The California Energy Commission has proposed spending $24 million on an assortment of natural gas research projects in the coming year, some of which would develop carbon-capture equipment for industrial plants in the state that use high-heat processes.
Southern California Edison on April 5 urged the California Public Utilities Commission to deny a request to rehear an "emergency capacity" decision that opponents say contains legal errors and opens "a significant loophole" for long-term fossil fuel generation contracts without a finding of …
State regulators have proposed allowing Pacific Gas & Electric to securitize $7.5 billion in 2017 wildfire-related costs through the issuance of "recovery bonds."
California's grid operator urged state regulators to secure 10 GW of new electric capacity within a few years to make up for the retirement of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, while others are raising the alarm that retiring the units will lead to a sharp increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
Investor-owned utilities on March 29 told energy officials that public-safety power shut-off events improved in 2020 compared with the year before, but representatives for disabled people in California said PSPS planning has been "insufficient" for customers with disabilities.
"Delighted" customers are a key component of a successful demand-response program, a report filed to the California Energy Commission found.
California Independent System Operator leadership on March 24 approved a wide-ranging set of rules meant to better prepare the electricity grid for high temperatures and surging air-conditioning demand this summer.
The California Public Utilities Commission on March 25 directed large investor-owned utilities to increase electricity capacity procurement for this summer due to an "unforeseen emergency situation" in the wake of rolling blackouts in August 2020.
Prohibited energy resources, such as large diesel generators, are now eligible to make potentially millions of dollars for their operators by generating electricity on hot days throughout California, even in the state's poorest and most polluted neighborhoods, energy officials decided this week.
The California Energy Commission is offering $14 million to organizations that build mobile clean-energy backup generators for use during grid outages, such as public-safety power shut-offs.
Stakeholders in California's net-energy metering regulations seem to agree that reform is needed, nonparticipants should not subsidize NEM, and low-income residents need opportunities to participate in renewable-energy programs—but they differ on how to achieve those goals.
Fields of solar panels and battery storage units will dominate California's energy scene through 2045, while firm zero-carbon energy resources, such as hydropower, geothermal and nuclear, will see little to no growth, according to a major report issued this week by the state's energy agencies.
Stakeholders in California's net-energy metering program proposed a range of approaches to state regulators developing new rules for feed-in tariffs and other aspects of net metering.
Pacific Gas & Electric's program to dismantle distribution lines in certain high-fire-threat areas and install "remote grids" can move forward, the California Public Utilities Commission decided this week.
Community choice aggregators and others are opposing a request by investor-owned utilities to shift the allocation of costs for certain renewable-energy contracts from IOU customers to departing customers.
The California Energy Commission is funding projects that will help decarbonize boats and locomotives in order to improve air quality in nearby communities and aboard the machines.
Federal energy regulators dismissed a complaint by a private group that had asked for a reliability study to analyze the impacts of retiring the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, taking the complaint to task on a number of its arguments.
California energy regulators are proposing to require investor-owned utilities to procure more "emergency" electricity generation capacity for this summer, despite environmental and social concerns about potentially signing long-term contracts with natural gas generators.
Demand-response programs in California can be "complicated" and "confusing," but they could play an important role in ensuring that electric-vehicle loads do not further stress the power grid during peak demand times, industry professionals said at a March 9 workshop.
The effort in California to better prepare the electric grid for the coming summer became more official this week as Western Energy Imbalance Market officials approved a series of rule changes aimed at improving reliability.
The California Public Utilities Commission on March 4 postponed incentive requirements for certain battery storage and self-generation projects due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The California Public Utilities Commission is pressing Southern California Edison on its public-safety power shut-off program, which has resulted in "shortcomings" for utility customers with certain medical needs, CPUC President Marybel Batjer said this week.
California might not meet its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions goals, according to a new report from the state auditor that took the California Air Resources Board to task over its emissions measurements. CARB responded by saying the state could still hit its targets, and that following the rec…
California's highest-ranking energy officials are pondering solutions to the state's rising natural gas and electricity bills, which could force more utility customers into one of two categories: those who can comfortably afford their electricity and heat and those who will struggle to find …
The California Public Utilities Commission is seeking comment on a proposal to require load-serving entities to procure 7,500 MW by the end of 2025, partly to make up for the retirement of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant.
The California Energy Commission on Feb. 19 held a public scoping meeting to address residents' concerns regarding a 99-MW backup diesel-fueled power plant in San Jose that workshop participants said could increase air pollution in nearby disadvantaged neighborhoods and harm golden eagle habitat.
The California Energy Commission on Feb. 25 held the state's first "Lithium Valley" commission meeting to push forward extraction of the precious metal from the Salton Sea. California plans to produce lithium in-state, thereby creating clean-energy jobs, securing supply chains and manufactur…
Energy researchers this month published a distributed energy resource "roadmap" that proposes 46 priority project areas, from improving building energy control systems to creating cheaper home battery systems.
Energy officials in California are deciding whether methane molecules or electrons should flow to appliances and equipment in new low-rise residential buildings in the state.
Six months after rolling blackouts spread across California, the California Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 11 ordered large investor-owned utilities to procure additional electric generation capacity, despite alarm from experts in the proceeding, who called the decision "flawed" and "suspect."
California's investor-owned utilities on Feb. 5 filed their 2021 wildfire mitigation plans with state regulators, totaling more than $7 billion in investments in wildfire prevention.
The California Energy Commission on Feb. 10 approved two requests to deviate from the state's solar panel installation mandate.
The California Independent System Operator is moving forward with a strong sense of urgency on several fronts to prepare for this summer, with concerns about the ability to secure electricity imports, its president and CEO said.
The California Public Utilities Commission this week pushed forward an environmental- and social-justice action plan that is meant to allow people from the state's poorest and most polluted communities help mold the commission's decisions.
The California Energy Commission is providing $24 million for research projects that examine a broad list of natural gas-related needs, from blending the fossil fuel with hydrogen to ensuring the safe operation of more than 55,000 miles of plastic pipelines.
Construction of new data centers in Silicon Valley could double the peak electricity load in the region by 2026, California Energy Commission staff said at a Jan. 25 business meeting.
Pacific Gas & Electric proposed 12 new safety metrics as part of the utility's post-bankruptcy operation, but experts warned that there can be "great pressure" to manipulate metrics in order to make safety progress look better than it really is.
The president of the California Public Utilities Commission this week chastised Southern California Edison representatives over the company's public-safety power shut-off program, saying its customer-notification system is "contradictory" and "confusing."
The California Energy Commission is offering $2 million for research projects that develop more efficient lithium-ion battery recycling processes and technologies.
The California Air Resources Board at a Jan. 21 daylong forum launched its Project 800 initiative, designed to foster zero-emission truck deployment at state ports by setting a goal of 800 zero-emission drayage truck orders this year.
California energy officials are exploring how to slow the state's growing reliance on backup diesel-fueled generators by using cleaner energy resources such as hydrogen fuel cells and natural gas.
Investor-owned utilities in California must amend their electric rules in order to install microgrids at certain facilities in the state, such as shipping ports, to help keep those facilities energized during grid outages, the California Public Utilities Commission ordered on Jan. 14.
A state energy regulator discussed penalties for load-serving entities that don't properly schedule power deliveries in the wake of an updated report showing significant gaps between scheduled and performing power supply during the August 2020 blackouts.
The California Public Utilities Commission began 2021 with a tightly packed agenda at its first voting meeting of the year on Jan. 14.
The California Energy Commission is offering $13 million for projects that reduce electricity usage and greenhouse gas emissions at dairy and wastewater facilities in the state.
Federal energy regulators approved the Southwest Power Pool's Western Energy Imbalance Services tariff, which SPP said paves the way for its planned launch of the real-time balancing market on Feb. 1.
The president of California's utility commission directed certain investor-owned utilities in the state to seek additional power capacity before next summer, despite a cacophony of concerns regarding the true need for more capacity in the Golden State.
The California Public Utilities Commission issued a proposed decision denying a Public Advocates Office request to compel San Diego Gas & Electric to distribute its annual natural gas credits to customers in their July 2020 bills rather than in April 2021.
The California Air Resources Board is searching for alternative fuel types that could replace a proposed backup diesel generation facility at a future data center in San Jose, but the facility's representatives told CARB that its customers, including companies like Zoom, would not utilize a …
The California Energy Commission on Jan. 6 outlined the top nine research areas for its 2021 Electric Program Investment Charge initiatives, starting with an effort to build net-zero-carbon mobile homes in the state.