Yesterday (Sunday, 3/23) the six-state New England electric grid set a record for largest production by utility – i.e., front-of-meter – solar (866 MW). Note that ISO-NE considers burning trash and burning wood for power as renewables, so it’s not the same as carbon-free. That figure doesn’t include behind-the-meter (i.e., rooftop) solar, which ISO-NE estimates. We had more than 6,000 MW of it on Sunday – for a few hours, in other words, solar produced electricity equal to five or six Seabrook Stations. You can see the records here.
Sunday also set a record for highest percentage of renewable energy (46%). Note that ISO-NE considers burning trash and wood as renewable – which it is – so that’s not equivalent to carbon-free energy percentage.
It’s not surprising that we’re breaking these records right now because solar electronics likes cool temperatures, so a sunny day in early spring is like a steroid shot. Sunday is usually the lowest-demand day of the week, which boosts the percentage-of-renewables.
In the scheme of things 866 MW of utility solar isn’t much – the region can use as much as 22,000 MW of electricity in mid-summer – but at least it’s increasing. A year ago we set a then-record of 688 MW.
If only offshore wind was part of the picture. The turbine problems at Vineyard Wind was a real blow since it stymied them right before Trump’s pointless anti-wind crusade strangled this 21st-century industry.
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