Helpful and Handy: Introducing the California Clean Energy Almanac

At the California Energy Commission, we’re nothing if not misers on energy use.

The energy efficiency standards we’ve adopted for buildings and appliances over the past 45 years have saved Californians billions of dollars. This nationally recognized leadership has helped keep the state’s per capita electricity use relatively flat during that time so that today California residents use 31% less energy than the average Americans.

Now, the CEC, which is the state’s primary energy policy and planning agency, can boast about another kind of energy savings. Our 2020 California Clean Energy Almanac makes it easy to find key facts and figures.

We’ve completely transformed a series of regular reports from detailed compendiums to a handy reference of easy-to-read graphics and factoids about California energy.

Here’s a sampling:

• • The state’s appliance and building energy efficiency standards have resulted in $100 billion in consumer savings over the past 40 years.  

• • The electricity sector is leading the state’s greenhouse gas reductions — emissions from power generation have dropped 43 percent since 1990.

• • California arrived three years early in meeting its 2020 goal of having 33 percent of its electricity coming from solar, wind, and other renewable sources.

• • Twenty-two energy innovation startups that received CEC’s Electric Program Investment Charge Program grants tripled their total private investment.

• • About 65 percent of CEC-funded demonstration projects are in low-income or disadvantaged communities, more than double the required proportion.

CEC Chair David Hochschild said the makeover helps to tell the story of California’s commitment to energy efficiency and progress toward 100 percent clean energy.

“It shows statistics and examples of how far we’ve come — and need to go — on the road toward a more resilient, affordable, equitable, and environmentally sustainable energy system,” Hochschild said in the almanac’s introduction. “Transforming California’s energy requires accurate and timely information for decision-makers, consumers and businesses.”

The statistical milestones and examples cover nine areas:  

• •Greenhouse gas emissions reductions  

• • Energy equity  

•  • Innovation  

• • Efficiency

• • Impacts of Covid-19  

• • Clean transportation

•  • Investments in clean energy  

• • Energy storage  

• • Renewable energy

The 2020 Almanac is designed for energy buffs and novices alike. But if you want to drill deeper, the CEC offers detailed analysis on energy markets, power plants, transportation energy, and electricity data — all on the Energy Almanac webpage.

The CEC is the data depository for all things energy-related. Thanks to the new 2020 Almanac, you can conserve time and energy because all the gems are easy to find and explore!