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Last month as a heat wave slammed California, state regulators sent an email to a group of energy executives pleading for help. “Please consider this an urgent inquiry on behalf of the state,” the message said. The manager of the state’s grid was struggling to increase the supply of electricity because power plants had unexpectedly …

Its Electric Grid Under Strain, California Turns to Batteries (Published 2020) Read More »

California suffered its first rolling blackouts in nearly 20 years because energy planners didn’t take climate change into account and didn’t line up the right power sources to keep the lights on after sundown, according to a damning self-evaluation released Tuesday by three state agencies. The rotating power outages didn’t last long and affected only …

What caused California’s rolling blackouts? Climate change and poor planning Read More »

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. As the sun sets, solar panels will start generating less electricity even as temperatures remain high. Power plants that burn natural gas will fire up as quickly as possible, …

California is scrambling to avoid blackouts. Your refrigerator could help Read More »

This is the Jan. 7, 2021, edition of Boiling Point, a weekly newsletter about climate change and the environment in California and the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. With less than two weeks until Joe Biden takes office — and with Democrats taking control of the Senate — the …

How rooftop solar could save Americans $473 billion Read More »

When the Texas power grid buckled and cut off power to millions of households during a severe winter freeze last month, Bernadette Del Chiaro saw some troubling similarities to what had played out in California six months before. Del Chiaro, who leads a solar energy advocacy group in Sacramento, felt Texas was going through “the …

After California and Texas blackouts, environmentalists push for faster transition to renewable energy Read More »

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is preparing to reconsider the credit rooftop solar consumers receive for the excess energy they produce, and the battle between utilities and the solar industry is in full swing. California’s three major investor-owner utilities, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) and …

Net-metering battle between utilities and solar industry heats up in California Read More »

To the editor: Over a typical 25-year life span, a rooftop solar system costs about 6 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity produced. Most installers have finance programs where the monthly cost is less than the utility bill. Instead of putting road blocks in front of rooftop solar, utilities should encourage and embrace it. (“California …

Letters to the Editor: Rooftop solar is a win-win for customers and utilities. Why make it more expensive? Read More »

Later this year, the California Public Utilities Commission expects to update the rules over how owners of rooftop solar systems are compensated. If the past is any indication, the debate will be a fierce one between the state’s utilities and the solar industry. Monday marked the day the two sides — as well as other …

How might they affect you? Read More »

To the editor: Residing in Southern California, we live in a semi-arid environment. Unless we want to dry up and blow away, we definitely need to capture and use the precious rain we get here, as your editorial noted. But we also need to prioritize and encourage the use of residential greywater. Water usage in …

Letters to the Editor: How to make home greywater systems take off like rooftop solar Read More »

(Reuters) – California’s power utilities have asked state officials to reduce the amount of money homeowners make selling excess electricity from rooftop solar panels into the grid, a proposal that could slow widespread solar adoption. Policies made in California, the nation’s biggest market for rooftop solar panels, often serve as a template for other states …

California debating the future of rooftop solar’s biggest incentive Read More »