California's passage of two aggressive climate bills offers good news for microgrids, since they can act as levers to help the state reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Once again, the state has led the climate change battle, this time with last week's passage by the state legislature of the two bills, SB 32 and AB 197. The bills aim to reduce … [Read more...]
Regulators Approve Major Upgrades to California's Largest Low-Income Energy Efficiency Program
The California Public Utilities Commission today (Aug. 14, 2014) unanimously adopted significant program enhancements for the state’s largest energy efficiency program dedicated to cutting bills and electricity waste for low-income households. While the program served over 300,000 people last year at an investment of $360 million, huge savings … [Read more...]
Finding Common Ground on Pricing Clean Energy Resources in California
Would pricing clean energy through a 'smart home rate' work? James Fine, EDF's senior economist, describes the intriguing possibility being explored in California. Industrial and environmental stakeholders are usually portrayed as adversaries. But one exciting example from California proves there can be another side to that story. San Diego Gas … [Read more...]
New York Working Hard to Catch Up with California’s Energy Storage Requirements
Battery storage is gaining more and more traction in the distributed energy resources community. Last fall, California passed the first statewide energy storage directive in the United States. Issued by the California Public Utilities Commission the mandate requires all investor-owned utilities in the state including Southern California Edison, … [Read more...]
California Energy Agencies Adopt Historic Agreement On Energy Efficiency: Saves Customers From Paying For Unnecessary, Polluting Power Plants
California made significant progress last week toward relying on clean energy efficiency to avoid the need for new power plants and grid infrastructure. For the first time, the California Energy Commission (CEC) fully relies on energy efficiency in its forecast of the state’s energy needs over the coming decade, which it developed in concert with … [Read more...]