Color Scheme
Subscriber Actions
Staff Options
Connect With Us
Support Local Journalism
California hit a major milestone in May, generating more than half its electricity from the sun in what is believed to be a global first, according to a new analysis from the U.K.-based energy think tank Ember.
“California has had a wealth of solar growth in the last five years,” said Abby Lestina, an analyst at Grid Status, another group that tracks electricity supply and demand in U.S. power markets. “It makes sense that they would reach this goal.”
It’s the first time a large-scale power system is known to have surpassed 50% solar for an entire month and the second significant power record set by the state recently. For the first five months of 2026, California made more electricity from solar than from natural gas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Burning natural gas has long been the dominant source of electricity in the state. This could be the first year that solar beats gas in California’s power mix.
A big part of the story is the boom in new battery storage around the state, which allows it to save solar power when it’s overabundant and use it when the sun goes down.
“Battery storage has transformed California’s power system,” Ember analyst Nicolas Fulghum wrote. “Batteries now shift huge amounts of solar power from midday into the evening peak, which is what allows this level of solar penetration in the system.”
Ember, which promotes renewable energy, takes its data from the EIA’s monthly power reports. Its electricity tracker includes only the energy that is produced in state, not imports from Arizona, for example. Solar generation includes utility-scale solar and rooftop.
California was able to pass 50% solar generation in May specifically because it’s usually neither cold nor hot, meaning there’s lower demand, which allows solar to meet more of the energy needs, according to the analysis.
The massive SunZia wind project in New Mexico also started sending electricity to California in April, reducing the need to burn natural gas for electricity at night. The imports increased solar’s share in the mix that Ember tracks, Fulghum wrote.
People in California are using more natural gas this month, which is common as summer temperatures peak.
“Natural gas is the grid operator’s generation that will step in when demand starts to rise,” Lestina said. “You see a big jump in natural gas as a percentage of the fuel mix this year starting on July 12, which is when temperatures started to pick up in the West.”
On the whole, however, California is making more clean electricity, and the amount made from natural gas, which generates air pollution and heats up the climate, has been declining over the last few years. Under legislation signed in 2018, all of California’s electricity is to come from clean sources by 2045.
Local journalism is essential.
Give directly to The Spokesman-Review’s Northwest Passages community forums series — which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper — by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.
Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.
Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens.
March is an anticipated month for basketball fans with the arrival of the NCAA Tournament.
Follow Us
Support Local Journalism
Subscribe
Help
User
Advertising
More
Contact Us
© Copyright 2026, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy

source