LIZ KREUTZ: In recent years the amount of renewable energy curtailed, most of it solar, has skyrocketed, both from oversupply and so-called congestion, when there's more electricity than the transmission lines in some areas can handle. So far this year the state has already lost out on nearly 2.6 million megawatt hours of renewable electricity, more than enough to power all the households in San Francisco for a year. To solve the problem, Governor Gavin Newsom's administration has been pushing to add more batteries to store that excess energy. And state regulators have taken a more controversial approach, drastically cutting financial incentives for homeowners looking to install solar.
ED MURRAY: Before we used to have people clamoring to put solar on.
KREUTZ: Ed Murray, who operates Aztec Solar outside Sacramento, says the impact has been devastating for his business. He's laid off ten employees over the last year.
MURRAY: We were left figuring out how- what do we do now.
KREUTZ: Since the changes, there's been a 66% drop in residential solar installations and an estimated 17,000 green jobs lost statewide. To make it cost-effective, homeowners now need to install batteries in addition to solar panels. But that can cost an additional $10,000 to $20,000 or more. In a statement, Governor Newsom defended the state's policies saying in part "No other state in America comes close to California's solar production, and now we're adding more batteries faster than ever to help capture that energy to use at night."
Do you think California will be able to meet its 2045 clean energy goal?
MURRAY: Absolutely not. No way we're going to get there without rooftop solar.
KREUTZ: New challenges casting a shadow on the path to a renewable future. Liz Kreutz, NBC News, Folsom, California.
