CA Current PDFs

CA Current

• The Buzz July 23, 2021
  Pacific Gas & Electric is going to underground a whopping 10,000 miles of power lines in risky fire territory. It made the announcement several days after informing state regulators it may have ignited the Dixie Wildfire in Butte and Plumas counties, which continues to spread. The price tag will be hefty but putting underground lines […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• PG&E to Underground 10,000 miles of Power Lines July 23, 2021
  As the Dixie wildfire in Butte and Plumas counties linked to a tree falling on a remote Pacific Gas & Electric circuit continued to spread, PG&E announced it was taking the unprecedented step of undergrounding 10,000 miles of power lines in high fire danger areas. It estimates the cost at roughly $15-20 billion. It could […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Studies: Distributed Energy and Efficiency Drive Down Clean Grid Costs July 22, 2021
  Going gang busters on clean, distributed energy will go a long way towards lowering utility bills as California works towards a decarbonized grid. In addition, energy efficiency further increases the savings in and outside the state. Those are findings in two studies released July 22. Adding rooftop and community solar and solar-plus-storage over the next […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• CAISO Launches Initiative to Better Serve Western Grid, Raises Priority Conflicts July 22, 2021
  Under recently approved market changes, the California Independent System Operator seeks to double down to protect reliability in the states of the Western Interconnection it serves while guarding the transition to growing levels of variable and distributed renewables. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved CAISO’s interim market mechanisms in late June to allow more efficient […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Growing Dixie Fire in Feather River Canyon Linked to PG&E Circuit July 21, 2021
  Pacific Gas & Electric told state regulators July 18 that its equipment may have sparked another massive wildfire, this time the ongoing Dixie Fire in the remote Feather River Canyon in Butte and Plumas counties. It started early last week, has burned 60,000 acres, and was only 15% contained as of Tuesday, according to CalFire. […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Community Aggregators Team Up for 732 MW of Clean Energy July 20, 2021
  Two community energy organizations in northern California have gone in together on 732 MW of long-term renewables, including new solar-plus-storage projects, set to come online between 2022 and 2024. Central Coast Community Energy (CCCE) and Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) signed joint contracts ranging from 10 to 20 years. They include 66 MW of wind […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• NREL Software Tool Expedites Clogged Solar Queues, Increases Revenue July 19, 2021
  The rooftop solar industry announced a major step forward in its longstanding effort to bring down project installation costs with a new app that automates the complicated and time-consuming permit application process for rooftop solar and solar-plus-storage. This SolarAPP+ was developed by the U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Early uses have streamlined […]
  Herman Trabish
• CPUC Allows PacifiCorp to Delay Coal Retirement Plan, Eases Economics of Clean Microgrids July 19, 2021
  The California Public Utilities Commission voted without discussion to extend by several months the date by which PacifiCorp must file its plan detailing the retirement of coal plants serving 45,000 California ratepayers. PacifiCorp is a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. At the same July 15 meeting, the CPUC approved waiving a utility standby capacity […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• The Buzz July 16, 2021
  A divided California Public Utilities Commission green lights a $240 million utility electric vehicle charging program to help get the state closer to its 1 million-plus charger target. Two commissioners object, including because they didn’t have time to analyze the newly revised decision that earlier had been pulled off the Thursday agenda. Utility regulators unanimously okay […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Controversial CPUC Vote Approves $80M to Each Utility to Increase EV Chargers July 15, 2021
  On a rare split vote, state utility regulators narrowly approved expediting the three investor-owned utilities ability to spend more ratepayer money on electric transportation infrastructure, this time a total $240 million to ensure there are enough chargers to alleviate the concerns of would-be EV drivers. The state is falling well short of its 2030 goal […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy