Data Source: California Energy Commission.
Analysis by CEC Economics
Highlight
- In 2024, California imported 10,826 GWh of electricity from RPS-eligible renewables from the Northwest and 18,393 GWh from the Southwest regions. The share of Northwest imports that are from RPS-eligible renewables remained elevated at 68.5% in 2024 compared to 67.5% in 2023 and just 30.0% in 2022, while the share from the Southwest rose from 33.8% in 2023 to 39.7% in 2024.80 Imports of renewable energy from the Northwest rose slightly from 10,270 GWh in 2022 to 10,701 GWh in 2023. Imports supplied a quarter (25.4%) of California’s renewable energy, with 9.4% from the Northwest and 16.0% from the Southwest.
80 The Northwest category is made up of Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. The Southwest category includes Arizona, Baja California, Colorado, Mexico, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah.
Challenge
- Electricity imports from the Southwest are more carbon-intensive (higher GHG emissions per MWh imported) than in-state generation and Northwest imports. This is due to the Southwest having a larger portion of generation from coal and natural gas. Although the share of fossil fuels in Southwest imports has dropped from 47.7% in 2010 to 26.4% in 2023, it rose to 29.9% in 2024. Moreover, a large portion of California’s imports come from “unspecified sources,” which are not traceable to specific generating facilities.81 While unspecified sources were minimal in the Northwest, making up 0.5% of imports from that region in 2024, they made up 8.6% of imports from the Southwest region.
81 According to the California Energy Commission, unspecified sources of power are typically a mix of resource types and may include renewables. This category can also include spot market purchases, wholesale energy purchases, and purchases from pools of electricity where the original source of fuel can no longer be determined. Retrieved from: https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/california-electricity-data/2024-total-system-electric-generation
More About
Renewable Energy
Related Content