Old Power Gear Is Slowing Use of Clean Energy and Electric Cars

Ms. Garcia and her husband, Quin, bought their home in Portola Valley a little more than a year ago. They invested in solar because Ms. Garcia, a 37-year-old biotech lawyer, and her husband, a venture capitalist, wanted to do their part to fight climate change.

The Garcias are not pioneers. About one out of 10 utility customers in the state have solar power, according to the California Solar and Storage Association.

So, the Garcias were surprised when their utility, Pacific Gas Electric, would not allow them to fully use the panels.

The problem is that on sunny days, rooftop solar panels can produce a lot more electricity than is being used in the neighborhoods where they are installed. That can overload electrical transformers, which help regulate and direct the flow of electricity within a neighborhood, forcing them to shut off or blow up. Such problems can be avoided by installing newer transformers that have greater capacity.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/28/business/energy-environment/electric-grid-overload-solar-ev.html