Friday, February 7, 2014

Stunning Fact: California Drought Slashes Hydropower & Causes 34% Rise In Natural Gas

The California drought impacts substantially how the Golden State powers itself.

In 2011, California got 21.3% of its electricity from hydro. With drought slashing river flows, hydro now generates 13.8% of its power. Ouch!
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/01/droughts-worrisome-for-california-hydroelectric-power-operators.

Falling hydro production must be replaced by something else. And natural gas generation has provided the replacement.

The fall in hydro production causes a sharp rise in natural gas generation that has shot up from 45% to 61% of California's total electricity.  In other words, the share of its electricity that comes from gas has increased 34%, as a result of the drought.

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