California’s unusually stormy winter is promising good news for the state’s struggling hydropower industry.
After three years of extreme drought, winter weather has driven up the most populous U.S. state's snow levels to 235% of normal, according to the latest figures from the California Department of Water Resources. That’s likely to fill up hydro reservoirs during the spring melt, which could lead to more of the cheap renewable energy source and less dependence on fossil fuels, public agencies and utilities said.
About 40% of California's electricity was generated from natural gas and roughly 10% from hydropower in 2021, according to the latest available data from the commission. California’s grid operator, the California Independent System Operator, will detail how much water it expects to be directed to the power industry in an assessment due to be published next month.
Spring weather and irrigation demand will help determine whether the utility's hydropower projects will get more water. But for now, "most projections of water supply into Idaho Power's hydro system are still below normal, or at best approaching normal," Willacy said.
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