California's Renewables Portfolio Standard: Slashing Pollution, Creating Jobs

California’s ambitious Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) requires that by 2020 at least 33 percent of all electricity flowing into our homes and offices be sourced from renewable energy. The standard is propelling clean renewable energy development, slashing pollution, and spurring economic growth throughout the state. As California’s primary tool in driving utility-scale renewable energy development, the RPS has played a significant role in decarbonizing California’s electric grid and reducing harmful carbon emissions. In January 2015, Governor Jerry Brown proposed increasing the state’s renewable energy goal from 33 percent to 50 percent by 2030. Achieving the governor’s goal is a critical piece of the state’s long-term strategy to reduce climate-changing pollution and will help ensure California’s clean energy success story continues.