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Good morning!
I want to share with you this interesting article I found this week about energy consumption and sources. It came from the group called Truth in Energy and Climate. Here is a short summary of the article:
Solar panels produce power when the sun is shining, but output drops sharply during cloudy weather, at night, and during early morning or evening hours. This mismatch creates a problem known as the "duck curve" (pictured below)—a steep drop in solar production during peak demand hours, typically from 5 to 9 p.m.
California, for example, with 1.8 million rooftop solar systems and a mandate requiring solar on all new homes, regularly produces too much power during daylight hours. They sometimes pay neighboring states to take the excess electricity just to protect their grid. Ratepayers cover the cost. Then, as solar production falls off, traditional sources like natural gas and coal must quickly ramp up to meet demand.
Nuclear energy, which runs continuously except during brief maintenance periods, helps stabilize the grid. But the growing imbalance caused by solar requires serious attention.
This was insightful to read, and quite alarming as well. It is exactly why energy policy must balance renewables with reliability. Solar power has its place, but it does not work when people need it most. Early mornings, evenings, and bad weather all reduce or eliminate solar output. That creates serious challenges, known as the duck curve.
States like California are now dealing with the results of over-relying on solar. They often produce too much during the day and pay other states to take the excess. Then they still need to fire up coal, gas, or nuclear as the sun sets. It is inefficient and expensive, and their ratepayers cover the cost.
Minnesota should learn from this. We need a balanced energy mix that includes constant, reliable sources like nuclear and natural gas. Relying on one option alone is not a serious strategy.
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