Rooftop Solar's Emissions Math is Changing
As clean energy grows, the limits of how it's measured are also expanding. A new study in Nature Climate Change warns that the emissions impact of rooftop solar is shrinking as the grid becomes cleaner.
The first solar panels significantly reduced coal's presence on the grid. However, progress in clean energy does not simply solve fossil-fuel problems, but rather reshapes them. As solar energy dominates and clean energy matures, new complexities arise, including managing abundance, balancing the grid, and redefining progress.
The cleaner the grid becomes, the harder it is for each new clean megawatt to make a difference.
California is a prime example of this phenomenon, with increasing solar curtailment due to daytime generation causing wholesale electricity prices to drop to zero or even negative. This trend is now emerging in other solar-saturated grids worldwide, but is beginning to shift in California.
Author's summary: Rooftop solar's emissions impact is shrinking as the grid cleans itself.
- Key points:
- Rooftop solar's emissions impact is decreasing
- The grid is becoming cleaner, making it harder for new clean energy to make a difference
- California is experiencing solar curtailment and negative wholesale electricity prices