It Starts With Electricity
All of our homes use electricity for illumination and to run our mechanical and electrical devices. About 16% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions come from electricity generation. When natural gas, a fossil fuel, is burned to generate electricity, it releases carbon dioxide.
Renewables (solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, biomass and biogas) and nuclear do not burn fossil fuels to generate electricity and do not add more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
California leads the country in rooftop solar and in utility scale solar generation. California also uses wind and hydropower, geothermal, biomass and biogas to generate electricity. Our California electricity generation is not 100% fossil fuel free, so it is not carbon neutral. But it is close and getting better every day. In 2022, The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) adopted a 2032 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target, requiring the development of 86% greenhouse gas-free resources by 2032.
Sometimes, on sunny days, solar generation is greater than the demand on the grid!
The California Independent Systems Operator (CAISO) manages the flow of electricity on the grid. The demand for electricity is met by CAISO minute by minute. CAISO purchases the least expensive electricity available at that moment. Click here to see the electricity generation and use on the California grid right now.
During times of peak usage (when everyone is getting home from work or when there is extreme weather), CAISO is forced to purchase electricity from more expensive and carbon intensive sources like natural gas. When we work with the grid during peaks by reducing our use, we help the state avoid burning fossil fuels.
In Marin County we have a choice. We determine the source of our electricity generation, thanks to Marin Clean Energy. We can opt for 100% carbon-free electricity.
