{"id":12210,"date":"2018-05-11t15:01:52","date_gmt":"2018-05-11t15:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/how-solar-could-change-the-future-of-the-american-grid\/"},"modified":"2018-05-11t15:01:52","modified_gmt":"2018-05-11t15:01:52","slug":"solar-future-grid-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/solar-future-grid-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"how solar could change the future of the american grid"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>by shelby fleig<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>washington \u2014 solar power is now the third most popular renewable energy source, behind water and wind, according to a new report by the u.s. energy information administration.<\/p>\n<p>the latest example of its continued growth came on may 9,&nbsp;when the california energy commission voted unanimously to require builders to install solar power systems on all new homes. as the american power grid grapples with aging infrastructure, cybersecurity threats and a reliance on fossil fuels, solar offers homeowners a cheaper and cleaner option, according to supporters of the law.<\/p>\n<p>commissioner andrew mcallister said the \u201cmodestly sized\u201d solar systems will be designed based on the needs at each home to reduce the possibility of creating wasted energy. homeowners will be less reliant on the traditional grid, he said, and could further reduce their need by investing in panels with storage capability.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cthe emergence of super-smart photovoltaic systems is expected to enable owners to participate in\u201d the renewable energy markets \u201cthat will strengthen the ability of the grid to help achieve climate change goals,\u201d mcallister said in an email.<\/p>\n<p>if the homes do produce extra solar energy, it could also be transferred directly to the grid, mcallister explained.<\/p>\n<p>however, john twitty, executive director of the transmission access policy study group, told a house subcommittee on may 10 that merging existing and alternative energy sources is a worthy idea, but difficult to implement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cmaking sure it works as it relates to the total grid is one of the challenges today of intermittent resources,\u201d twitty said at the hearing. \u201cwind and solar are wonderful and we\u2019re all trying to figure out ways to harness them properly, but when the wind doesn\u2019t blow or the sun doesn&#8217;t&nbsp;shine, it\u2019s a real challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>rep. kathy castor, d-fla., took it one step further, stressing the importance of non-transmission alternatives, such as solar-powered microgrids that run completely independently of a larger grid.<\/p>\n<p>like california, florida is increasing its commitment to renewables, completing eight solar projects already this year, according to a separate eia report released this week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cnon-transmission alternatives not only have significant environmental benefits but they can help prevent long-term, area-wide blackouts after natural disasters like we saw in texas and florida and puerto rico this summer,\u201d castor said.<\/p>\n<p>the california law \u2013 the first in the u.s. to mandate solar power in building construction \u2013 will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the same amount as eliminating 115,000 gas-powered cars, according to the california energy commission.<\/p>\n<p>homeowners will also save money in the long run, mcallister said. the commission estimates that, based on a 30-year mortgage, residents will pay $40 more each month for the panels, but save $80 each month on heating, cooling, and lighting bills.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cthese standards help to deliver the clean energy and air that californians want,\u201d mcallister said. \u201cnationwide, renewable energy is on the rise. we expect that trend to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>in 2017, solar power generated 77 million megawatt hours, exceeding biomass power \u2014 which involves burning wood, solid waste, and landfill gas \u2014 for the first time. hydropower, the most popular renewable, generated 300 million megawatt hours \u2014 about four times as much as solar.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"solar usage vs. biomass\" height=\"290\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/solar_graphic.png\" \/><figcaption>solar power generated 77 million megawatt hours last year, exceeding biomass power \u2014 which involves burning wood, solid waste, and landfill gas \u2014 for the first time. (source: u.s. energy information association)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>solar power is now the third most popular renewable energy source, behind water and wind, according to a new report&nbsp;by the u.s. energy information administration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9417,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4891],"tags":[188,205,633,1627,1280,10],"storyfest_categories":[],"class_list":["post-12210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-solar","tag-california","tag-community","tag-energy-efficiency","tag-home-solar","tag-renewable","tag-solar-energy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- this site is optimized with the yoast seo plugin v23.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>how solar could change the future of the american grid - planet forward<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/how-solar-could-change-the-future-of-the-american-grid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"how solar could change the future of the american grid - planet forward\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"solar power is now the third most popular renewable energy source, behind water and wind, according to a new report&nbsp;by the u.s. energy information administration.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/how-solar-could-change-the-future-of-the-american-grid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"planet forward\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/planetforward.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-11t15:01:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"medill news service\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@planet_forward\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@planet_forward\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"medill news service\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"article\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/how-solar-could-change-the-future-of-the-american-grid\/#article\",\"ispartof\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/how-solar-could-change-the-future-of-the-american-grid\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"medill news service\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9870afaf5af3533aa2269c37b200e503\"},\"headline\":\"how solar could change the future of the american grid\",\"datepublished\":\"2018-05-11t15:01:52+00:00\",\"datemodified\":\"2018-05-11t15:01:52+00:00\",\"mainentityofpage\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/how-solar-could-change-the-future-of-the-american-grid\/\"},\"wordcount\":561,\"commentcount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"california\",\"community\",\"energy efficiency\",\"home solar\",\"renewable\",\"solar energy\"],\"articlesection\":[\"solar\"],\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"potentialaction\":[{\"@type\":\"commentaction\",\"name\":\"comment\",\"target\":[\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/how-solar-could-change-the-future-of-the-american-grid\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"webpage\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/how-solar-could-change-the-future-of-the-american-grid\/\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/how-solar-could-change-the-future-of-the-american-grid\/\",\"name\":\"how solar could change the future of the american grid - planet forward\",\"ispartof\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#website\"},\"datepublished\":\"2018-05-11t15:01:52+00:00\",\"datemodified\":\"2018-05-11t15:01:52+00:00\",\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"potentialaction\":[{\"@type\":\"readaction\",\"target\":[\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/how-solar-could-change-the-future-of-the-american-grid\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"website\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/\",\"name\":\"planet forward\",\"description\":\"inspiring stories to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网
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