California Solar Surplus and Rate Changes

[DonTom]

All those CA EVs to charge up but . . . .

See here.

"We have charged all the batteries we can charge. We have sold all the power that we can sell.’”
"

"A plan to trickle down savings to Californians’ energy bills"​

IMAO, such plans usually mean a rate increase is coming to CA!

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

All those (usually anti-EVers) who ask "where is all that electrical power going to come from?" will now have no choice but to ask where is all that excess power going?

At least for California, the state with the most EVs.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

The rate increase did come to CA in a way that I expected. Pay six cents less per KWH, but now there is a larger flat fee we all must pay of $25.00 more every month.

Just in time for the longer days in spring when most houses get more from their solar.

IOW, those who use a lot of electricity will pay a little less. But with all the home solar and more efficient electrical stuff, most people are using the grid a lot less.

Those who use less electricity because of solar or whatever, will pay more. IOW, the majority of PG&E customers at least in this area.

PG&E comes out ahead, of course, as most home owners pay a more.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[DonTom]

I’ve bounced around different energy setups, and sometimes the only way I’ve saved a bit is by switching suppliers. I used Octopus Energy Referral Code - Get £50 Credit - 2026 for a simple switch and the credit took some sting out of rising rates. It won’t fix California’s grid quirks, but having a painless way to trim the bill helped me feel a little less at the mercy of whatever the utilities decide next.

Welcome!

Somehow PG&E has a monopoly in many areas of CA. No way to use other power companies. If there were, just about everybody would do such as PG&E rates are very high compared to other power companies.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[TheBar]

As more people install solar panels the lost income will be an excuse to increase taxes. In CA you throw money in a black hole that makes everything worse not better.

I hate to cause thread drift but the headline above that "Google applies for permit to release 32 million mosquitoes in California" is disturbing. Why would Google invest in that project? Google scares me more than any other company.

 

[LarsMac]

What? There are not enough bloodsuckers in CA, already?

 

[DonTom]

As more people install solar panels the lost income will be an excuse to increase taxes. In CA you throw money in a black hole that makes everything worse not better.

Yes, I agree with all that. That is why PG&E did what I expected. Getting a lot closer to just having a flat monthly bill so everybody pays regardless of how much solar they have. PG&E has a lot of political power too. There is no way we cannot have them even if we have enough solar to run things off grid.

But my main reason for my system was the Tesla Powerwall. When the power goes out, I now cannot even tell it happened at my Auburn house.

Here in Reno, the power went out yesterday morning for around two hours. Unlike Auburn, longer than that is very rare. I certainly noticed, but mainly because of all my UPS units beeping at me. My main lights and this computer stayed on, along with the cable modem and router. Also my garage door openers are on a GPS here, so things were close to normal even here for that two hours.

I do get emails from the power companies. When the power goes out, here too. Here is yesterday's from NV Energy but from here in Reno, where it goes out less often:

"We are aware of an outage at your home. The current estimated time of restoration is under investigation. We are working to get the lights back on as quickly as possible while keeping our customers and crews safe. We'll send you an update if anything changes, and send you a note when your power is restored. You can also get updates via your mobile device at nvenergy.com/outage.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact us at 800-962-0399 or 775-834-4444. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

Thank you,
The team at NV Energy"


-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

There are not enough bloodsuckers in CA, already?

Yes, it is expensive to live in the state that most people in the USA prefer. The most populated state in the country. But Hawaii is even more expensive to live in.

-Don- Reno, NV