Before the U.S. electric grid became centralized under utilities and independent system operators, it consisted of unorganized and unconnected generators. As distributed energy resources (DERs) – such as rooftop solar, energy storage, and other generation sources beyond large power plants – find their way into (and onto) more homes and businesses, it’s clear the grid’s… Keep reading →
As California races towards a clean energy future, not only do we need new aggressive goals for all sectors, but we also need to rethink how we manage distributed energy resources, like rooftop solar and customer side energy storage. This is particularly true for one such resource, energy efficiency. Two weeks ago, the California legislature… Keep reading →
California’s “big three” utilities are taking important steps toward achieving a clean energy future – one in which we will better utilize renewable sources of energy, give customers more choice and control, and keep the state on course to cut pollution. One way they are doing this is through Distribution Resource Plans (DRPs). Signed into state… Keep reading →
A groundbreaking, just-filed blueprint to bring distributed solar, batteries, EVs and more into billion-dollar grid investment plans. Two years ago, California told its three big investor-owned utilities to do something they’ve never done before — make distributed energy resources (DERs for short) a fundamental part of their billion-dollar distribution grid investment plans. Under state law… Keep reading →
The state’s solar future can’t rely on a flawed modeling platform, say those who’ve tried to use it. California’s attempt to rework its solar regulations could be stymied by a flawed and ineffective software planning tool meant to model the cost-effectiveness of proposed policies to replace the state’s current net metering regime. That’s the stunning… Keep reading →
Clean energy advocates in California were pretty excited two months ago when an administrative law judge told state utilities regulators they should look for preferred alternatives to approving a power purchase agreement for power from a new natural gas-fired plant in San Diego County. Alternatives like renewable energy, storage, efficiency and demand response. “This is a huge reversal… Keep reading →
Flattened tiers, minimum bills and time-of-use pricing are coming. This week, California utility regulators issued a long-awaited proposal to reform the complex, multi-tiered rate structures for residential customers of the state’s big three investor-owned utilities. And as solar advocates expected, it contains some good news and some bad news for the economics of customer-owned net-metered… Keep reading →
The “performance-based” utility regulation could set stage for modernization efforts like those underway in California and New York. Colorado’s state legislature is seeking to follow the lead of states like California, New York, Hawaii and Massachusetts in revamping its utility regulations to better serve for a more distributed, customer-empowered energy future. Colorado House Bill 1250… Keep reading →
Is this decision a calling card for the post-Peevey CPUC? The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) made a proposed decision on Friday that denied approval of a new gas-fired power plant in the coastal Southern California city of Carlsbad. According to the PUC, approval for the plant was denied because the utility, San Diego Gas… Keep reading →
But a former Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspector disagrees. An advanced seismic study conducted by utility PG&E to determine the safety of California’s Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant has found that the facility is “designed to withstand and perform [its] safety functions during and after a major seismic event.” The Central Coastal California Seismic Imaging Projectreport was submitted to the Nuclear… Keep reading →
