Renewables on the Rise 2024 dashboard: California leads nationally in battery storage capacity, electric vehicle adoption and more

Interactive dashboard allows users to explore clean energy growth in California and nation over the past decade

LOS ANGELES – California ranks number one in the nation for growth in battery storage capacity over the last decade, according to the online Renewables on the Rise 2024 dashboard released on Wednesday by Environment California Research & Policy Center. 

This analysis comes as batteries increasingly power the state with clean energy when the sun goes down, helping to ensure a resilient energy system less prone to blackouts when temperatures rise and energy demand peaks. Thanks in part to the ability to store solar energy for later using batteries, renewable sources have met 100% of the state’s electricity demand for at least a few minutes on 100 days and counting this year.

“California isn’t just setting ambitious climate and clean energy goals, we’re making real progress on deploying crucial clean energy solutions and defining what’s possible in the transition away from polluting, dangerous fossil fuels,” said Environment California Research & Policy Center’s Clean Energy Advocate Steven King. “It’s imperative that California continues to set the pace in the race toward 100% clean and renewable energy.”

California has seen a 992-fold increase in battery storage capacity between 2014 and 2023. As of 2023, the equivalent of 40% of California’s retail electricity sales were generated by renewable solar, wind and geothermal power.  

Beyond top-ranking growth of battery storage capacity, California still leads the nation in the number of registered electric vehicles and public electric vehicle charging ports. The state has seen a 19-fold increase in electric vehicle registrations from 2014 to 2023, and a sevenfold increase in EV charging ports during the same time period. Strong supportive policies at the local and state levels, combined with improving technologies and falling prices, have played a key role in driving adoption of clean energy technologies, according to the report. One such policy driving progress is the City of Los Angeles’ LA100 plan to reach 100% clean energy by 2035.

“When the Council adopted the LA100 plan, we didn’t just set a goal. We created a detailed and comprehensive blueprint to achieve it cost-effectively, with specific interim goals and investments,” said Los Angeles City Council President Emeritus Paul Krekorian, author of the original motion calling for creation of a comprehensive plan for 100 percent clean energy.  “Moving the largest municipally owned utility in the nation to 100 percent clean energy provides a national model, at scale. Los Angeles has shown the way — the country needs to follow.”

In addition to highlighting states that have made the most progress in adopting renewable energy technologies, the research also details the rapid gains achieved nationally over the past decade. According to the report, America produced more than three times as much renewable electricity from the sun and the wind in 2023 as in 2014. 

The Renewables on the Rise 2024 dashboard documents the growth of six key clean energy technologies across the United States over the past decade: solar power, wind power, battery storage, energy efficiency, electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations. 

“Millions of Americans and Californians are already reaping the benefits of the dramatic clean energy progress we’ve made so far,” King said. “With federal tax credits turbocharging clean energy adoption, now is the time for our state to lean in on policies that transform the vision of 100% clean and renewable energy for California into a reality. State leaders can keep us on track by encouraging more solar panel and battery installations, going big on offshore wind and making sure big energy users cut waste and embrace efficiency.”