When the Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) program was just beginning 20 years ago, renewable resources made up a small portion of the electricity consumed by Californians. The most recent data show that in 2022, over 39 percent of California’s retail electricity sales was served by RPS-certified renewables. Together with large hydroelectric and nuclear power, 61 percent of California’s retail electricity sales come from zero-carbon, clean generation. California is well on its way to achieving some of the most ambitious clean energy goals in the nation. Senate Bill 100 (2018) set a renewable goal of 60 percent renewables by 2030 and a longer-term goal of serving 100 percent of California’s retail sales and state loads with RPS-certified renewable and zero-carbon energy by 2045. More recent legislation set new interim goals of 90% by 2035 and 95% for 2040.
