California clean energy push exemplified by Stanford professor's zero net energy home
Clean, renewable energy is powering California to levels never seen before, and a Stanford professor's home is the blueprint for the near future.
Last month, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the Golden State had reached a historic milestone. According to the latest data, in 2023, the state was powered by two-thirds clean energy.
A leading climate scientist not only believes the state is heading in the right direction, but he also practices what he preaches. Mark Z. Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, lives in a two-story, 3,200 square-foot home with large picture windows that to any passerby might appear prohibitively expensive to heat and cool. But, it's not.
"To run it, it costs nothing. I have not paid an electric bill in eight years," Jacobson said.
Jacobson built from scratch what's called a "zero net energy house." It's all-electric with no gas on the property. The home generates as much energy as it consumes, and all the energy generated is clean and renewable, with no polluting fossil fuels.
"My whole goal of my career has been to understand and solve large-scale air pollution and climate problems through clean renewable energy systems," Jacobson said.
The house is a light steel frame structure with airtight insulation. On the roof are solar panels. In the garage, he installed a home battery system.
"I'm generating my electricity with solar on the roof, and that solar generates during the day, peaks at about noon, and there's a lot of excess," Jacobson said. "I mean, I use a lot less energy than I produce, and so that energy first gets stored in batteries. And then that excess beyond that gets sent to the grid."
As for California's electric grid, it's undergoing a major transition to clean, renewable sources. According to California ISO, since 2021, about 25,000 megawatts of renewables have been added to the supply. That's enough to power nearly a quarter-million homes.
Jacobson's research shows that, so far this year, California has run on 100% wind, water, and solar for 164 of 209 days and for an average of 4.8 hours a day.
"So, wind, water and solar this year has supplied 57.4% of all of California's electricity," added Jacobson. "And that's an increase from about 53% last year, and 48% the previous year."
Those calculations, as well as Cal ISO's data, don't include private homes equipped with solar and battery systems.
"These are sufficient to provide electricity for my home from solar for 24 hours a day for most of the year," said Jacobson, as he gestured to his garage Powerwall.
Jacobson also drives electric vehicles. In addition, he uses energy-efficient electrical devices.
"Electricity is the future for everything. It's much more efficient. It's cleaner and it's cheaper, and it does far less damage to the environment than gas or other types of fossil fuels," he said.
Among his devices: an induction stove which uses 60% less energy than gas, and a heat pump that transfers heat between the indoors and outdoors. Jacobson's heat pump uses a ductless "mini split" model that uses 75% less energy than a gas heater because, as he explained, it doesn't create the heat. The pump simply moves it around.
As for hot water, the home uses a heat pump electric water heater. The temperature was set at 129 degrees Fahrenheit.
"It's got plenty of water for showers, and it reheats pretty rapidly," he said.
Jacobson received a 30% federal tax credit and a state subsidy when he installed his system. He has generated about 120% of what he has used on average and sold the extra 20% back to the grid under the net metering program.
He is also studying his home and collecting data to use in a class that he teaches. He has also published the data in a textbook with the goal of informing others about a combustion-free future.