California needs 10 GW of solar deployment in five years, 57.5 GW new of solar added by 2045
For context, the state has about 43 GW installed cumulatively to date, according to SEIA. The state’s new 2035 electricity emissions goals include 19 GW of new solar power, 20.6 GW of new wind and 15.7 GW of new battery power.
The California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) has set a target to reduce emissions to 25 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMT) emissions by 2035, as outlined in the CPUC’s recent document on the 2023 Preferred System Plan and related matters.
This target will guide utilities in choosing electricity sources, with projections for solar power capacity reaching a potential 76.9 GW in a “low gas” scenario by 2035.
The default future projection, known as the 25 MMT Core Case, projects a need for 3 GWac of utility scale solar deployed in 2024, growing to almost 10 GW in 2028, before nearly doubling to 17.9 GW by 2033 and ultimately reaching 57.5 GW in 2045.
