Pilots to Encourage Non Residential Ratepayers to Shift to Mid-day Use Okayed

CA Current

• Enviro Groups Try to Head Off Renewable Gas July 14, 2020
  Rejecting the term “renewable natural gas,” two environmental organizations have issued a report calling the fuel both environmentally and financially unsustainable. The Sierra Club and Earthjustice say that using biogas from landfills and dairies, biomass and synthetic gas in place of electrification does “not provide a path to decarbonizing the gas grid in line with […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Breakthroughs for Storage at State, Federal Levels July 14, 2020
  It is proving to be an important time for storage. The California grid operator announced July 13 it has connected the nation’s largest battery array to the grid and that many more megawatts of storage will follow. At the federal level, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals July 10 upheld the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Shorts July 14, 2020
  If elected president this November, Joe Biden said he would spend $2 trillion on a national equitable clean energy plan during his first term.  His plan, announced July 14, would set a 100% clean-electricity standard by 2035. The jobs created by carbon neutral investments would aim to “create pathways for young people and for older […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• NREL Study Calls for Safe Solar Panel Disposal & Critical Material Recovery July 14, 2020
  We’re not far into the age of mega solar, but discarded modules are beginning to stack up, and they contain both rare and toxic materials. By 2050, there could be 80 million metric tons of discarded solar panels, according to a new study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The average life of a PV […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• The Buzz July 10, 2020
  As wildfires spread, the governor increases the state budget to add more than 850 firefighters. Given the double whammy of fire threats and the pandemic, firefighters are directed to take necessary safety steps, including wearing masks and social distancing.  The same rules will apply to those evacuated by the state. How to ensure the financing […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Newsom Beefs Up Fire Fighting Budget, Adds Social Distancing Plan July 10, 2020
  As summer temperatures increase, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the addition of 858 fire fighters in CaFire ranks and six new California Conservation crews. Safety protocols to avoid the spread of Covid-19 will be in place for firefighters and those evacuated. “Even in a challenging budget climate, we have undertaken major action and made significant investments […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Building Electrification Gets Broad Support July 9, 2020
  Struggling Californians make up 40% of the population and suffer a disproportionate share of indoor pollution, principally from gas-fueled appliances. A new report, Towards an Accessible Financing Solution, offers a blueprint for financing strategies to drive the electrification of the homes of low-income people. Currently, home clean energy retrofits are principally reaped by Californians who […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Tribal Focus in Latest $30+M Round of CEC Storage Combination Grants July 9, 2020
  The California Energy Commission continued to award grants to innovative energy storage projects and microgrids, including two novels ones that will use discarded electric vehicle batteries to store solar power. Awards unanimously approved this week, totaling more than $31 million, aim to help ensure California slashes carbon emissions and attains carbon neutrality within 15 years. […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• CA Prepares to Rely More on Microgrids July 8, 2020
  Updated July 8 California is trying to deploy microgrids as fast as possible to prevent blackouts during wildfires and power shutoffs. The push going forward is to find out how to make them pencil out, bring them into the 21st century and make them environmentally friendly. “We have got to get cleaner and quieter backup,” […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Less Demand and Cleaner Options Spell Lower 2019 Costs for CAISO July 7, 2020
  The California Independent System Operator saw a whopping 17% reduction in overall wholesale electricity market costs in 2019 compared to the year before, thanks to energy efficiency, the deployment of small renewables, more hydropower and less natural gas. Total energy costs last year were $8.8 billion, at an average $41 per megawatt-hour, compared to $10.8 […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy