California has a nice problem: It’s producing so much clean solar energy that the state’s electric grid is at capacity, and sometimes beyond. As Vox’s David Roberts reports in his excellent piece about California’s grid headache, it makes good sense to expand the system by interconnecting state-run energy markets. But he also notes, at the… Keep reading →
Electricity markets around the world are transforming from a model where electricity flows one way (from electricity-generating power plants to the customer) to one where customers actively participate as providers of electric services. But to speed this transformation and maximize its environmental and cost benefits, we need to understand how customer actions affect the three… Keep reading →
Methane leaking from pipes before natural gas is delivered to customers can have a large, harmful impact on the climate. This idea was first brought to light in a major scientific paper published in 2012, and supported by numerous papers since. For California, a climate leader, and a state that consumes 10 percent of the… Keep reading →
Yolo County and the City of Davis are joining a growing number of communities in California in buying their own electricity with the hope of getting less expensive energy from greener sources.
A blowout at a natural gas well that gushed uncontrollably for 16 weeks and drove thousands of residents from their Los Angeles homes was plugged on Thursday, a utility said. [The Guardian] Environmentalists are challenging in court a surprise deal in which North Carolina regulators settle decades of suspected groundwater pollution at Duke Energy’s coal… Keep reading →
On January 28, 2016, the California Public Utilities Commission voted in a 3-2 decision to approve a new tariff that preserves net energy metering.
On January 15, 2016, the California Department of Conservation (DOC) issued a notice of intent to propose emergency natural gas storage regulations in response to Governor Brown’s emergency proclamation to address the ongoing natural gas leak at the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility in Los Angeles County. The leak, detected in October 2015, is… Keep reading →
The US navy on Wednesday launched its first carrier strike group powered partly by biofuel a mix made from beef fat, calling it a milestone toward easing the military’s reliance on foreign oil. [The Guardian] California’s attorney general is investigating Exxon Mobil on whether the company lied to the public and shareholders about the risks… Keep reading →
The ongoing leak at the Aliso Canyon natural gas facility owned by Southern California Gas has driven more than 2,000 families from their homes in the Porter Ranch area of Los Angeles and prompted Gov. Brown to declare a state of emergency. It’s dumped an estimated 83 thousand metric tons of methane into the atmosphere… Keep reading →
The single biggest contributor to climate change in California is a blown-out natural gas well more than 8,700ft underground, state authorities and campaign groups have stated. [The Guardian] A new report from Oklahoma’s energy industry is highlighting more bad news resulting from the slide in oil and natural gas prices. [KOCO] A new study says… Keep reading →
