW of storage capacity – up from only 500 MW in 2020 – represents enough power for 4.2 million homes. This comes as Governor Newsom signed the new infrastructure streamlining package to build more clean energy faster.
SACRAMENTO – The California Independent System Operator (ISO) announced that the grid has reached 5,600 megawatts (MW) of battery storage capacity online and fully integrated, a major milestone towards the state’s 100% clean electric goal and overall ability to meet consumers’ needs.
With one megawatt of electricity providing roughly enough power to meet the demand of 750 homes, 5,600 MW of battery capacity can provide enough electricity to power 4.2 million homes for up to four hours before the batteries need to be recharged.
This announcement comes as Governor Newsom signed the infrastructure streamlining package to build more clean energy projects faster.
This development also follows the Governor’s updated Building the Electricity Grid of the Future: California’s Clean Energy Transition Plan for how California will reach our goal of 100% clean electricity by 2045 while keeping costs affordable and maximizing our energy supply through this transition:
- California will have to build 148,000 MW of new clean power by 2045.
- We’ve already built out 35,000 MW of clean electricity capacity for the grid, the equivalent of 35 million homes’ average usage.
- The latest data from the California Energy Commission shows that in 2021, 59% of the state’s energy came from renewable and zero-carbon resources.
Governor Newsom, in partnership with the Legislature, has committed $8 billion over the past two years to build out the clean electric grid, maintain reliability, help make rates more affordable, and more.
Click here for more information from the California ISO on this important development.
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