Sunny California has become the first state to generate more than 5 percent of its electricity from solar power, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The state beat out the entire rest of the country combined in its production of large-scale solar energy in 2014, generating a total of 9.9 million megawatt hours, the EIA reported on Tuesday. The report only takes into account “utility-scale” energy production, and doesn’t include things like solar panels on peoples’ roofs. The increase comes as California deals with a 46 percent decline compared to the previous average in hydroelectric power generation –- a result of the prolonged drought that has dried up water supplies in the state. By law, California utilities are required to obtain at least one-third of their power from renewable sources by the end of the decade, and Governor Jerry Brown has proposed upping that goal to 50 percent of the state’s energy supply by 2030.
IN-DEPTH
- Apple to Build $850 Million Solar Energy Farm in California
- California Solar Plant Incinerating Birds in Mid-Air
- Drought Could Force 12 Million Salmon to Take Road Trip
--- NBC News Staff
