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"Costly burden" is an incredible statement. The utilities get what is effectively free electricity generation. Remember every solar customer still pays the grid

"Costly burden" is an incredible statement. The utilities get what is effectively free electricity generation. Remember every solar customer still pays the grid connection fee, which goes to maintain the grid. They love to market a "green energy" plan where they pay you 3c for your exported power and charge somebody miles away 25c for it!

hamdingers 6mo ago
It's a true statement and a real problem. These wildcat megawatt-scale generation facilities built on top of suburban neighborhoods produce an un-curtail-able midday oversupply of electricity driving energy prices into the negative. The power has to go somewhere, SoCal grid operators have to pay real money to neighboring grids to accept the energy being generated while also paying the homeowner who generated it. No grid connection fee comes close to covering this, it's paid for by increasing rates for everyone else. Net metering was a stupid deal cooked up by politicians who are incapable of systems thinking, or simply decided appealing to suburban voters was more important than grid stability. It's getting better[1] but still a problem, and the solutions being pursued are: discourage export in favor of onsite storage (done by NEM 3.0) and encourage smaller solar installs (balcony solar). 1. https://www.caiso.com/content/monthly-market-performance/jan-2026/executive-summary.html#:~:text=The%20cumulative%20frequency%20of%20prices,2.59%20percent%20in%202026%20January. https://www.caiso.com/content/monthly-market-performance/jan...
- declan_roberts 6mo ago
  I'll believe they're serious about this problem when they stop charging TOU customers PEAK DEMAND prices during the duck curve. They're soaking out of both sides of their mouth.
  - hamdingers 6mo ago
    The reason for that is explained in the comment you replied to, you just have to put the pieces together.

hamdingers 6mo ago

It's a true statement and a real problem. These wildcat megawatt-scale generation facilities built on top of suburban neighborhoods produce an un-curtail-able midday oversupply of electricity driving energy prices into the negative. The power has to go somewhere, SoCal grid operators have to pay real money to neighboring grids to accept the energy being generated while also paying the homeowner who generated it. No grid connection fee comes close to covering this, it's paid for by increasing rates for everyone else. Net metering was a stupid deal cooked up by politicians who are incapable of systems thinking, or simply decided appealing to suburban voters was more important than grid stability. It's getting better[1] but still a problem, and the solutions being pursued are: discourage export in favor of onsite storage (done by NEM 3.0) and encourage smaller solar installs (balcony solar). 1. https://www.caiso.com/content/monthly-market-performance/jan-2026/executive-summary.html#:~:text=The%20cumulative%20frequency%20of%20prices,2.59%20percent%20in%202026%20January. https://www.caiso.com/content/monthly-market-performance/jan...

declan_roberts 6mo ago
I'll believe they're serious about this problem when they stop charging TOU customers PEAK DEMAND prices during the duck curve. They're soaking out of both sides of their mouth.
- hamdingers 6mo ago
  The reason for that is explained in the comment you replied to, you just have to put the pieces together.