California’s love affair with solar power…
… one of the key pieces of its drive to reduce its emissions–is producing unintended results. As the FT reports, a glut of solar power during parts of the day is overloading the state’s power grids and actually producing negative electricity prices […]
Note that these “negative” prices aren’t bringing down the average rates for consumers in the Golden state, which are still among the highest in America. No, these occasional negative rates are symptoms of renewables’ biggest deficiency–their intermittency–and this volatility in supply is as much of a problem when solar panels are producing too much electricity as it is when they’re producing too little.
Sounds like Butt’s Ontario. You have to “give away” (or pay other jurisdictions to take it) the surplus while continue paying contractually locked-in high rates to the unreliables and to cover designed base-load source inefficiency. Who needs electrical engineers and economists when you have green theology. Watermelon economics at its finest.
BC is next.
You got that right John, the GREENDP will go for it, despite all the failures elsewhere. They don’t want to be left off the failure list.
That’s right after they solve homelessness, welfare, drug addiction, house prices, and those nasty businesses that don’t pay enough taxes.
We’re so screwed here in BC. But then again, I say, bring it on. The population of BC once again, needs the GREENDP to demonstrate the fact they are either liars, inept spenders, or, Lilly both, and that THEY feel the pain.
There is no point arguing religion with a cult member. Let California kill itself. At a certain point, wall it off and any who stayed that long do not get to change their minds at the eleventh hour.
“Negative pricing”, one of those new entries in the economics lexicon required for those jurisdiction promoting an aggressive green energy policy. Ordinary economics texts spend little time on below cost pricing, simply to point out a firm pursuing such a course would not be long in business. But a government, say Ont or Cal can carry on such practices for years, as long as voters are gullible enough to keep them in power.
A new study by Fraser Institute points out Ont has the fastest growing electricity prices in Canada, a whopping 71% increase 2008-16. That corresponds roughly with the period McGuinty-Wynne Liberals saw the green light, or more likely were convinced by G Butts and others. And all these people have went on to better things, McGuinty to cozy retirement and Butts to ultimate power in the PMO, there to do for Canada what he wrought for Ont.
http://www.torontosun.com/2017/07/20/ontario-has-fastest-rising-hydro-prices-in-country-study
One little hiccup in the Trump Economy … and Jerry Brown’s precarious house of cards comes crashing down. Californians are already being taxed, fee’ed, and rate-increased out of existence. Everyone in the state is hanging by a thin economic thread. The state budget has been put together with smoke, mirrors, and the sleight of hand only a Keynesian magic-economist could pull out of pockets of taxpayers. My PG&E rates are going UP UP UP as the utility goes “green”. My water bill has just increased by 20% … as a thanks for cutting water use during the drought. My Waste Management rates have just gone up 20% … thank you “eco-landfills”. Everything in the state is getting more expensive and the state is getting broke, broker, brokest. The State’s massive pension funds are going broke as the leftist politicians and the government workers have looted the State. And as our sanctuary-State provides more and more FREE STUFF for border-hoppers. Jerry’s eco-nirvana of California will make the State of Illinois’s looming bankruptcy look like “boom times”. One slight economic downturn in the tech industry … and it will be the dustbowl in reverse for Californians. WE will become the “Oakies” fleeing into the heartland for economic survival … leaving no one but the amigos to polish Jerry’s shiny new solar collectors. We have very short memories is we have already forgotten the devastation of 2008.
Well…. there’s an App for that. Just download it on to your grid controller and all will be well. Somewhere, someplace in North America they will need electricity, like maybe Ontario in the winter or Phoenix in the summer or Cancun during spring break. Easy Peazze. We’ll just send the excess there.
PS: We have Windows Defender for our security so no need to worry about malware ordering the controller to send it all to New York City.
Great Comment.
I pray millions more will wake up to Gov. Browns dupe smoking fog and mirrors.
Maybe California will pay Ontario to take our surplus solar energy.
It’s hard to solve a problem when it’s not framed properly. Our problem is not electricity generation; it’s electricity STORAGE. If we could bank all the extra power that Ontario nuclear could produce from 7pm to 7 am, as well as all the hydro, we wouldn’t need solar or wind. If we could bank all the power that solar and wind produce, we wouldn’t need to worry about volatility of generation over the long term.
It’s a BATTERY problem. When that gets solved, all these other problems disappear.
Well … maybe. For when we learn that the miracle battery contains even MORE rare earth materials … hey ?! Maybe even Nuclear isotopes ? and is even more poisonous than our current battery forms … the Sierra Club will sue to stop their use. Tie up their use for decades in the courts … and make everyone “conserve” even more. Enjoy the decline ! Our culture is eating itself … and won’t stop till we are all living in the dirt again.
The Republican Congress (HOUSE) has voted on a Bill to included Billions in the “Defense” Bill for enviormental Projects… The Money sucked out of every Federal department keeps California afloat. Trump needs to Veto any and every Bill that includes/allocates money for the Paris Accord…
Unusual to have Energy funding included everywhere
Defense used as a pass through…
Education used as a pass through…
Health Care used as a pass through…
So true … that is disgusting. And here I thought the funds were being used to “study” retrofitting our aircraft carriers with sails …
this stuff is similar to the californicate ‘3 strikes rule’ which put 1000s of schmucks in prison for 20 yrs due to the 3rd strike being of the severity of shoplifting and such.
http://articles.latimes.com/2003/mar/10/opinion/oe-chem10
ah, and who was in the white house when this came down the pike?
DUBYA !!!! wheeee !!!! we are SO LUCKY to have a hardass in office when it comes to the heinously offensive act of (drum roll) shoplifting !!!