As Trump embraces dirty fossil fuels, California hits major clean energy milestone, invests over $100 million more in proven technologies

The pace of clean energy development in California has never been faster. New solar and battery storage projects are coming online in record numbers as utilities, energy providers, and developers take advantage of the low cost of clean energy that is reducing both local air pollution and climate pollution. In fact, California’s power sector continues to be the state’s leading economic sector in decarbonizing. 

The economics are undeniable: clean energy is now the lowest-cost option for new power generation. According to Lazard’s latest LCOE+ analysis, solar and wind projects are consistently the cheapest new builds—more cost effective even than the cost to run modern gas plants.  With free sunlight and no fuel cost, renewables are not just green — they’re the smarter, more efficient economic bet. Globally, solar photovoltaic (PV) dominated new capacity additions in 2024, accounting for roughly 72% of all new installations. In the U.S., solar made up about two-thirds of all new electric capacity added last year.

The 30,000 megawatt milestone, based on data from the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), includes clean energy and storage capacity additions from January 2019 through August 2025. About 9% of the new capacity comes from clean projects outside California that deliver power into the state.

“This milestone is proof that California’s clean energy transformation can’t be slowed or derailed,” said CEC Chair David Hochschild. “Clean power is the backbone of our economy and the heartbeat of a reliable, resilient grid. We are the model for the world to follow.”

California has an additional 21,000 MW of new clean energy resources contracted and in development by the end of 2029 in response to clean energy procurement orders issued by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). 

“California is not just planning for a clean energy future; we’re building it right now,” said CPUC President Alice Reynolds. “The bold actions the state has taken prove that reliability and sustainability can go hand in hand. We’re setting a global standard for what a modern, electrified economy looks like.”

Investing over $100 million more in the state’s clean energy future

At its business meeting on Wednesday, the CEC committed to continuing this forward momentum, approving $136 million in new clean energy and climate technology investments, including:

Expanding EV charging access – Nearly $19 million in grants will support thousands of new and upgraded electric vehicle chargers statewide. Projects include installations at low-income and affordable multifamily housing through Brighton Energy ($3 million), DynaChrg ($4 million), and Moon Five Technologies ($3.4 million); new public fast chargers along major travel corridors ($4.6 million); and reliability upgrades and replacements of existing chargers under the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator program ($4.2 million).

Advancing clean energy innovation and reliability – Investments totaling more than $117 million will expand battery storage and next-generation clean energy technologies. Projects include a 75-megawatt battery system at the Athos Renewable Energy facility in Riverside County ($25 million), a $4 million direct air capture pilot by AirMyne in Stockton, and a $3.1 million project at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to create software that can turn college campuses into virtual power plants. In addition, $35 million was approved for a dozen projects that invest in research and development for new clean energy technologies that will help bring down energy costs. And $42 million was approved for port upgrades to support offshore wind.

These investments will enhance grid reliability, maintain affordable energy, and further reduce greenhouse gas emissions statewide. Additional investments include:

Getting customers connected to the grid – Recently, the CPUC authorized PG&E to spend up to $2.8 billion between 2025 and the end of 2026 to invest in infrastructure to get new customers such as housing and electric vehicle charging connected to the grid faster. These investments are driving the electrification of our economy to decarbonize the building and transportation sectors.

Transmission planning at least cost to ratepayers – In 2025 the CPUC adopted a planning portfolio to bring online over 60 GW of new clean energy generation and storage resources to cost effectively achieve a 25 million metric ton GHG emissions level by 2035, while maintaining system reliability at the lowest cost to ratepayers. This is expected to reduce GHG emissions by over 45 percent by 2035.

California’s climate leadership

Pollution is down and the economy is up. Greenhouse gas emissions in California are down 20% since 2000 – even as the state’s GDP increased 78% in that same time period all while becoming the world’s fourth largest economy. 

The state also continues to set clean energy records. California was powered by two-thirds clean energy in 2023, the latest year for which data is available – the largest economy in the world to achieve this level of clean energy. The state has run on 100% clean electricity for some part of the day almost every day this year.

Since the beginning of the Newsom Administration, battery storage is up to over 15,000 megawatts – a 1,900%+ increase, and over 25,000 megawatts of new resources have been added to the electric grid.