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Don’t waste our solar power
It’s springtime – the season of green hills, orange poppies, songbirds and solar power.
The California Energy Commission reports that in 2024, solar met 23% of the state’s electrical energy demand. The fraction provided by solar in the spring is much higher, peaking on June 21 during the summer solstice.
During this period, electrical loads are low (not much air conditioning), creating an imbalance in overall grid electrical supply and demand. This results in wasted green energy, or solar curtailment (solar panels disconnected because there is too much power).
In March 2025, the California Independent System Operator reported 857 GWh of solar energy was curtailed due to oversupply in portions of the grid. That’s enough energy to power 140,000 California homes for a year.
How can we help prevent wasting green energy? You may be able to reschedule some of your electrical loads to better match solar generation. For example, charge cars and batteries or run major appliances between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the spring and fall when there’s plenty of solar power and low system loads.
In contrast, try to avoid usage from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. when solar generation is decreasing and grid electrical loads peak.
You can track real time and historical renewable generation and electrical loads on CAISO’s website at www.caiso.com.
You can find more energy saving tips on our website and learn about time-of-day energy rates on PG&E’s and Ava Community Energy’s sites. If you live in Livermore, you can sign up for an online energy audit at livermoreresilienthub.com. In Dublin sign up at dublinclimatechallenge.org. Pleasanton does not yet participate in such a program.
– Tom Edmunds, co-chair, Tri-Valley Air Quality Climate Alliance
Empowering students through service and STEM
High school students across the Bay Area are often eager to volunteer and explore careers in science, technology, medicine and research, but many struggle to find meaningful opportunities that allow them to make a real impact.
To address this gap, we founded the Vidhai Foundation, a student-led nonprofit started by students from Brentwood and Pleasanton that connects young people with community service and STEM learning opportunities. In just a short time, more than 180 students have joined our network of volunteers and participants.
Through our programs, students collaborate on projects in public health, technology, research and civic engagement while earning volunteer hours and developing real-world skills.
Some of our initiatives include building a youth mental health resource website, crocheting newborn hospital shoes and warm beanies for senior citizens to support hospitals and care centers, organizing technology meetups with the DataRiders tech community (around 5,000 members), mentoring students interested in academic research and running public health awareness campaigns.
Our goal is simple: empower students to use their talents to serve their communities while developing skills that prepare them for future careers in science, medicine and technology.
We hope more students across the Tri-Valley and East Contra Costa areas will join us in creating a culture of youth leadership, service and innovation.
— Sadhana Arivoli, founder, Vidhai Foundation
