California utilities must purchase 1/3 of electricity from renewable sources within 10 years

California lawmakers have approved a bill that would create the most ambitious renewable energy standards in the United States, giving utilities less than 10 years to receive one-third (1/3) of their power from wind, solar and other renewable sources. California is a leader in enacting progressive renewable energy legislation in North America and it is anticipated that other leading Canadian jurisdictions, such as Ontario and British Columbia, will consider similar standards in the future.

It is highly unlikely California can construct sufficient generation to come close to meeting demand and it is widely expected this new standard and those states and provinces that follow suit will drive renewable energy development throughout the Western half of North America in the coming years.

The State of California already purchases considerable renewable energy from hydro sources in British Columbia and demand is expected to continue to increase quickly. Progressive developers and utilities in California are now turning their attention to the vast and largely untapped wind resources of the prairies of Western Canada and the mid-western United States to help fill this demand in the future.