Turning Down Gas: California

California relies on natural gas for approximately one-third of its electricity, but analysis shows no new gas plants are needed to meet 2030 needs, and 28 existing plants could be retired as early as 2018 without compromising reliability.

• California can meet its projected 2030 energy and reliability requirements without constructing additional natural gas plants in the CAISO territory. Furthermore, 28 of the 89 analyzed plants, which account for nearly 25% of generating capacity, could have been retired starting in 2018 without harming grid reliability, with many of these plants situated in communities heavily impacted by air pollution.
• While increasing wind and solar capacity reduces overall gas reliance, the decline of solar generation at sunset leads to 'cycling'—where gas plants ramp up or restart. This process can increase air pollution and degrade local air quality even as the state-wide grid becomes cleaner.
• To reduce dependence on gas generation during evening hours, the document recommends energy efficiency, shifting demand to earlier in the day, investing in energy storage and non-solar renewables, increasing access to out-of-state clean energy, and targeting clean energy investments for local reliability.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2018). Turning Down Gas: California. https://www.ucs.org/resources/turning-down-gas-california

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Turning Down Gas: California. 2018. https://www.ucs.org/resources/turning-down-gas-california.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Turning Down Gas: California |date=13 July 2018 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/turning-down-gas-california |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2018turning, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Turning Down Gas: California}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2018}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/turning-down-gas-california}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }