To confirm Al Gore’s new optimism: If California only uses existing infrastructure to add solar power generating capacity, the amount of energy produced would exceed the state’s demand by up to five times. That’s the outcome of a new study. “Integrating solar facilities into the urban and suburban environment causes the least amount of land-cover change and the lowest environmental impact,” according to the study. Just over 8 percent of the surface of California has been developed. The study shows the enormous potential for clean, renewable solar energy.