Climate Changed
Think Solar Is Upending California’s Power Grid Now? Just Wait
- Solar rule ‘has the potential to make the duck curve duckier’
- State also encouraging wider use of energy-storage systems
The Way Humans Get Electricity Is About to Change Forever
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California just mandated that nearly all new homes have solar, starting in less than two years. Now, it’s going to have to figure out what to do with all of that extra energy.
Already, the state is flooded with so much solar power during the day that it has to turn off some of its sun-fueled plants at times and often needs to ship excess green energy to neighboring states. The phenomenon has produced what state grid operators have been calling the duck curve -- that’s when net power demand craters during daylight hours and then ramps up after sunset and natural-gas generators fire up to meet customer demand.