California Grid Hit Record Solar Peak
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The Californian power grid hit a record peak of solar generation on June 8, according to Stephanie McCorkle, Director of Communications of the California Independent System Operator, with 849 megawatts of solar generation on the system.
McCorkie noted, in a conversation with Greentech Media, that “the solar record would continue to be broken as the days get longer” (moving towards the summer solstice).
McCorkle explained, “With solar, you have a gradual ramp with a peak when you need it at AC [air conditioning] rush hour,” adding that “solar is a nice peaking resource” without the fluctuations of wind power.
This comes on the back of an announcement made by Germany’s renewable energy organisation that stated that “under a cloudless sky” on May 25, German solar generation reached 22,000 megawatts, which amounts to approximately half of Germany’s peak afternoon load, depending on the time of year.
Dr. Norbert Allnoch of the IWR noted that there is no other country on earth with solar plants capable of producing over 20,000 megawatts of electricity.
Also, for those interested, the cumulative amount of solar installed in the U.S. at the end of Q1 2012 was 4.943 gigawatts, according to GTM Research.
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