California sets the example on solar power

In March, Arizona utilities got a gift from California: free solar power. California produced so much excess solar power on those days that it paid Arizona to take excess power its residents weren’t using to avoid overloading its power lines. This helped save Arizona electricity consumers millions of dollars this year, though grid operators declined to say specifically how much. California also has paid other states to transfer electricity. 

Some solar plants ordered to reduce production

The number of days that California dumped its unused solar electricity would have been even more if the state hadn’t ordered some solar plants to reduce production. At the same time, natural gas power plants, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, continued generating electricity. Solar and wind power production was reduced a relatively small amount — about 3% in the first quarter of 2017 — but that’s more than double the same period from last year. The increase in solar power could push the number even higher in the future.

The obvious question

Why doesn’t California, a champion of environmental awareness, use all the solar power it can generate? The state has achieved amazing success in increasing renewable energy production in recent years. But it also reflects significant conflicts among energy players in the state over the best way to transition these new electricity sources into a system still dominated by fossil-fuel-generated power. No single entity is in control of energy policy in California. This has led to a two-headed approach that has created an ever-increasing glut of electricity and is proving costly for power users. Rates have risen faster here than in the rest of the U.S., and Californians now pay about 50% more than the national average.

California lawmakers get serious about solar

The California Legislature has mandated that fifty percent of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2030. Currently, this number is about 25 percent. That goal once was considered wildly optimistic,  but solar panels have become much more efficient and less expensive. Solar power is therefore often the same price or cheaper than most other types of electricity, and production has increased so much that the target now looks rather easy to achieve. The solution must be solar because the world cannot function properly with the degree of pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

Solar power is here to stay, and the sooner you explore how much you can save, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of residential solar power. Go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. It tells you how much solar power you need, and how much you can save.

Please visit our solar blog to find out more about the benefits of going solar.