A California Public Utilities Commission proposal for a new nonbypassable charge on utility customers that would feed into the state's wildfire insurance fund was widely panned by ratepayer advocates and other parties at an Oct. 10 meeting.
California energy regulators on Oct. 10 approved new rules for energy imports used to meet resource-adequacy requirements, meant to ensure imports are available at critical times such as when solar energy is diminishing on the grid.
Pacific Gas & Electric on Oct. 3 filed a proposed $65-million settlement with utility regulators over its 2018 locate-and-mark investigation.
The California Public Utilities Commission at its Oct. 10 meeting unanimously approved the sale of two small Pacific Gas & Electric hydroelectric projects to new owners.
San Diego Gas & Electric's program to increase electric-vehicle charging during off-peak hours has been a success so far, the company said in a semiannual report.
Energy experts and state regulators at an Oct. 9 research workshop considered a paradox that could be emerging in California's battle against climate change and wildfires: how public-safety power shut-offs to prevent wildfires affect climate goals.
Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison raised sharp objections to a proposal that would establish a central procurement entity to handle the state's resource-adequacy requirements, saying in Sept. 30 filings to the California Public Utilities Commission that the plan is un…
A protracted transfer of a hydroelectric project from Pacific Gas & Electric to the Nevada Irrigation District moved closer to happening with the release of a California Public Utilities Commission proposed decision Sept. 30.
Energy agencies are hearing more requests to determine what will and will not count as a "zero-carbon energy resource" under one of the state's most pressing carbon-reduction measures, SB 100.
Offshore wind energy is gaining momentum in California and could bite into the solar and battery storage industries' market share in the coming decades, experts say. But at an Oct. 3 joint-agency public workshop at the California Public Utilities Commission, a CPUC staff member questioned wh…
Federal energy regulators approved an expansion of the California Independent System Operator's reliability must-run program, with one Democrat dissenting over what he said was a "carte blanche" for CAISO to enter into out-of-market contracts with generation resources without review.
New bidding rules for hydro resources in the Western Energy Imbalance Market will take effect this month, after federal energy regulators partially approved a proposal by the California Independent System Operator.
The California Public Utilities Commission at its Sept. 26 meeting kicked off the process of reviewing Pacific Gas & Electric's eventual reorganization plan.
The California Public Utilities Commission on Sept. 26 approved a decision on San Diego Gas & Electric's and Southern California Gas Co.'s general rate cases, adopting 2019 revenue requirements of $1.99 billion and $2.77 billion, respectively, for the utilities [A17-10-007, A17-10-008, D…
San Diego Gas & Electric is proposing to eliminate its seasonal electricity retail rates that currently increase in the summer and decrease in the winter.
California energy regulators are continuing through the state's uncharted greenhouse gas emissions-reduction labyrinth and have now encountered a less predictable and more politically sensitive wall: utility-caused wildfires.
The California Public Utilities Commission on Sept. 12 proposed a delay in once-through-cooling compliance deadlines for natural gas-fired power plants to address what could be a capacity deficit of up to 2.5 GW in 2021-2023, and said there is a need for additional energy procurement by load…
County and city governments are urging the California Public Utilities Commission to consider how shutting down electric transmission lines during times of high wildfire risk would affect communities on the ground.
Utilities are ramping up efforts to trim vegetation and inspect their power lines in preparation for the height of the 2019 fire season, but California regulators are facing a separate challenge—the lack of qualified evaluators to ensure electric corporations are complying with their wildfir…
The California Public Utilities Commission's Office of the Safety Advocate is dropping out of settlement discussions between Pacific Gas & Electric and another CPUC safety department—the Safety and Enforcement Division. The settlement talks are happening in a critical investigation that …
A sense of urgency filled the room at the California Independent System Operator's headquarters in Folsom on Sept. 18, as officials warned of extremely tight generation capacity beginning next year.
The California Air Resources Board on Sept. 19 approved a controversial new standard intended to protect tropical forests across the world from deforestation, with more than 100 people lining up at a meeting in Sacramento to express both loud support and blunt disapproval of the new rule in …
The California Energy Commission is planning to award $12 million in funding to low-carbon fuel production projects in an effort to decrease greenhouse gas emissions from the state's biggest contributor: its transportation sector.
The California Public Utilities Commission held its first meeting chaired by new President Marybel Batjer on Sept. 12 in Los Angeles, approving a series of decisions related to Pacific Gas & Electric's gas system, the Self-Generation Incentive Program and other items.
The California Energy Commission is considering an exemption for a real estate investment trust to install 54 large diesel-fired generators at a data center in Silicon Valley—one of a number of such proposals that cite impending possible power shut-offs.
California lawmakers passed legislation that would require more detailed reporting of the chemical composition of materials emitted from natural gas storage facilities, aimed at Southern California Gas Co.'s Aliso Canyon facility near Los Angeles.
Emissions from California's transportation sector increased 6 percent from 2013 to 2017 (or 9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent), while overall emissions in the state decreased by 5 MMTCO2-e from 2016 to 2017, according to the California Air Resources Board's latest emissions report.
A new settlement agreement among a large swath of California energy organizations that outlines a residual resource-adequacy "central buyer" structure was the product of a lengthy negotiation process, participants said.
California’s energy agencies on Sept. 5 moved forward with formalizing a plan to implement the renewables and zero-carbon goals set out in SB 100. But nuclear proponents allege that the plan could increase natural gas usage.
The California Independent System Operator filed with federal energy regulators its latest round of enhancements aimed at better integrating energy storage and distributed energy resources onto its grid.
California's resource-adequacy market is tight and is likely to continue contracting, according to a California Public Utilities Commission state-of-the-market report issued on Sept. 3.
Parties commenting on wildfire mitigation plans filed by California utilities asked for more data on how wildfires will be prevented, as well as details on planned power line de-energizations that have alarmed local elected officials.
The California Public Utilities Commission this month issued a proposed decision that would add customers in high-wildfire-threat areas to its Self-Generation Incentive Program's equity budget.
Developers of California’s nascent energy storage industry are lining up in opposition to a proposal by Southern California Edison to levy a distribution fee for charging, setting up a conflict at the heart of storage integration.
Electricity consumption in California is expected to increase by about 40,000 GWh over the next 10 years, according to the California Energy Commission, even though electricity sales in the state are expected to remain relatively flat.
San Diego Gas & Electric is proposing to increase its monthly minimum bill amount from $10 to about $38—a necessary adjustment in order to cover operations and maintenance costs that are not being paid in full by customers with rooftop solar systems, the investor-owned utility said in a …
It would not be fair to expect Pacific Gas & Electric customers to pay for a wildfire fund if they aren't able to benefit from it, the utility told state regulators seeking comment on a new ratepayer charge that would create the fund.
Clean-energy advocates, utility representatives and fellow regulators discussed the tenure of outgoing California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Picker at his final CPUC meeting on Aug. 15, saying he had greatly contributed to the state's renewables goals.
California's grid operator is seeking federal approval of new market rules meant to address a bidding problem for Northwest hydro resources in the Western Energy Imbalance Market, but is facing some resistance from state regulators.
Energy agencies in California are looking into new definitions for the term "zero-carbon technology" in order to help meet the state's goal to supply 100-percent zero-carbon electricity to customers by Dec. 31, 2045, the California Energy Commission said at a board meeting on Aug. 14.
Pacific Gas & Electric reduced its requested return-on-equity rate for 2020, following the passage of AB 1054, wildfire legislation that passed earlier this year.
The California Public Utilities Commission is considering a biomethane tariff that could help drive consumption of the renewable gas in the state, while last week Southern California Gas Co. announced completion of what is expected to be the largest biomethane facility in the country.
The California Energy Commission is looking to address a “sizable gap” in funding of light-duty electric-vehicle charging stations needed to meet state goals over the next five years, an updated CEC transportation report said.
Retail sales of natural gas-fueled heavy-duty trucks are increasing, as is interest in natural gas as a diesel replacement in both on- and off-road vehicles, according to various organizations tracking the issue.
The Contractors State License Board of California on Aug. 6 approved a rule that would limit the number of contractors who are allowed to install energy storage systems, in the wake of new regulations starting in January 2020 that require nearly all new homes in the state to include rooftop solar.
The California Public Utilities Commission at its Aug. 1 meeting approved a series of modifications to the “three-prong test” used to evaluate whether fuel-substitution programs can access energy-efficiency funding [R13-11-005, D19-08-009].
California’s treatment of “qualifying facilities” within a program meant to spur renewables development violates federal law, a U.S. appeals court ruled.
California regulators are crafting the outlines of two programs that will move the state toward its larger goal of addressing emissions from buildings.
Emerging utility rate designs could constrain the growth of distributed energy resources, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory said in a new report that included an analysis of the situation in California.
California regulators on July 30 expressed concerns about potential increases in diesel generator sales due to utility power shut-offs planned for this wildfire season.
