The Mercury News. (2020, January 31). Why nearly every house in California will have solar power. Retrieved August 28, 2020, from https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/01/31/why-nearly-every-house-will-eventually-have-solar-power/

Solar power goals set by former governors, including a 33% renewable energy goal, was reached by 2018, have been met as solar power continues to grow more popular. New building codes requiring solar panels on every Californian home have been made as well. According to Barry Cinnamon, CEO of Akeena Solar, solar power has decreased significantly in price and will be financially worthwhile within only a few years. He also argues that electric utilities significantly increase the price of electricity for consumers, with very little regulation of these companies. He believes that solar power is the future in California, and that will continue to spread across the state.

Solar power technology allows humans to get energy without using carbon, leading to less pollution and the decrease of effects of climate change. The increased affordability and requirement to power the state using solar energy is an important step to help mitigate carbon usage and protect the environment. I agree with Barry Cinnamon, I feel that in the next few decades solar energy will continue to rise in popularity as it is more readily available. I also believe that this is a positive thing, as it will help to lower California’s carbon footprint. Furthermore, I would agree with Cinnamon that producing solar energy yourself is probably cheaper than using an electric utility company, as these companies are attempting to make a profit on providing energy.

Inside Climate News. (2020, August 6). Inside Clean Energy: What’s a Virtual Power Plant? Bay Area Consumers Will Soon Find Out. Retrieved August 28, 2020, from https://insideclimatenews.org/news/05082020/inside-clean-energy-sunrun-solar-virtual-power-plant

East Bay Community Energy, Peninsula Clean Energy, and Silicon Valley Clean Energy are providing discounted solar power and battery storage to households and businesses in the Bay Area, which will also send solar power onto the grid, known as a “virtual power plant.” The energy companies plan to also use the batteries to provide more reliability to the grid, lowering the need for natural gas. To incentivize people to join, the company will give out $1000 to every participant that joins. Virtual power systems could make cleaner, decentralized systems of power.

This article describes the greater usage of solar panels that provide greener power to many people in the area, which is important when attempting to reach a greener, less carbon dependent, world. It also showcases a new solution to creating energy that could make power more efficient as a whole, which is important when trying to decrease emissions. In my opinion, this idea is a good step forward in terms of renewable energy. By decentralizing energy, major outages and shut-offs that companies such as PG&E have to perform currently would be removed, as energy would not have to travel as far to be used. Furthermore, communities would pay less for energy as they are providing their own power, rather than using power sourced from miles away.

Los Angeles Times. (2020, August 19). How California can keep the lights on while meeting its clean energy goals. Retrieved August 29, 2020, from https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-08-19/how-california-can-keep-lights-on-while-meeting-clean-energy-goals

This article proposes several ideas that California could do going forward to keep using green energy while preventing future shutoffs. One solution is building many lithium-ion batteries, which can store power and then distribute it at night when solar power is less available. Another solution is to rapidly build solar panels either industrially or on more rooftops, which would create more energy to be used. Lastly, solar energy could be stored long term, being used in emergency situations if necessary.

This article explains different ways that clean energy, especially solar energy, can be used in a more widespread and reliable way. Acknowledging the downsides of solar energy, this article attempts to address ways that could make it a more reliable source. I feel that the proposals the article provides are good solutions to the problems of solar energy, and would be helpful to put into place, as they allow our state to be more efficient and minimize our carbon footprint. 

The Press-Enterprise. (2020, August 30). California has a power supply problem. Retrieved August 30, 2020, from https://www.pe.com/2020/08/30/california-has-a-power-supply-problem/

A blackout that occurred in mid-August is the result of power deficits, due to the failure to ensure that Californians have enough power during this transition. California could not supply enough electricity during the evening, leading to temporary blackouts that prevented a complete crash. The power usage was not excessive and resulted from an inability to stay flexible in terms of using other sources such as gas-fired “peaker” plants. Government organizations would like to continue closing gas plants, but the Public Utilities Commission and ISO would like them to stay open until more reliable sources such as battery banks are developed.

This article emphasizes the importance of making sure that Californians have a sufficient supply of energy before fully switching to solar energy sources. It highlights that as a result of an immediate switch, insufficient amounts of power have been created, leading to the need for flexibility when transitioning from gas to solar power, and to let technology catch up with the goals of the state. I partially agree with this article, as I do agree to an extent that it does take time to fully implement solar energy in a mainstream and successful way. However, I feel that this article underplays the urgency with which climate change is an issue, having a clear bias towards energy groups instead of environmental organizations. I feel that while it is important to take into account the opinions of energy providers, environmental organizations protesting a delay to solar power implies the urgency in which this environmental issue needs to be solved, which this article does little to address.

National Geographic. (2020, August 26). Why renewables aren’t to blame for California’s blackouts. Retrieved August 27, 2020, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/08/why-renewables-arent-reason-california-blackouts/

On August 14 and 15, several blackouts occurred in California due to a major heatwave, which critics connected with California’s reliance on solar energy. Experts, including Steve Berberich, president of the organization in charge of the power grid, argue that climate change triggered the heatwave that created blackouts, and that by switching to renewable energy with the right planning, we will lower the chance of heatwaves occurring. Natural gas that often powers California later in the day failed, meaning not enough power was directed into certain areas after solar panels stopped providing energy at night. More careful preparation is needed to prevent a blackout from occurring again, as well as more storage of renewable energy through lithium-ion batteries.

With the threat of climate change, alternative forms of energy are needed that do not contribute to global warming. However, the right form and way of completely changing our power grid quickly and effectively are needed in order to do this. This article highlights the importance of researching how to plan for such a drastic change, including the importance of developing more technology to store this energy. This article also emphasizes the importance of planning this technology with the expectation of climate change-related effects, such as more heatwaves. Even if this technology is designed to lower the effects of climate change, the article emphasizes the importance of preparing for the worst. I agree with the article’s claim that with the threat of more blackouts, more preparation is needed for the future, and more ways to store renewable energy is necessary, and that the blackouts were unlikely to have been directly the cause of renewable, or solar, energy. It is necessary to continue expanding California’s solar and renewable energy usage, not only to lower the chance of future heatwaves but to also fight climate change as a whole.