According to a recent CalMatters article, “Nearly 1,700 schools across the country were affected by ransomware attacks last year, according to New Zealand-based software company Emsisoft. In California, at least 26 schools have experienced a ransomware attack since 2019, often with harsh consequences: Sierra College...

Twice so far in 2021, Governor Newsom has suspended *all* environmental regulations on CA electricity generators for at least three days at a time. On each of June 17 and July 9, the Governor issued State of Emergency proclamations covering separate “Extreme Heat Events” lasting...

According to this article, “Experts interviewed by CalMatters – including researchers, cybersecurity companies, IT employees and the FBI – all agree the number of cyberattacks has increased over the pandemic. Many believe the number of attacks on the education sector has also increased, but it’s...

The slide presentation from the recent 2021 SPURR Joint Powers Authority Annual Member Meeting Presentation is linked below: SPURR Annual Member Meeting Presentation Agenda items include reports and discussion regarding SPURR’s programs and other topics: Solar Power and Energy Storage LED Lighting and Energy Conservation...

California faces energy resource shortfalls amid extreme heat and drought. On June 27, 2021, the CA grid operator warned that rising temperatures and drought conditions mean there could be resource shortfalls early in the week. “Electricity consumers should be prepared to reduce their consumption,” the...

Why are solar PPA prices creeping upward? It’s complicated, experts say. Prices for solar PPAs in North America rose 2.6% during the first quarter of 2021 compared to the prior quarter, according to data from LevelTen Energy’s PPA marketplace. But the rise wasn’t part of...

UC Berkeley economics and energy researchers studied the growing “electrify everything” movement, which aims to transition utility customers from natural gas toward electricity. As regulated monopolies, natural gas utility distribution companies recover fixed costs by spreading fees across their customer base. Researchers found that utilities...

Record wildfire threats like winds, drought, and heat take the wildfire fight much farther that utilities, forcing California to pick when and where to fight utilities. Since 2017, California has had 13 of its 20 most destructive fires , seven of its 20 deadliest fires , average temperature is...

According to panelists at the US Department of Energy’s Better Buildings summit, energy service providers offering off-balance sheet efficiency products have seen rapid growth in the number of deals signed each year. A 2017 market report by Navigant estimated Energy Efficiency as a Service could...

New ideas include income-based rates, publicly-funded infrastructure, utility entrepreneurship, and customer-funded wildfire insurance. California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) President Marybel Batjer says the state will not let skyrocketing electricity rates threaten reliability or the state’s policy goals. But affordability is a growing concern as California...