California Renewable Electricity Standard
What is California’s Renewables Portfolio Standard?
- On April 12, 2011, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a new renewable electricity standard (SBX1 2) into law. The new standard will require all utilities in the state to obtain at least 33 percent of their electricity from clean, renewable sources, such as wind or solar power, by 2020.
How Will a 33 Percent Renewables Portfolio Standard Benefit Californians?
- A stronger RPS will create jobs, diversify the state’s energy supply, and help protect consumers from natural gas price volatility.
- Increasing renewable energy improves air quality by reducing fossil fuel generation.
- Roughly 22 percent of our state’s global warming emissions result from electricity used in California. A 33 percent RPS will help meet our goals under AB 32 by displacing nearly 13 million metric tons of heat-trapping emission global warming pollution in 2020—the equivalent to removing almost three million cars from the road.¹
How Does the Renewables Portfolio Standard Create New Jobs?
- The RPS will stimulate clean technology investment and innovation and increase the number of clean energy jobs by providing market certainty for developers, investors and planners of renewables projects and transmission.
- In total, a 33 percent RPS could generate over 500,000 new green collar jobs in the next several decades.²
1. California Public Utilities Commission Final Opinion on Greenhouse Gas Regulatory Strategies, October 16, 2008, p.39
2. Roland-Holst, Energy Pathways for the California Economy, Next 10, June 2009
