California has a decade to reach its self-mandated goal of slashing greenhouse gas emissions to 40% of 1990 levels.
One independent analysis found the state is falling behind — in part, because emissions from the transportation sector have soared to record highs.
But energy experts see hope in an eye-popping decline in the cost of renewable energy. In the last decade, onshore and offshore wind prices fell by about 57% and utility-scale solar by 86%. Those numbers are good news for California, near the top of the nation in both.
Perhaps the best news is in the decline in the cost of battery energy storage. Based on data compiled by Climate Central in a new solutions brief, it’s $186 per megawatt-hour, a 76% drop since 2012.