California generates so much solar energy that it pays other states to take it
California is the epitome of solar energy. In 2016 alone, 13% of the state’s power came from solar sources, as Mic reports. California is the lead for the cumulative amount of solar electric capacity installed in 2016, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, generating so much solar energy that it is willing to pay other states to take the excess electricity, so that the power lines are not overloaded.
The reason why California is not using all its solar power is that the state has achieved dramatic success in increasing renewable energy production in the last years. Furthermore, it reflects sharp conflicts between major energy players in the state regarding the best way to weave these new electricity sources into a system dominated by fossil-fuel-generated power, according to LA Times.
“It’s not the renewables that’s the problem; it’s the state’s renewable policy that’s the problem,” Gary Ackerman, president of the Western Power Trading Forum, an association of independent power producers, told the LA Times. “We’re curtailing renewable energy in the summertime months. In the spring, we have to give people money to take it off our hands.”
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The answer lies in storage, according to MNN. In the last six months, California has added 77 MW of battery storage capacity, including a 20-MW farm east of Los Angeles that was installed by Tesla. The process of using energy storage to load shift solar, especially for night use, might turn California’s problem into an asset, further cementing its position as a leader in renewables.
“California’s experience over the last decade offers hard evidence that we can dramatically expand clean energy while also growing our economy and putting people to work,” California State Sen. Kevin de León, said in May. “This measure will ensure that California remains the world’s clean energy superpower and that we lead the nation in addressing the threat of climate change,” he concluded.
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