Borrego Sun - Since 1949

Thanks to this week's triple-digit heat wave, California has hit a new Solar generation record.

According to figures from California's Independent Solar Operators Corporation (ISO) which operates most of the state's grid, 8,030 megawatts of large-scale Solar power was generated at 1:06 p.m. on July 12. This figure nearly doubles the amount of Solar energy produced in mid-2014 and nearly 2,000 megawatts higher than in May 2015.

"This Solar production record demonstrates that California is making significant strides forward in connecting low carbon resources to the grid in meeting the state's goal of reaching 33 percent renewables by 2020," ISO President and CEO Steve Berberich said. "California continues to lead the nation in adding clean resources to the system and writing a playbook for operating a low carbon grid."

The ISO noted that at peak electricity demand, almost 29 percent of electricity needs were met by the state's vast renewable energy portfolio that includes Solar, wind, geothermal, biofuels, small hydro-electricity and energy storage.