Renewable energy in California

San Bernardino, California became the first western region state to receive a hydroelectric plant in 1887.[13] San Bernardino also received a voltage increase of 10,000 in 1892, from a 42-mile line extension that originated from a single phase 120 kilowatt (kW) plant built in San Antonio Creek, California. While this is occurring in California, in the same year, Edison General Electric and Thomas Houston combine to form General Electric. An ore mill owned by Standard Consolidated Mining, began receiving electricity from a 12.5 mile 2,500 AC power line that originated in Bodie, California.[14]

With the first three-phase hydroelectric system being built in Germany back in 1891, the U.S. gets its first three phase system in 1893 in Mill Creek, California: featuring a line connection that extended 8 miles and carried 2,400 volts of electricity. Folsom, California received the same type of system in 1893 as well, except it had 11,000 volt alternators put in place, and its power line extended all the way to the state capitol, Sacramento.[14]

The acquisition of Colgate hydroelectric plants in 1899 by Sacramento Power & Light Corporation gives them ownership of a 62 mile long power line extension.[14]

In 1901, Bay Counties Power Company builds a 142 mile long power line from the Colgate hydroelectric plant, to Oakland, California.[14]

In the 1902 Reclamation act, the authority to install and input hydroelectric facilities was given to what would later become the Bureau of Reclamation.[14]

In 1920, the Federal Power Commission is created through the Federal Power Act with the authority to give licenses for companies to build hydroelectric facilities. Two years later in 1922, the first hydroelectric plant is built to meet peaking power capacity.[14]

In 1944, Shasta Dam begins producing electricity for the first time in California.[14]

The late 1960s and the 1970s ushered in an era of protection policies from the federal government. The first was the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which stopped any attempt to build hydroelectric facilities on or near rivers. The National Environment Policy Act followed the year after in 1969; and it enforced the idea of protecting the environment amongst the many federal agencies. Then came the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act in 1974, protecting species of fish and wildlife from the activities of the federal government. Four years later, the year 1978 brought about the Public Utility Regulatory Policies act, which allowed utility companies to go without federal licensing for hydroelectric projects.[14]

By 2008, the United States gets 6 percent of its electric power from hydroelectric production.[14]

Electricity generated from sunlight via silicon solar cells was the invention produced by Bell Laboratories D.M. Chapin, C.S. Fuller and G.L. Pearson in 1954. In 1978, the U.S. Congress passed The Energy Tax Act. This was to counter the Arab Oil Embargo which generated an energy crisis in the U.S. during the 1970s. A 40% tax credit was given to homes that installed solar devices on their homes on or after April 20, 1977 and before January 1, 1986. Even though this policy was rolled back by the Reagan administration, this led to the rise in utility-scale solar systems and turbines in California.[19]

The world's largest photovoltaic cell manufacturing facility was built in Camarillo, California by ARCO in 1979. Within a four-year period, ARCO built a facility in the Californian Carrissa Plain, capable of generating 6 megawatts of photovoltaic cells. Later expanded to two megawatts, a 1.0 megawatt photovoltaic power plant was built in the Sacramento Municipality Utility District in 1984. Two years later in 1986, featured in California's Mojave Desert was the largest solar thermal electricity facility. Currently, this same facility generates 300 megawatts of solar thermal energy.[19]

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) built a 500-kilowatt grid-supporting photovoltaic system in Kerman, California. Being 1993, it was the first of its kind "distributed power" PV installment. In 1996, solar two illustrated how the storing of energy with efficiency could allow power and electricity to be generated even at night. This is why the U.S. Department of Energy and an industry consortium upgraded from solar-one, to solar-two.[19]

Also in 1996, the state legislature and Governor Pete Wilson put in place Assembly Bill 1890: which boosted incentives to produce more grid-based PV systems under the direction of the California Energy Commission's Renewable Energy Program, while at the same time weakening state investor-owned electric utilities. Senate Bill 90, which supported the provisions of Assembly Bill 1890, focused the resources of the Energy Commission to renewable energy. Uplifting a self-sustaining market for "emerging" renewable energy technologies was the objective in Senate Bill 90.[19]

The technology behind solar power generation varies, depending on the method being used to generate power. Photovoltaic (PV), concentrating solar power (CSP), and solar heating and cooling (SHC) systems are the three different solar technologies used to generate power.[20][21]

Photovoltaic cells convert sunlight into power directly. Observed on solar panels, photovoltaic is the more familiar method of technology in regards to solar power. They can be seen on the roofs of homes, in a field next to schools, behind stores, etc. Concentrating solar power (CSP) features massive areas of solar mirrors that indirectly generate power. They are more so used in large scale facilities and campuses like power plants.[20] Solar heating and cooling technology takes heat from the sun and provides for things like water heating, space heating, and more.[21]

Solar energy is produced in three different ways as mentioned above: via photovoltaic cells (PV), concentrating solar power (CSP), and solar heating and cooling (SHC).[21]

In the case of photovoltaic cells, electricity is generated via the absorption of sunlight. The sunlight is converted into electricity by a semi-conductor. The photons, after phasing through the semi-conductor, loses their electrons.[22]

Concentrating solar power (CSP) features turbines powered by huge areas of solar mirrors that in turn derive energy from the sun.[23]

Solar heating and cooling (SHC) systems can be installed into homes just like other basic installations. Solar water heating provides that a solar collector store heated water, which is warmed by thermal energy from the sun, in a storage tank. Hot or cold, this water can then be used for any residential purposes.[24]

In 1847, north of San Francisco, California, a streaming valley containing an area called "The Geysers." The area was discovered by William Bell Elliot. A member of John C. Fremonts's survey party, he believed he had found the gates of hell.[28][29]

In 1927, Imperial Valley, California featured the first exploratory wells. They were drilled by the Pioneer Development Company.[28][29] Thirty-three years later in 1927, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company began the operating the nation's first large-scale geothermal electricity-generating plant. Encompassing an 11 megawatts (MW) productivity of net power, it lasted for three decades.

Seal of the U.S. Department of Energy

1970 brought about the both the Geothermal Resources Council and The Geothermal Stream Act. The Geothermal Resources Council was to inspire the development of geothermal resources around the world. The Geothermal Stream Act, established in the U.S. that the Secretary of the Interior have the power to lease federal publicly owned lands to geothermal explorations. The rest of the 1970s saw a rise in geothermal organizations. One of those was The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which was established in 1977.[28][29] The Imperial Valley in California gets the first electrical development of a water-dominated geothermal resource in 1979.[29]

Producing 10 megawatts (MW), 1980 brings about the first geothermal flash plant, producing 10 megawatts (MW) in Brawley, California. It's developed by the Union Oil Company of California (UNOCAL).[28][29] In 2005, the Energy Policy act evolved America's policy by giving tax incentives for energy production. This made for a more competitive environment for geothermal energy with fossil fuels.[28][29]

Just like with solar energy, tax incentives from the Energy Tax Act (ETA) of 1978 led to a rise in wind based electrical systems in the state of California.[19]

In 1978, wind developers began large wind projects in both Altamont Pass and Tehachapi, California. Three years later in 1981, utilities were required to establish long-term possessions of alternative energy because of a boom in wind energy production, which was caused by the movements and changes made by the California Public Utility Commission. However, by 1985 the need for wind power retracts a little due to the drop in oil prices. So, California utility companies stop contracting deals that involved wind power because the incentive decayed a little.[36] Still, that did not stop the production of wind power in California. In fact, in that same year (1985), productivity was still active enough for a preference on the type of turbine installed by companies. The 56-100 kW machine became the most preferred wind turbine in the United States. Most if not all of those turbines resided in California by 1986, with Altamont Passencompassing 6,200 turbines, and California wind farms having a 1,200 megawatt (MW) total capacity.[36]

Technology that, lessens the amount of energy spent and cheapens the costs of turbines, is brought about by Kenetech in 1993.[37]

The 2005 Energy Policy Act, like it did the other types of renewable energy sources, effected the capacity to which the U.S. could produce electricity via the wind, by increasing it. By 2015, California is leading the way when it comes to renewable energy, and begins establishing more opportunities to expand the use of wind energy with a 50 percent renewable portfolio standards (RPS).[38]