On most days for the past month, renewable energy has powered 100 percent of California’s main grid for at least 15 minutes. That’s largely thanks to solar power, according to an analysis from Mark Z. Jacobson, a Stanford University civil and environmental engineering professor. California installed 2,300 megawatts of solar in 2023, an increase of 18 percent over 2022. “It’s never happened before to this scale,” Jacobson said in an interview with POLITICO’s Power Switch. “In past years, California has occasionally met 100 percent of demand, but only on a weekend day.” Jacobson used data from California’s grid operator to calculate that on 38 of the past 46 days, renewables have met the state’s full energy demand for part of the day. The California Independent System Operator said the grid broke two records in April for renewable energy supply, but it couldn’t confirm Jacobson’s findings without doing a similar analysis. The record-breaking streak comes as the Biden administration prepares to distribute $7 billion in grants for rooftop and community solar projects. EPA estimates that the Solar for All program will deliver the benefits of 4 gigawatts of new solar power to low-income households, writes Jean Chemnick. Too much of a good thing? The Solar for All grants include $250 million for California to expand residential solar in low-income and disadvantaged communities. But California’s solar panels sometimes make more energy than the grid can handle, leading state regulators to shift away from rooftop solar rebates and toward incentives that encourage homeowners to invest in home batteries. State lawmakers are also grappling with their constituents’ high electric bills — partly driven by solar programs (as well as spending to prevent utility-sparked wildfires and upgrade grid infrastructure). California state Rep. Joe Patterson, a Republican, told POLITICO’s Power Switch that the state’s solar success “comes on the shoulders of insanely high increases in utility rates for every Californian.” Even though solar is usually the cheapest long-term energy source, Patterson says “there's a big upfront cost” to install solar panels. And when the grid operator has to curtail — or, essentially, throw away — excess solar power, that can also lead to increased electricity bills. California's average residential energy price has risen 11 percent since 2023 while the nationwide average fell, according to DOE data. Despite the price tag, Patterson is happy with California’s record renewable output: “It's nice to see renewable energy infrastructure continue to increase. I mean, nobody's really against that. How could you be?”
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