[Jack Aylmer]

SOLAR PANELS ARE DRIVING UP ENERGY BILLS FOR RESIDENTS IN CALIFORNIA-

WHILE ALSO MAKING ELECTRICITY PRICES CHEAPER FOR THOSE LIVING IN OTHER STATES.

THIS IS BECAUSE RIGHT NOW CALIFORNIA IS MAKING MORE SOLAR POWER THAN IT CAN USE.

OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS, THE STATE HAS BEEN FORCED TO CURTAIL MORE THAN 3 MILLION MEGAWATTS WORTH OF SOLAR ENERGY-

ENOUGH POWER TO KEEP OVER HALF A MILLION CALIFORNIA HOMES RUNNING FOR A YEAR.

IT’S A PROBLEM THAT’S ONLY GOTTEN WORSE AS THE STATE ADDED MORE SOLAR PANELS, INCREASING ABOUT 20-FOLD OVER THE LAST 11 YEARS.

THE AMOUNT OF SOLAR ENERGY CALIFORNIA HAD TO WASTE THIS YEAR IS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE TOTAL IN 20-21-

AND AN EIGHT TIMES INCREASE FROM 2017 LEVELS.

EXPERTS CALCULATE THE RETAIL VALUE OF SOLAR ENERGY THAT THE STATE THREW AWAY IN 2024 IS WORTH UPWARDS OF A BILLION DOLLARS.

SOLAR ENERGY NEEDS SUNLIGHT TO PRODUCE POWER, WHICH MAKES CALIFORNIA’S SUNNY CLIMATE IDEAL FOR THIS RENEWABLE SOURCE.

BUT PEAK DEMAND USUALLY HAPPENS AT NIGHT, SO MUCH OF THE POWER BEING GENERATED DURING THE DAY GOES UNUSED.

CONSTRUCTING INDUSTRIAL-SIZED BATTERIES FOR STORING THE POWER TO UTILIZE LATER CAN BE TWICE AS EXPENSIVE AS THE SOLAR PANELS THEMSELVES.

AND THE SOLAR FARMS THAT DO BUILD THEM ARE MOSTLY BATTERY MODELS THAT CAN ONLY HOLD THE ENERGY FOR FOUR HOURS-

NOT LONG ENOUGH TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT.

THIS TREND OF TOO MUCH SOLAR CONTRIBUTED TO CALIFORNIA ELECTRIC RATES BEING TWICE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE-

AS RESIDENTS ARE EFFECTIVELY MADE TO PAY FOR THE GENERATION OF POWER THEY AREN’T USING.

BECAUSE OF THAT, SINCE 20-21, THE STATE’S LARGEST UTILITY PROVIDERS HAVE RAISED THEIR ELECTRICAL RATES BY 51 PERCENT.

BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN WORSE IF CALIFORNIA WASN’T GIVING SOME OF THAT EXCESS SOLAR ENERGY TO OTHER STATES.

ALTHOUGH, ITS A SETUP THAT BENEFITS RESIDENTS FROM THE STATE’S RECEIVING THAT EXTRA POWER MUCH MORE THAN IT DOES CALIFORNIANS.

FOR EXAMPLE, ARIZONA’S LARGEST PUBLIC UTILITY SAVED 69 MILLION DOLLARS LAST YEAR BY BUYING SOLAR ENERGY FROM CALIFORNIA-

WHICH THEY PASSED ON TO CUSTOMERS IN THE FORM OF A CREDIT ON THEIR BILLS.

IN 20-22, NEW MEXICO’S LARGEST PUBLIC UTILITY DID THE SAME-

SAVING 34 MILLION DOLLARS FOR THEIR CONSUMERS THAT YEAR AS A RESULT OF TAKING CALIFORNIA’S EXTRA SOLAR POWER.

MEANWHILE, THE INCREASING OVERSUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY FROM THIS RENEWABLE SOURCE IN CALIFORNIA HAS CAUSED THE PRICE AT WHICH IT CAN BE SOLD TO PLUMMET.

DROPPING SO LOW, IT BECOMES NEGATIVE-

MEANING SOLAR PLANTS IN CALIFORNIA ARE ACTUALLY PAYING ENERGY TRADERS TO TAKE THEIR POWER TO OTHER STATES.

DESPITE THESE CHALLENGES, GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM STILL WANTS TO ADD ANOTHER 70 GIGAWATTS OF INDUSTRIAL SOLAR FARMS BY 20-45.

A PLAN WHICH WILL REQUIRE ENOUGH PANELS TO COVER AN AREA EQUIVALENT TO NEARLY HALF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND.

OVER THE NEXT TWO DECADES, THIS INITIATIVE AIMS TO MAKE CALIFORNIA’S ELECTRICAL GRID CARBON FREE-

BUT EXPERTS WARN THE STATE’S CURRENT CURTAILMENT RATES COULD HINDER THAT GOAL.

A PROBLEM NEWSOM’S ADVISERS ARE WORKING TO ADDRESS THROUGH BUILDING OUT MORE INDUSTRIAL-SCALE BATTERY STORAGE FACILITIES-

SAVING THAT EXTRA SOLAR ENERGY TO USE IN TIMES OF HIGH DEMAND BY THE CALIFORNIANS WHO PAID FOR IT.

TO GET MORE STORIES ABOUT RENEWABLE ENERGY CHALLENGES BOTH IN THE U.S. AND ABROAD, DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP AND SIGN UP FOR ALERTS FROM ME- JACK AYLMER.