You Go California!

I am very happy to read Governor Jerry Brown's ambitious goals for increasing renewable energy production in California.  According to his clean energy site Brown wants to add 20,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy (1/3 of the state's current peak demand) by 2020.  This will include 12,000 MW of localized PV and 8,000 MW from large scale projects. 

He is also looking for ways to finance improvements in building energy efficiency, an area where California has led the nation since Brown was governor in the 1970s.  Brown's site explains that, at that time California established standards that have enabled the state to maintain zero increase in electricity consumption, "even while the state's ecomomy grew by 80%."  The site continues, "During that same time period, the United States' per capita electricity consumption has increased 50%.  These standards have saved California more than $56 billion in electricity and natural gas costs since 1978, equivalent to more than $1,000 per household.  Savings from energy efficiency also have a multiplier effect that creates far more jobs than comparable investments in fossil fuels or other energy sources."

If we can make Brown's 2020 goal of 33% renewables in the next 10 years, there's no reason why we can't go all the way to 100% in the next 10 years (or 20 at most).  Brown contends that "California has the ability to produce at least 1.3 million megawatts of renewable energy – roughly 22 times our current electricity capacity."  

Brown also contends that his plan will create close to half a million jobs.

Now if the other states would just get with it!