33% Renewable Energy Now the Law in California  

Greentech media reports that California has set a new standard for renewable energy use in the state - 33% RPS Now the Law in California.

This afternoon, the 33 percent Renewable Portfolio Standard became law in California. Governor Jerry Brown conducted a formal signing ceremony at the SunPower production facility at Flextronics in Milpitas, California to make it official. ...

I spoke with Dan Adler, the President of CalCEF, the California Clean Energy Fund, about the milestone. Adler is uniquely qualified to discuss the matter, as he wrote the implementation rules for the last RPS while at the CPUC.

The bill Adler worked on originally called for 20 percent by 2017, but the California Public Utility Commission and other regulatory bodies accelerated those goals to be met by 2010. In fact, California’s three investor-owned utilities (IOUs) achieved 18 percent of 2010 retail electricity sales with renewable power.

"We are on track to hit our 20 percent target next year, despite widespread skepticism at the outset of the RPS, and the renewable energy industry continues to show dramatic growth potential," said Adler, adding, "We will soon be talking about the next goal -- 40 percent, 50 percent and beyond, bringing in the transport sector and improving efficiencies across the board -- and we can hit those targets, too."

The governor seems to agree with Adler. Earlier in the week, he told reporters, "I believe we can get to 40 percent, and I think we should."