Main Feature
Governor’s Energy Advisor is New CPUC President
Marybel Batjer, outgoing California Public Utilities Commission president, is being replaced Dec. 31 by Alice Reynolds, who is the Senior Advisor to the Governor for Energy. She was rumored to be the pick for months.
Big Bucks Heading to EV Chargers and Refueling Stations
The same day the federal $1.2 billion Infrastructure package was signed into law that includes $7.5 billion for EV stations, the California Energy Commission approved a huge increase in its clean transportation investment plan, with a focus on charging stations for trucks and buses to reduce diesel pollution in overburdened communities.
Sempra Energy’s Earnings Plummet
Like California’s other two investor-owned utilities and parent companies, Sempra Energy’s latest earnings also were in the red, not from wildfire liability but from the huge methane leak at subsidiary SoCalGas’ Aliso Canyon storage field. A $1.13 billion settlement that includes most of the plaintiffs resulted in a loss for Sempra of $651 […]
SCE Emergency Big Battery Project May Be a Gamechanger
Southern California Edison just announced it is procuring 537.5 MW of battery energy storage to be online mid-summer, a move that could accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels to using clean energy to provide reliability.
This would be “a significant benchmark in our transition to a carbon-free electric system,” Center for Energy Efficiency […]
Distributed Batteries Reach 700+ MW, But Much More Needed
Battery systems installed at California homes and businesses now total 721 megawatts, with roughly 70% percent of them, about 42,000 systems, charged by clean electricity connected to rooftop solar. That’s according to an Oct. 26 report by the California Solar and Storage Association.
The report says collectively the emissions-free systems comprise the largest battery in […]
Natural Gas Prices Spike, Solar and Wind Buildout Continues
Meteorologists are forecasting a warmer winter across much of the United States, which often leads to slack demand for natural gas. But this year, increased exports of liquefied natural gas are driving up the price of the fuel, according to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff. Global global demand for LNG exports has increased 21% increase compared to last winter.