S. David Freeman, who enjoyed a lengthy career in energy, passed away May 12 at the age of 94 following a heart attack. Read MoreFormer SMUD General Manager S. David Freeman Passes Away
Top Stories
- State Faces $54-Billion Shortfall as Another Wildfire and Outage Season Begins
- PG&E Wildfire Victim Voting Period Ends; Judge Denies Conflict-of-Interest Request
- Harvard Researchers Find Link Between COVID-19 Mortality and Air Pollution
- House Moves to Vote on $3-Trillion Pandemic Relief Bill; Veto Threatened
Researchers have developed a novel self-assembling membrane designed to separate carbon dioxide from a mixture of gases, which could be applied to carbon capture and storage. The Newcastle University material uses a small amount of silver in a membrane. The silver is triggered to grow during… Read MoreQuick Bites: Energy News Roundup
Natural gas usage for power demand has been up significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and analysts say it will be critical to meeting climate goals on the California grid for years to come, although over decades its presence will wane. Read MoreNatural Gas Usage Up During Pandemic, Expected to Persist for Years to Come
With a return to seasonally normal conditions across the West, energy demand and prices fell as the week progressed. Read MoreCalifornia Power Demand Falls
Energy regulators must improve their understanding of biogas and biomethane produced by a variety of feedstocks and anaerobic digesters in the state, according to a May 12 report by the California Energy Commission. Read MoreCEC Recommends More Research on Health Consequences of Biogas
Brine extraction from California’s Salton Sea could significantly decrease the cost of geothermal power generation in the state and supply lithium for batteries, the California Energy Commission said in a funding award approved this week. Read MoreCEC Approves Geothermal Brine Extraction From Salton Sea
Design issues have delayed a safety review milestone of Portland-based NuScale’s small modular reactor design certification, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Read MoreDesign Glitches Delay NuScale Small Modular Reactor Safety Review
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In the latest Energy West podcast, Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about the California Independent System Operator's latest look at expanding its footprint, Southwest Power Pool's announcement that Markets+ is moving into development early, big rate-increase requests from two SoCal utilities, Puget Sound Energy's push to shut down its natural gas business, and more.
We want to hear from you on energy issues and to share your thoughts with our readership. Read moreVoices From Behind the Meter
I want to commend you for writing what is simply the best article about the transmission issues in [Colorado's San Luis] Valley yet. Read moreKudos for CEM Transmission Story
The COVID-19 pandemic has quickly forced California to readjust its spending priorities to deal with a projected $54-billion shortfall, but Gov. Gavin Newsom promised that the focus will remain on preparing for utility-caused wildfires and reducing the duration of public-safety power shut-offs. Read MoreState Faces $54-Billion Shortfall as Another Wildfire and Outage Season Begins
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali on May 15 said he will not require a wildfire victim lawyer to provide more information about the lawyer's ties to financial institutions that are providing funding in Pacific Gas & Electric's proposed reorganization plan. Read MorePG&E Wildfire Victim Voting Period Ends; Judge Denies Conflict-of-Interest Request
Job losses in April in the clean-energy sector tripled compared with March, for an estimated total of 594,347 unemployment claims filed by clean-energy workers since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released May 13. Read MoreFrom Bad to Worse: Clean-Energy Unemployment Tripled in April
Average electricity demand on weekdays in the California Independent System Operator fell by 9 percent in April compared with the same month last year, as residential usage increased but was offset by reductions in commercial and industrial demand. Read MoreCommercial Demand Decrease Offsets Residential Growth, CEC Says
Stay-at-home orders have driven down loads in the California Independent System Operator service territory by 4.5 percent on an average weekday and as much as 7.4 percent during peak hours, CAISO said May 15. Read MoreCAISO: Loads Down Due to COVID-19, Resources Adequate for Summer
Representatives from California and New York energy authorities on May 11 met online with Clean Energy States Alliance Executive Director Warren Leon for the inaugural gathering of the 100% Clean Energy Collaborative. Read MoreCost Reductions Advance 100-Percent Clean-Energy Progress
Clean Power Alliance's board of directors voted to keep its customer generation rate comparisons the same relative to the incumbent utility, although bills will be increasing due to rates over which they have no control. Read MoreCPA Maintains Rates Compared With Southern California Edison
Community choice aggregator MCE said May 12 it has partnered with consulting company TRC to create a dispatchable, behind-the-meter battery storage system to provide resilience in the event of public-safety power shut-offs and other power outages, particularly to priority customers and criti… Read MoreMCE Partners With TCE on Behind-the-Meter Battery Storage Program
Pacific Gas & Electric said a test of the Humboldt Bay Generating Station's islanding capability, conducted May 9, was "a success." Read MorePG&E Declares Humboldt County Islanding Test Successful
Pinnacle West, the parent company of Arizona Public Service, posted financial gains for the first quarter of 2020, reflecting weather-adjusted sales growth of 0.8 percent despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read MorePinnacle West Has Strong First Quarter, but COVID-19 Impacts Loom
Rates of death and serious illness from COVID-19 infection in areas with high concentrations of fine particulate pollution—such as that which forms from power plant and tailpipe emissions—reflect the results of a Harvard University study published in April showing a link between air pollutio… Read MoreHarvard Researchers Find Link Between COVID-19 Mortality and Air Pollution
The U.S. Department of the Interior on May 11 approved the construction and operation of what is likely to become the nation's largest solar project: the Gemini solar-plus-storage project 30 miles northeast of Las Vegas. Read MoreInterior Approves Country’s Largest Solar Farm in Nevada
NV Energy on May 4 filed to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada a new pricing structure for large customers which, if approved, would provide customers with an average load of more than 8,764 MWh with a reduced fixed energy price for five years. Read MoreNV Energy Introduces Fixed Tariff to Woo Large Customers
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission at a meeting held via web conference May 13 approved long-term power-purchase agreements between El Paso Electric Co. of Las Cruces and independent developers of solar and solar-plus-storage projects in south central New Mexico [19-00348-UT]. Read MoreNMPRC Approves El Paso Electric Renewables PPAs
The House on May 15 passed a procedural motion clearing the way for a floor vote on a $3-trillion pandemic relief bill, HR 6800, that would send nearly $1 trillion in aid to state, local, tribal and territorial governments; appropriate $1.5 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance P… Read MoreHouse Moves to Vote on $3-Trillion Pandemic Relief Bill; Veto Threatened