The California Independent System Operator (ISO) maintains reliability and accessibility to one of the largest and most modern power grids in the world. Everyday it reports on the production of renewable energy in the Golden State as it strives to meets its target of 33 percent of electricity from renewable sources by the end of 2020.
On Christmas Day, as Californian families sat down for a turkey, candied ham or tamales, renewable energy provided about 2,000 MWe, of a total of about 26,000 MWe load, at six o'clock in the early evening.
The sun had set and it was not a windy day in the west. However, geothermal power provided a steady baseload supply of 928 MWe.
Furthermore, geothermal power delivered the most electricity on Christmas Day, 21,354 MWh, over 40 percent of the total for renewables that day. Geothermal helped bring Christmas to California!
