Inside Energy (https://insideenergy.org/series/the-solar-challenge/page/3/)
Dan Boyce and 
Jordan Wirfs-Brock | In this series, Inside Energy reporters Dan Boyce and Jordan Wirfs-Brock examine how solar energy, particularly rooftop solar panels, are changing the way electricity is delivered in the U.S.
Jordan Wirfs-Brock | As rooftop solar becomes more affordable, tensions have grown between electric utility companies and residents. Why? A widespread policy called net metering, which requires utilities to purchase back power generated by their customers’ solar panels, is nibbling at utility company’s bottom lines.
Dan Boyce | The cost of solar is falling rapidly – down 60 percent in just the last three years. Good for the environment and good for your pocketbook–but many traditional utilities are worried about what this trend could do to their business model.
Jordan Wirfs-Brock | This database chronicles 15 years of power outages in the U.S. The numbers show a startling increase in the number of outages, blamed on an outdated grid, aging infrastructure, and an increase in extreme weather events.
Jordan Wirfs-Brock | Between 2000 and 2014, the number of reported power outages – including weather-related outages – rose across the entire country. Why? An aging infrastructure, combined with a growing population and more frequent extreme weather, are straining the electric grid.
Dan Boyce | The increasing use of solar energy – a form of “distributed energy” – is fundamentally changing the way Americans get their electricity. In the first of a three-part series on The Solar Challenge, we examine how solar microgrids could help communities adapting to climate change.
Water use curtailments in California may impact energy production
