CA Current

Gov. Jerry Brown pens legislation to restore money cut by utility regulators from a closure cost settlement agreement for the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in San Luis Obispo County. He approves another measure to lift the cap on direct access to power by businesses in California. Brown also signs numerous other energy-related measures, including […]

The grid operator this week advanced its 2018-19 transmission planning process during a meeting slated for Sept. 20 and 21 that focused heavily on reliability analyses for the various regions of the state’s electrical system. The assessments, said Jeff Billinton, California Independent System Operator manager of regional transmission – north, are based on the California […]

Gov. Jerry Brown Sept. 19 signed a bill to restore funds the California Public Utilities Commission cut from a closure cost settlement agreement for the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in San Luis Obispo County. The next day he signed another measure to expand direct access to power supplies by businesses. SB 1090 will backfill […]

Utility regulators are slated to vote next week on three proposals that could cost ratepayers more than a $1 billion. They include costs in proposed decisions that could advance transportation and integrate more renewable energy into the state’s grid. At its Sept. 27 meeting, the California Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to consider directing Pacific […]

The green bond market is growing exponentially. Predictions are that the world’s green bond market will reach $1 trillion by 2020, at least according to financial representatives at last week’s Global Climate Action Summit. These public and private bonds are used to finance low-carbon infrastructure, including renewable energy projects, green buildings, energy and water efficiency […]

Sempra Energy is selling its non-utility solar energy assets to Consolidated Edison, the San Diego-based company revealed Sept. 20. Sempra also is selling battery energy storage development projects and one wind facility. The total sale will bring it $1.54 billion in cash. The assets included are: Mesquite Solar 2 and 3 in Arizona; Copper Mountain […]

The most hopeful development to emerge from the clatter of announcements made at last week’s Global Climate Action Summit was green financing, both on the divestment and investment fronts. “There has been a 12,000 percent increase in divestments,” said Emily Chew, Managing Director at Manulife Asset Management. To date, 985 institutional investors managing $6.24 trillion […]

West Coast governors pledged to begin incorporating climate resilience into their Pacific Coast Collaborative during last week’s Global Climate Action Summit. The governors said they were focusing on climate adaptation efforts because of the unprecedented wildfires and intensifying climate-fueled natural disasters across the West Coast. “We are already seeing the impact of climate change in […]

Renewable natural gas will begin flowing soon at 25 natural gas vehicle fueling stations owned by SoCal Gas, as well as at six fueling stations in the San Diego area. Renewable gas consists of methane generated in landfills, wastewater treatment plants, food processing, and dairies. Capturing it and using it as fuel for vehicles, power […]

Updated Sept. 19, 2018. Putting his pen where his mouth is, outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown signed numerous bills during the Global Climate Action Summit Sept. 13 that seek to slash greenhouse gases in the state from transportation, buildings and natural gas use. Many, however, are little more than symbolic measures, including codifying existing practices. The […]

Gov. Jerry Brown’s big climate change conference is marked by protests over continued use of fossil fuel. Meanwhile, the state chief celebrates California’s carbon cap-and-trade program as a key element of his legacy on climate change. One-hundred percent is California’s new goal for carbon-free power in 2045 after Sen. Kevin De León’s SB 100 is […]

During the first day of the Sept. 13-14 International Global Climate Action Summit promoted by Gov. Jerry Brown there were clashes inside and outside the hall over continuing fossil fuel use, as well as advancing carbon markets. “Keep fossil fuels in the soil. Honor our next generation,” Kanyon Sayers-Roods, Indian Canyon Muraun Band of Ohlone […]

The allure of developing advanced nuclear power technologies not vulnerable to reactor meltdowns gained ground in the U.S. Senate this week. Bipartisan legislation was introduced to direct the Department of Energy to build a fast neutron-capable research reactor. The bipartisan bill, S. 3422, is sponsored by nine senators, including Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dick Durbin (D-IL), […]

Global warming is increasingly driving energy utility expenditures and could lead to higher utility rates in the years ahead, a key state energy official said Sept. 12. Utilities, said Cliff Rechtschaffen, California Public Utilities Commission member, already are factoring the impacts of global warming into what they seek as revenue requirements in their general rate […]

The day after Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law SB 100—requiring that 100 percent of California’s electricity come from wind, solar and other carbon neutral resources by 2045—the 80-year old governor celebrated a victory lap as he heads toward retirement. He touted the state’s carbon cap-and-trade market during a Sept. 11 conference on carbon pricing. […]

Updated Sept. 12, 2018. A proposed alternate decision on how to handle “exit” charges from investor-owned utilities for community choice aggregation programs and direct access providers is drawing substantial support from consumer advocates and utilities. Community choice aggregators, however, maintain that if the alternate decision by California Public Utilities Commission member Carla Peterman is adopted […]

Lawmakers promised a transparent process for the bill sent to Gov. Jerry Brown dealing with liability for utility-sparked wildfires fueled by multi-year drought, legions of dead and dying trees and higher temperatures. Yet, the final provisions and costs of SB 901 by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) were anything but transparent. Transparent is defined as “free […]

The California Department of Water Resources will cut its greenhouse gas emissions from the power it uses to pump water by 60 below their 1990 levels, its Director Karla Nemeth announced at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco Sept. 13. DWR already has cut its emissions by 50 percent, according to an agency […]

Just a couple days ahead of his Global Climate Action Summit, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation setting a 100 percent carbon-free standard for the state’s electricity sector to be reached by 2045. Sen. Kevin de León’s SB 100 also advances by five years the 50 percent alternative energy mandate from 2030 to 2025 and sets […]

As temperatures climb, geo-engineering solutions to global warming are under heightened discussion, including efforts to sequester carbon from the atmosphere by the forestry and farm management sectors. In addition, high-tech efforts to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and oceans are on the table. The various strategies are outlined in a series of papers by […]