Скачать или смотреть Power from California sun turns wholesale electricity prices negative

Power from California sun turns wholesale electricity prices negative


Michael Walsh
Reporter
Yahoo NewsApril 13, 2017

Vivint Solar technicians install solar panels on the roof of a house in Mission Viejo, Calif., in 2013. View photos
Vivint Solar technicians install solar panels on the roof of a house in Mission Viejo, Calif., in 2013. (Photo: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)
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California’s solar installations are feeding so much power into the grid that they have driven wholesale electricity prices at times as low as zero — or even below, meaning the companies that generate power pay utilities to take it. It is an environmental success story that is beginning to pose unexpected technical and financial challenges.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported last week that utility-scale solar energy supplied nearly 40 percent of California’s power needs for the first time at midday on March 11.

This milestone reflects a significant change for the California Independent System Operator (CAISO): The rate of installation for utility-scale solar power generators grew by almost 50 percent last year. This proliferation of solar energy generators drove prices very low during daylight hours in late winter and early spring.

“We’re talking about prices on wholesale power exchange that are going negative for a few hours a day and are positive for most of the other hours,” Chris Namovicz, the senior renewable energy analyst for EIA, told Yahoo News.

Namovicz explained that the negative pricing relates to the wholesale market power exchange between solar power generators and a handful of utilities in California, such as Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, and the Pacific Gas and Electric Company.