This is a total joke. This kind of numbers are a drop in the bucket vs what's needed. US needs to install at least 10x as much simply to cover daily fluctuations in demand.
Glass is half full. We'll get back up to speed eventually. It is a marathon, not a sprint. California is the future of the rest of the US. If the world's fourth largest economy can do it, the rest will be easy.
We will go faster in this regard if we decommission coal and older fossil gas generators more rapidly, as the only quick, cheap generation option forward will be renewables and batteries (no new coal plants will be built, it takes a decade to build new nuclear, and fossil gas generator manufacturers have wait times for delivery measured in years). How those fossil generators are taken offline isn't terribly important, only that they are and in a manner ensuring they cannot come back online in the future. Batteries will only continue to decline in cost, and be deployed faster, into the future.
> California has built one of the largest battery storage fleets in the world. Battery storage capacity has grown from less than 700 megawatts (MW) at the beginning of 2019 to more than 21GW by mid-2026. This rapid growth is helping transform how the grid operates by reducing reliance on fossil fuel generation, increasing grid flexibility and reliability, and supporting the integration of renewable energy resources. [41% towards projected need met, as of this comment]
This is a total joke. This kind of numbers are a drop in the bucket vs what's needed. US needs to install at least 10x as much simply to cover daily fluctuations in demand.
Glass is half full. We'll get back up to speed eventually. It is a marathon, not a sprint. California is the future of the rest of the US. If the world's fourth largest economy can do it, the rest will be easy.
We will go faster in this regard if we decommission coal and older fossil gas generators more rapidly, as the only quick, cheap generation option forward will be renewables and batteries (no new coal plants will be built, it takes a decade to build new nuclear, and fossil gas generator manufacturers have wait times for delivery measured in years). How those fossil generators are taken offline isn't terribly important, only that they are and in a manner ensuring they cannot come back online in the future. Batteries will only continue to decline in cost, and be deployed faster, into the future.
California's Battery Array Is as Powerful as 12 Nuclear Power Plants - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48156628 - May 2026 (71 comments)
Flattening the Duck Curve: batteries reach 44% of evening demand in California - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47633698 - April 2026 (5 comments)
When the sun sets, batteries rise: 24/7 solar in California - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47482389 - March 2026 (0 comments)
California invests in battery energy storage, leaving rolling blackouts behind - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45706527 - October 2025 (346 comments)
California Energy Storage System Survey - https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/califo... - (last updated June 15, 2026)
> California has built one of the largest battery storage fleets in the world. Battery storage capacity has grown from less than 700 megawatts (MW) at the beginning of 2019 to more than 21GW by mid-2026. This rapid growth is helping transform how the grid operates by reducing reliance on fossil fuel generation, increasing grid flexibility and reliability, and supporting the integration of renewable energy resources. [41% towards projected need met, as of this comment]