>>22133165

Solar power glut boosts California electric bills. Other states reap the benefits

Green energy paid for by California electricity customers is sent away, lowering bills for residents of other states.

California is making so much solar energy that large commercial operators are increasingly forced to stop production, raising questions about the state’s costly plan to shift entirely to carbon-free sources of electricity.

In the past 12 months, California’s solar farms have curtailed production of more than 3 million megawatt hours of solar energy, either on the orders of the state’s grid operator or because prices had plummeted because of the glut, according to an analysis of data by The Los Angeles Times.

That’s enough to power 518,000 California homes for a year, based on average electricity usage.

The amount of curtailed solar power has more than doubled from 1.5 million megawatt hours in 2021, state records show, and is up eight times from levels in 2017.

The waste would have been even larger if California had not paid utilities in other states to take the excess solar energy, documents from the state’s grid operator show. That means green energy paid for by California electricity customers is sent away, lowering bills for residents of other states.

Arizona’s largest public utility reaped $69 million in savings last year by buying from the market California created to get rid of its excess solar power. The utility returned that money to its customers as a credit on their bills.

Also reaping profits are electricity traders, including banks and hedge funds.

The increasing oversupply of solar power has created a situation where energy traders can buy the excess at prices so low they become negative, said energy consultant Gary Ackerman, the former executive director of the Western Power Trading Forum. That means the solar plant is paying the traders to take it.

“This is all being underwritten by California ratepayers,” Ackerman said.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/12/02/solar-power-glut-boosts-california-electric-bills-other-states-reap-the-benefits/

>>22133165

‘Defund the police’ activist goes viral after begging for help when everything she owned was stolen in San Francisco: ‘The cops didn’t do s—!’

When thieves made off with Darcie Bell’s rented U-Haul truck, the San Francisco woman put out a call for help on X: “If you see a 26 foot uhaul truck with the Arizona plate AL50003- would you let me know because it had like everything I own on it.”

The post went viral, but not for the reason she hoped for. Bell spent years posting left-wing “defund the police” views — and users across the site blasted and mocked the activist.

“Anti Police activist begs the police to help,” jeered the X account Bay State of Mind, which comments on San Francisco Bay Area politics.

Tom Wolf, an addiction recovery advocate who has nearly 30,000 followers, posted a screenshot of a previous post in which Bell blasts the San Francisco Police, alongside a screenshot of her recent plea.

“Shot. Chaser.” the caption reads.

Bell – who goes by Jerque Cousteau on X with a bio saying “will respond to all bad faith arguments w/ad hominem attacks” — is returning fire.

Mere hours after she filed a police report, she blasted the police for not immediately locating her stolen possessions.

“I haven’t found my s—! The cops didn’t do s—! U-Haul made me file a f—ing police report!” she told The Post.

“There’s cameras all over this city. They haven’t done s—! … I just want my stuff back!”

https://nypost.com/2024/12/08/us-news/anti-cop-activist-begs-cops-for-help-when-everything-she-owned-was-stolen-in-san-francisco/