<story><title>California is about to side with PG&amp;E – again – to kill community solar projects</title><url>https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/california-pge-community-solar-19468490.php</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>cjensen</author><text>Just for factual background, engaging data has a new infographic about California energy production that is useful [1]&lt;p&gt;Worth noting that there isn&amp;#x27;t a lot of room for growth of solar that isn&amp;#x27;t battery-backed. California exports a ton of energy during the bright months. As a practical matter, the era of sending excess rooftop solar generation to the grid is over.&lt;p&gt;[1] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;engaging-data.com&amp;#x2F;california-electricity-generation&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;engaging-data.com&amp;#x2F;california-electricity-generation&amp;#x2F;&lt;/a&gt;</text></comment>
<story><title>California is about to side with PG&amp;E – again – to kill community solar projects</title><url>https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/california-pge-community-solar-19468490.php</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>TheMagicHorsey</author><text>It&amp;#x27;s very difficult to come to simple conclusions that are accurate in the case of California power generation.&lt;p&gt;One of the reasons it&amp;#x27;s so complicated is that the State in California intervenes in the market in so many (sometimes contradictory) ways.  The incentives are often perverse and exactly the opposite of what you would expect.&lt;p&gt;In attempting to protect consumers, California in the long run has created a market with almost the highest prices in the nation.  Simultaneously, and surprisingly, those high prices have not translated into some kind of futuristic or resilient grid.  California has not had power outages not because California is better than Texas in terms of technology ... rather California is blessed with a climate that doesn&amp;#x27;t really suffer state-wide extremes.&lt;p&gt;As bad as California&amp;#x27;s public schools are, I think within twenty years we will realize that the thing Sacramento politicians fucked up the most was not the schools ... it was the power grid.  Talk to anyone that runs a power intensive manufacturing enterprise in CA.  They have already moved their facilities to another state or they already have a plan to do so.&lt;p&gt;California imports from other states all the energy-intensive inputs and exports its pollution and smugly pats itself on the back.  All while taxing its citizens with some of the highest residential power pricing too.</text></comment>