In 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a law that required the state’s utility companies to acquire half of their electricity through renewable energy. Natural processes like sunlight, geothermal heat, water and wind are some examples of renewable energy. The timeline for compliance is 2030.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that three of California’s large utility companies are expected to hit 50 percent renewable power, as a collective, by 2020. This would mark a decade early actualization of the law’s requirement for improved climate and clean energy practices. However, discrete companies’ usage through 2020, much less 2030, remains to be seen.

Per the Chronicle: “In 2016, 32.9 percent of the electricity PG&E sold to its customers came from renewable sources… Edison reached 28.2 percent renewable power in 2016, while SDG&E — the state’s smallest investor-owned utility — hit 43.2 percent.”

The federal example in Trumpland is one of de-prioritizing cleaner energy to purportedly bring back coal jobs to rural, white communities (often deemed America’s “heartland”) and denouncing a global climate pact.

In contrast, California’s strides remain noteworthy. Further, the largely liberal state’s earth advocacy could foreshadow similar cultural shifts at the state-level, as costs associated with using solar and wind continue decreasing and varied groups conceive of and practice different natural resource usage.

When Governor Brown signed the earlier mentioned law, he said, “California has taken groundbreaking steps to increase the efficiency of our cars, buildings and appliances and provide ever more renewable energy. With SB 350, we deepen our commitment.” During the next five years, global renewable-generated electricity is expected to increase faster than other sources.