California shows sub-nationals how to boost off-grid energy capacity

For about an hour on April 30th, grid operators at the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), said it had enough electricity from solar, wind, geothermal and small hydropower dams to meet all of the demand and even server some neighbouring states, a development that highlight the kind of ambitions sub-nationals across Nigeria should aim for.

America’s sun-drenched state with high wind energy potential is ramping structures to become a titan in the burgeoning renewable energy space. Since 2005, installation of rooftop solar panels has tripled says a Reuters report.

Dan Jacobson, a senior advisor to non-profit environmental lobbying group Environment California, tweeted about the moment as it was happening on Saturday, sharing a screenshot of real-time CAISO data that showed the proportion of renewables serving electricity demand to be 101 percent.

“California busts past 100% on this historic day for clean energy!” he tweeted.
“Twenty years ago, no one thought we could get to 100% renewable energy. But bit by bit, bill by bill, and solar panel by solar panel we did it,” Jacobson wrote in a statement.

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A report from the IEA noted that 63percent of the state’s power came from carbon-free sources, including renewables, hydropower and nuclear in 2019.
“Springtime is an ideal time of year for renewable energy in California. The days are getting longer, so solar energy is on the rise. Wind power and hydropower from dams is humming along and mild temperatures mean air conditioners aren’t turned up, so electricity demand is still relatively low,” IEA noted.

The report noted that the state is rapidly building huge battery projects for renewable energy purpose, “so power generated during the day can be stored for use at sunset. But so far, it’s still a small fraction of what’s needed.”
“California is working to store extra renewable energy generated during the day so it’s available later in the evening. Large battery projects are popping up around the state and in the past two and half years alone, energy storage has grown 20-fold in California,” IEA said.

Nigeria’s renewable energy capacity increased marginally to 2154 MW in 2021 from 2150 MW in 2020, according to a new analysis by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) mapping renewable energy capacity in the previous year.
Hydropower, which accounted for 2,111 MW of Nigeria’s renewable energy capacity, provided the majority of the country’s renewable energy capacity, the report said.