The Buzz

It’s big news for large and small battery storage this week.

Southern California Edison announces it is buying 537 MW of batteries that it hopes to install at three substations by next August. This emergency purchase may give utility storage a leg up.

On the distributed battery front, there are more than 60,000 systems representing 721 MW, with 70% connected to solar. Storage advocates say the state needs to increase its support of behind-the-meter storage to lower costs because massive increases in batteries are needed to decarbonize the state.

The more than $100 million in California Public Utility Commission R&D funds spent to advance clean efficient new technologies will be undermined if climate destructive gases from refrigerants are not slashed. Energy agency officials also warn that grid inadequacies are hampering  the electrification of homes and vehicles.

Congressional Democrats haul the heads of four oil majors before the Oversight Committee, slamming them for hollow climate rhetoric. The committee analysis points to company lobbying that focuses on cutting taxes not greenhouse gases.

Meanwhile,  the California Public  Utilities Commission weighs whether to include up to 800 MW of gas-fueled power in its mandate for 11.5 GW of emissions-free resources by mid-decade.

The atmospheric river that let loose in Northern and Central California causes 851,000 PG&E customers to lose power.

And more…