California is taking its commitment to embracing renewable energy to an all new level.

According to the California Independent System Operator Corporation, the recent heat wave enabled .

On July 12 at 1:06 p.m., several large solar plants located throughout the state produced 8,030 megawatts of electricity, more thantwice of what was generated two years ago, and, according to the San Francisco Gate.

The new record is also more than double the amount of solar energy produced in May when solar power generated a little more than 50 percent of demand.

“I can tell you we had a great solar day,” Steven Greenly of California ISO .

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The statistics don't even take into account the 537,637 smaller solar panel arrays installed on private homes and businesses.

As wonderful as the news is for those who think green, there are some drawbacks to solar energy.

Like the sun, solar power tends to peak mid-afternoon then crashes in thelate afternoon as the sun starts to go down, which is precisely when electricity demands peak — around 6 p.m., California wind farms pick up the slack from late afternoon into the night, but the switch off happens during those peak hours.

California is making great strides in meeting its mandate of producing 33 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

In 2015, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill into law that increases California's renewable energy game by requiring that 50 percent of all state-regulated utilities be sourced from solar, wind or hydro by 2030.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Solar Power Travel

Pilot Andre Borschberg flies the experimental solar-powered aircraft, Solar Impulse, above Lake Geneva during a test flight from Payerne to Geneva on September 21, 2010. (JEAN REVILLARD/AFP/Getty Images)

At a Glance

California shatters state solar energy production record.The state produced enough solar energy to power 6 million households.