California Sunshine Yields Ample Daytime Power, Some Wasted

(AP) - California is producing so much solar-powered electricity during daytime hours that some plants are shutting down until demand picks up later in the day.

The Press-Enterprise reports Sunday that more than 300,000 megawatt hours of solar and wind power were curtailed last year due to plummeting electricity prices during these times.

The California Independent System Operator says the energy could have powered about 45,000 California homes for a year.

Last year, the state's control grid got nearly 12 percent of electricity from solar plants, up from 9 percent in 2015.

Officials say the situation will likely continue as more solar plants come online. They are considering buying and selling power from neighboring states to spread out the daytime solar surge.

Utilities are also moving toward time-of-use pricing for homes.