California prepares for energy shortfalls in hot, dry summer
2 years, 7 months ago

California prepares for energy shortfalls in hot, dry summer

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California likely will have an energy shortfall equivalent to what it takes to power about 1.3 million homes when use is at its peak during the hot and dry summer months, state officials said Friday. They represented the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Energy Commission, and the California Independent System Operator, which manages the state’s energy grid. In August 2020, amid extreme heat, the California Independent System Operator ordered utilities to temporarily cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers. Southern California Edison, another major utility, is working to procure more power, complete its own battery storage project and incentivize customers to use less energy, spokesman David Song said.

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History of this topic

Solar power glut boosts California electric bills. Other states reap the benefits
1 month ago

Solar power glut boosts California electric bills. Other states reap the benefits

LA Times  

California is making so much solar energy that large commercial operators are increasingly forced to stop production, raising questions about the state’s costly plan to shift entirely to carbon-free sources of electricity. The waste would have been even larger if California had not paid utilities in other states to take the excess solar energy, documents from the state’s grid operator …

Editorial: Californians need electric bill relief. Lawmakers failed to deliver it
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Editorial: Californians need electric bill relief. Lawmakers failed to deliver it

LA Times  

In this Dec. 16, 2017, file photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, flames burn near power lines in Sycamore Canyon near West Mountain Drive in Montecito. Californians already pay some of the nation’s highest electricity rates, and thanks to another year of inaction by state lawmakers there is still no end in sight to the steep hikes …

Editorial: Californians don’t have to accept skyrocketing electric bills. Here’s how to fight back
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Editorial: Californians don’t have to accept skyrocketing electric bills. Here’s how to fight back

LA Times  

Fast-rising electric rates have the potential to be the Achilles’ heel of California’s climate goals. Much of the recent debate over electric rates has focused on the California Public Utilities Commission’s May 9 decision to shift the way electricity bills are charged to customers served by investor-owned utilities. Lawmakers must address rising costs next to protect cash-strapped Californians and prevent …

Boiling Point: Six months until November, climate change looms large
7 months ago

Boiling Point: Six months until November, climate change looms large

LA Times  

Actor Jane Fonda, at center in red coat, rallies at the White House in 2019 to protest the Trump administration’s inaction on climate change, as part of her “Fire Drill Fridays.” We’ve got six years to cut global carbon pollution nearly in half — and less than six months until a presidential election that could have long-lasting consequences for whether …

Editorial: High electric bills threaten California’s clean future. This plan would help
8 months, 1 week ago

Editorial: High electric bills threaten California’s clean future. This plan would help

LA Times  

A flat-rate proposal by the state Public Utilities Commission would be a small but important step away from purely consumption-based electricity rates that effectively punish customers for switching to electric cars and appliances. But there’s a proposal by the California Public Utilities Commission that would ease the burden by changing the way customers of the state’s big three investor-owned utilities …

How hard is it to develop California’s electric grid of the future? Like repairing a car while driving
10 months, 3 weeks ago

How hard is it to develop California’s electric grid of the future? Like repairing a car while driving

LA Times  

Developing California’s grid of the future includes significant challenges, but the state’s clean energy goals can be reached and the power system will be more reliable, a top California grid executive says. The chief operating officer for the California Independent System Operator — which manages the electric grid for about 80% of the state — says California’s ambitious clean energy …

Opinion: Here is one way California can end its rooftop solar wars
11 months, 1 week ago

Opinion: Here is one way California can end its rooftop solar wars

LA Times  

California needs to accelerate rooftop solar deployment, not constrain it. Because California has long been a leader in rooftop solar policy, the commission’s decisions may be imperiling rooftop solar elsewhere: Last month, Hawaii instituted similar cuts to its incentives. Without incentives, though, it doesn’t make financial sense for most Californians to install rooftop solar, meaning we all get less of …

Editorial: Solar installations are plummeting and California regulators are to blame
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Editorial: Solar installations are plummeting and California regulators are to blame

LA Times  

Solar Optimum installer Marat Poghosyan carries a solar panel on the roof of a home in Brea on June 15. California’s rooftop solar industry has declined dramatically since state regulators slashed consumer incentives, according to industry and utility data. That’s when the PUC’s changes to the net energy metering program took effect, slashing the compensation new solar customers receive for …

Here are all the climate and environment bills that California just passed
1 year, 3 months ago

Here are all the climate and environment bills that California just passed

LA Times  

This story was originally published in Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment. New support for clean energy: Assembly Bill 1373 — which could help get California’s first offshore wind farms built, and maybe some clean geothermal power plants too, by allowing the state to sign long-term contracts to buy electricity from those facilities — was approved. …

California is going big on offshore wind. That’s good for climate, but not enough
1 year, 3 months ago

California is going big on offshore wind. That’s good for climate, but not enough

LA Times  

This story was originally published in Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment. Gavin Newsom announced a deal with legislative leaders that could prompt construction of California’s first offshore wind farms — an expensive but valuable resource that researchers have found can play a key role in reaching 100% clean energy. He described the legislation — along …

California has new weapons to battle summer blackouts: Battery storage, power from record rain
1 year, 4 months ago

California has new weapons to battle summer blackouts: Battery storage, power from record rain

LA Times  

An aircraft takes off from Los Angeles International Airport behind electric power lines at sunset It’s a summertime sequence that’s become all too familiar in California: Extreme heat forces air conditioners into overdrive, which pushes the state’s power grid to the brink. “In general, we’re doing better this summer because we have better hydro, we have more batteries.” Since last …

Two weeks until California slashes rooftop solar incentives
1 year, 8 months ago

Two weeks until California slashes rooftop solar incentives

LA Times  

This story originally published in Boiling Point, a weekly newsletter about climate change and the environment. It’s been nearly a decade since California lawmakers ordered the state’s Public Utilities Commission to revamp a rooftop solar incentive program called net metering. Gavin Newsom’s appointees on the Public Utilities Commission, who said one of their goals in lowering incentive payments for standalone …

California lowers incentives for rooftop solar panels
2 years ago

California lowers incentives for rooftop solar panels

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California utility regulators on Thursday approved major changes to the state’s booming rooftop solar market that they say will more evenly spread the cost of energy and help reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels in the evening. That’s led to criticism that rooftop solar customers aren’t paying their fair share into the rest of the energy …

California just slashed rooftop solar incentives. What happens next?
2 years ago

California just slashed rooftop solar incentives. What happens next?

LA Times  

California sharply reduced incentive payments for rooftop solar power Thursday, taking a sledgehammer to a program that helped 1.5 million homes and businesses put solar panels on their roofs and made the state a leader in fighting the climate crisis. Solar installers and clean energy activists call that argument flawed, saying the technology’s benefits — including less air pollution in …

California’s epic heat wave is over. Here’s what we learned
2 years, 3 months ago

California’s epic heat wave is over. Here’s what we learned

LA Times  

This is the Sept. 15, 2022, edition of Boiling Point, a weekly newsletter about climate change and the environment in California and the American West. The panelists included several government officials charged with solving these problems, including Marty Adams, general manager of the L.A. Department of Water and Power; Stacey Crowley of the California Independent System Operator, which operates the …

Op-Ed: California’s giant new batteries kept the lights on during the heat wave
2 years, 3 months ago

Op-Ed: California’s giant new batteries kept the lights on during the heat wave

LA Times  

Cubes at the Kearny Energy Storage battery project in San Diego help to smooth the spikes and dips of supply and demand in California’s electric grid. For the record: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that batteries contributed 50 megawatts on average to California’s grid during two peak hours of an August 2020 heat wave. During a critical …

Heatwave pushes California’s energy grid to its limits
2 years, 3 months ago

Heatwave pushes California’s energy grid to its limits

Al Jazeera  

California is facing the possibility of blackouts as a brutal heatwave pushes demand on the western US state’s energy grid beyond previous records, prompting authorities to urge residents to limit their electricity usage. Learn how to keep your family safe at https://t.co/Ynl3VCdFFD pic.twitter.com/IO2MwZQId7 — National Weather Service September 6, 2022 Along with some power imported from out of state, California’s …

Chance of California power outages up as heat wave worsens
2 years, 3 months ago

Chance of California power outages up as heat wave worsens

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s chance of power outages will grow in the coming days, as the state prepares to enter the most brutal stretch yet of an ongoing heat wave, officials said Sunday. Grid managers have several options available before power outages, like tapping backup generators, buying more power from other states and using so-called demand response programs, where people …

Climate drama is far from over in Congress — and California
2 years, 4 months ago

Climate drama is far from over in Congress — and California

LA Times  

This is the Aug. 11, 2022, edition of Boiling Point, a weekly newsletter about climate change and the environment in California and the American West. It’s been 126 years since Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius concluded that greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels could cause Earth’s temperature to rise; 53 years since Daniel Patrick Moynihan, when he was an advisor …

To avoid blackouts, California may tap fossil fuel plants
2 years, 5 months ago

To avoid blackouts, California may tap fossil fuel plants

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Looking to avoid power blackouts, California may turn to the one energy source it’s otherwise desperate to get rid of: fossil fuels. Newsom said in a signing statement that he would direct state agencies to “ensure clean energy resources are prioritized over fossil fuels.” Sen. Henry Stern, a Democrat from Los Angeles County, said while the bill …

California passes polarizing energy bill that could help rescue gas plants
2 years, 5 months ago

California passes polarizing energy bill that could help rescue gas plants

LA Times  

This is the June 30, 2022, edition of Boiling Point, a weekly newsletter about climate change and the environment in California and the American West. State Sen. Nancy Skinner urged her colleagues to vote for the bill even as she said it includes “things to love and not to love.” It was a similar story in the other chamber, where …

California drought: Officials worry there’s not enough water to get through summer without cuts
2 years, 7 months ago

California drought: Officials worry there’s not enough water to get through summer without cuts

CNN  

CNN — As Southern Californians brace for unprecedented water restrictions, officials worry some communities won’t have enough water to get through the summer – at least not without residents and businesses significantly cutting back on their usage. “Climate change is accelerating in alarming ways and faster than scientists predicted even 10 or 20 years ago and that means we have …

Is California doing enough on climate? We asked the new CPUC chief
2 years, 9 months ago

Is California doing enough on climate? We asked the new CPUC chief

LA Times  

This is the March 17, 2022, edition of Boiling Point, a weekly newsletter about climate change and the environment in California and the American West. I know you can’t say a lot about rooftop solar incentives, since the net metering incentive program is the subject of an active commission proceeding. ME: One area where California has lagged behind other states …

Editorial: California isn’t on pace to meet its climate targets. Here are 3 ways to cut pollution faster
3 years ago

Editorial: California isn’t on pace to meet its climate targets. Here are 3 ways to cut pollution faster

LA Times  

Solar panels seen at California at Buchanan High School in Clovis. Strengthen zero-emission vehicle rules and incentives Transportation remains California’s largest source of planet-warming pollution, but the switch to zero-emission vehicles isn’t happening fast enough to meet the state’s goals to reduce emissions and end sales of gas-powered models by 2035. Get more renewable electricity online, fast The power sector …

Editorial: Don’t slash incentives for California rooftop solar
3 years ago

Editorial: Don’t slash incentives for California rooftop solar

LA Times  

A crew with the nonprofit GRID Alternatives installs rooftop solar panels at a home in Watts in June. Sweeping changes being sought by utility companies and their allies would make going solar more expensive for regular people and undermine the nation’s largest, most robust rooftop market. Reaching California’s clean-energy goals and confronting climate change will require both large-scale solar farms …

Should California make solar more expensive? Inside the climate justice battle
3 years, 1 month ago

Should California make solar more expensive? Inside the climate justice battle

LA Times  

Parakeets and lovebirds were chirping in Marta Patricia Martinez’s frontyard as a crew of solar installers climbed onto her roof. “We will fall horribly short of our clean energy goals if we kill the rooftop solar market,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar & Storage Assn. Building lots of rooftop solar “makes it easier and cheaper.” …

Hydropower decline adds strain to power grids in drought
3 years, 2 months ago

Hydropower decline adds strain to power grids in drought

Associated Press  

ST. LOUIS — After water levels at a California dam fell to historic lows this summer, the main hydropower plant it feeds was shut down. Severe drought across the West drained reservoirs this year, slashing hydropower production and further stressing the region’s power grids. “Hydro is a big part of the plan for making the whole system work together,” said …

Thousands of Californians could lose power to prevent wildfire
3 years, 4 months ago

Thousands of Californians could lose power to prevent wildfire

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thousands of Californias are likely to lose power amid a service shutdown to prevent a …

As fires burns, California moves faster on climate — maybe
3 years, 5 months ago

As fires burns, California moves faster on climate — maybe

LA Times  

This is the July 22, 2021, edition of Boiling Point, a weekly newsletter about climate change and the environment in California and the American West. For the Air Resources Board, that will mean using next year’s edition of its twice-a-decade climate “scoping plan” to work through the feasibility of carbon neutrality by 2035. Meanwhile, KPCC’s Sharon McNary explains how Acton, …

California just hit 95% renewable energy. Will other states come along for the ride?
3 years, 7 months ago

California just hit 95% renewable energy. Will other states come along for the ride?

LA Times  

This is the April 29, 2021, edition of Boiling Point, a weekly newsletter about climate change and the environment in California and the American West. It’s amazing,” said Elliot Mainzer, president and CEO of the California Independent System Operator, which runs the state’s main power grid. Mainzer’s grid operator recently urged the California Public Utilities Commission to order electric companies …

California heat, poor planning led to August power outages
3 years, 11 months ago

California heat, poor planning led to August power outages

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Energy regulators on Wednesday blamed blackouts last summer that affected hundreds of thousands of Californians on poor planning, electrical market problems and an extreme heat wave that blanketed the West. California was sweltering under a “historic” heat wave, with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal affecting 32 million residents and the temperature didn’t cool off much …

California is scrambling to avoid blackouts. Your refrigerator could help
3 years, 11 months ago

California is scrambling to avoid blackouts. Your refrigerator could help

LA Times  

Sometime next summer, there’s a decent chance a heat wave will bake the American West, and California’s power grid will again be stretched to its limits. Subscribe Officials at the commission and the California Independent System Operator say they’re optimistic about so-called virtual power plants that string together hundreds or thousands of batteries, as well as “flexible demand” programs that …

Power outage in California as 'strongest wind event' raises danger for fire spread
4 years, 1 month ago

Power outage in California as 'strongest wind event' raises danger for fire spread

India TV News  

California wildfires have led to a major power outage in the fire-weary state as the authorities shut power to prevent the chance of their equipment sparking wildfires amid dry and windy weather. “We’re trying to find ways to make the events less difficult.” The National Weather Service issued red-flag warnings for much of the state, predicting winds of up to …

Q&A: California’s new electricity-blackout challenge
4 years, 4 months ago

Q&A: California’s new electricity-blackout challenge

Associated Press  

BERKELEY, Calif. — As if the pandemic and economic recession weren’t bad enough, millions of Californians now face recurring threats of abrupt blackouts during a heat wave in the nation’s most populous state. California’s Independent System Operator, a nonprofit agency that manages the state’s power supply, ordered utilities to impose temporary blackouts for the first time in 19 years last …

California’s power grid is buckling under extreme heatwave
4 years, 4 months ago

California’s power grid is buckling under extreme heatwave

Al Jazeera  

In the past 72 hours, California has declared two grid emergencies and started first rolling blackouts since 2001. In the past 72 hours, the state has declared two grid emergencies and instituted the first rolling blackouts since the 2001 energy crisis to protect a system strained by people blasting air conditioners and power plants tripping offline. @NWSVegas pic.twitter.com/gZNBW4NXI4 — NWS …

California blackouts are Public Utilities Commission’s fault, grid operator says
4 years, 4 months ago

California blackouts are Public Utilities Commission’s fault, grid operator says

LA Times  

Power lines carry electricity away from the gas-fired power plant in Redondo Beach in 2019. California’s power grid operator delivered a blistering rebuke Monday to the state’s Public Utilities Commission, blaming the agency for rotating power outages — the first since the 2001 energy crisis — and warning of bigger blackouts to come. In their first public comments since the …

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