The state of California is leading the country for the overall amount of solar capacity installed in 2016, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. They have so much solar energy that the electricity grid can overload, resulting in blackouts. To deal with this issue, California entices other states to take their excess power by offering financial incentives.
Thanks to California’s abundant energy production, residents of Arizona have saved millions of dollars this year in power bills.
Just 15 years ago California produced little to no solar energy, but in the last decade, the state has made great strides in utilizing free energy from the sun. California alone produces almost half of the country’s solar energy each year. The US Energy Information Administration says that California recently hit a major milestone: for 3 hours more than half of California’s power needs were met by solar power alone. This managed to put wholesale energy prices into the negatives.
However, there are unintended side effects to California’s energy offloading. Due to California’s overproduction, Arizona has opted to slow down its own solar energy development, instead still favoring fossil fuel power.
California has a state goal of 50% of its energy met by renewable resources by 2030.
