Solar production in California hit a new record this week. The California Independent System Operator says that 8,030 megawatts of solar energy was produced on Tuesday. That's twice the amount produced in 2014 and nearly 2,000 megawatts more than in May of last year.
Steven Greenlee with CAL ISO says there are two reasons behind the record.
"It is both new projects coming online and it's also July, summertime, and we're getting longer days and a lot of good sun, and so the combination of the two means that we have higher output," says Greenlee.
The amount of solar energy produced was enough to provide electricity to approximately 8 million homes.
Solar and wind combined with other renewables provided nearly 29 percent of all of the system's needs during the peak hours on Tuesday.
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.