Solar Net Energy Metering in California: From Rosy Inception to Rocky Realities
California’s journey with solar net energy metering (NEM) is a case study in the complexities of energy policy. What began as an ambitious drive to boost solar energy has evolved into a contentious battleground of policy shifts and market reactions. The recent developments, marked by job losses in the clean energy sector as reported by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), are a testament to these complexities.
California initiated solar net energy metering in the 1990s to encourage solar adoption. Under NEM, solar users could sell surplus electricity back to the grid at retail rates, offsetting their electricity costs. This policy aimed to stimulate solar energy use, reducing reliance on traditional energy sources.
The policy lead to a significant increase in solar installations. California’s solar industry saw a surge in growth, heralded as a triumph of renewable energy policy, but saddling utilities and non-solar customers with an additional cost burden.
As solar adoption grew, these concerns grew. Utilities argued that NEM shifted costs to non-solar customers, as maintaining the grid became increasingly funded by a shrinking base. These concerns led to policy revisions aimed at balancing the incentives for solar users with broader economic impacts. more here
Wait for it…. Superfund costs to clean up panel production and then system disposal.
One of the two or three semiconductor elements in each cell is toxic. You won’t want this in the ground water.
Same old same old PVD tech. Same as your flat screen. We developed it. Gave it to China. They still aren’t doing it right.
The communists can’t stand anyone (but themselves) making money. so the whole thing was set up to fail.
I wonder how many people got solar thinking that they would still have power should thee grid go out. Since the panels are tied to the grid, they can’t be used because it would be a danger to people working on the line.
On might consider not having panels attached to the grid so they have some power should the grid go down, but considering that often happens in inclement weather, I doubt there would be enough sun to make that practical.
RadioMattM
In all actuality California Solar Plans were killer if you got in at the beginning. They’d cover instillation and you were locked in for twenty years of basically free electricity. But that’s been over with for a long time. Now you pay 80K to get it installed and still pay the same on your electric bill. What a deal.
The reason you mention is why we never did it.
I have some loose panels. The plan is they’re not going to be grid tied. It’s basically an RV generator system. 400 – 800 watts of panels mounted in a portable fashion, a couple trolling motor batteries, charge controller and a couple thousand watt inverter. I may get a wall plug grid tie inverter to clip my retail bill, but 400 watts will barely cover my base average hourly use in late fall & early spring. Never mind the winter & summer peaks. The local grid operator wouldn’t even see my meter spin backwards.
The real goal is to have 2kWh of silent power to keep my fridge/freezer cold overnight, run and LED light bulb or two, and have enough left to make a cup of coffee in the morning. After that I can fire up a generator and make some noise during the day.
KR
@
“Since the panels are tied to the grid, they can’t be used because it would be a danger to people working on the line.”
If the sun is shining, the panels are producing. There needs to be some kind of disconnect to keep the panels from feeding the grid in cases where the line needs work. How that works I’ve no idea. If I was an electrician, I wouldn’t bet my life on numerous Joe Homeowners throwing a switch to disconnect their panels from the mainline.
RadioMattM – people who can generate ANY power of their own will be very pleased with themselves when the Sun wipes out our grid in a super-Carrington. And it’s going to happen.
^^^ If the Sun wipes out the grid, solar panels will be included.
The term “sustainable” means NOTHING to these people as it applies to subsidies being necessary to keep an industry alive.
Hardly, Ghost. Anything small that is not connected to the grid will be relatively unaffected (assuming it’s not a sharp, high frequency EMP). The damaging voltage build-up is a function of distance traveled by electrons in the high magnetic field and charge imbalance. The impressed EM potential is normally rated in millivolts / kilometer with long transmission lines producing transients of many thousands of volts when that value peaks in a solar storm. Unconnected stuff in your house/garage should be mostly inaffected.
Dubya pushed this “make my millionaire friends billionaires!” boodoogle hard 26 years ago. last Winter many Texans died because of “Dubya’; making the “elite” more “elite”!
Yes indeed; OURBETTERS KNOW WHATS GOOD FOR US!
Interesting on how many people are sucked into this solar and wind scam.
If they ask me, I can compute out any benefit. But most of these folks are illiterate and don’t want to know anything of the government scams
mod
THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023, 14:43 AT 2:43 PM
“If the sun is shining, the panels are producing. ”
…and sometimes, when it’s NOT.
“…electricity can be produced by the solar panels day or night depending on the light source. In a UL study, 800V and 340mA were measured coming from a 1000V array at night. The light source creating this electricity was from apparatus spotlights directed at the solar panels. With the capability of solar panels to create electricity day or night that travels through conduit, firefighters should not cut, damage or touch any part of the system.”
https://www.firerescue1.com/electric-fire/articles/6-steps-to-safe-effective-solar-panel-ess-fire-attack-JtqmGDpotCQQrBfP/
…Read that whole article to get a different dimension on just how needlessly dangerous solar can be…
My neighbor got these put on by PGE (contractor) last spring FOR FREE. Took 2 months for them to okay them to be connected. His bill is very low, nothing in the summer. I’d do it but I need a new roof first. Why fight it if they’re giving away free stuff and illegals are living high on the hog?