News and Insights

Follow our News and Insights page for relevant industry updates including what's happening in sustainable utility technology and practical advice for California public agencies manging the transition to sustainable technology.

Limits and Costs of Full Electrification

In October 2022, UC Berkeley’s Energy Institute at Haas published a paper on the limits and costs of “full” electrification, which means converting all energy services to electricity. The paper’s conclusion reads, in part: “Policies that move to target 100 percent electrification through rigid mandates...
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Natural-gas prices have more than doubled this year

On Sep 19, the Wall Street Journal published an article and video that addresses recent energy market increases. The gist of the article is: “Natural-gas prices have more than doubled this year because of a global supply shortage made worse by the war in Ukraine,...
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Sheep Are the Solar Industry’s Lawn Mowers of Choice

The laborious job of clearing weeds in solar-panel fields has triggered a welcome boom for American shepherds and their flocks.  Jobs clearing local flora under and around stretches of solar panels have triggered an unexpected boom for sheepherders, who have found work in the new...
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Recent cyberattacks highlight the vulnerability of California schools

Per Joe Hong at CalMatters: “While the Los Angeles Unified attack attracted the media spotlight, cyberattacks on school districts happen frequently nationwide. According to Emsisoft, a cybersecurity software company that tracks cyberattacks, there were 58 school districts and 1,681 schools across the country affected by...
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Who’s to blame for California’s high gas prices?

Per Dan Walters at CalMatter: “Rather, it’s been repeatedly demonstrated that California’s relatively high gas prices are largely, if not completely, explainable by unique factors such as the state’s particular refining recipe meant to minimize smog-producing emissions, its high taxes, and its overall high cost...
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Schools and libraries oppose proposed mandatory national bidding portal for E-rate as counterproductive

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, the State E-rate Coordinators’ Alliance, and the Consortium for School Networking have written a letter to the Federal Communications Commission in opposition to a proposed mandatory E-rate national bidding portal. As noted in the letter, the portal is...
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97% of smart meters fail to provide promised customer benefits

California’s experience shows customer access to real-time data does not compromise privacy or security, Mission:data’s Murray insisted. Utilities’ excuses “hide concern with revenue losses from lower kWh sales,” an intent to avoid “liability and customer support burdens,” or “competition from third parties for services they...
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Hackers release data after LAUSD refuses to pay ransom

Hackers released data from Los Angeles Unified School District on Saturday, a day after Supt. Alberto Carvalho said he would not negotiate with or pay a ransom to the criminal syndicate. . . . “What I can tell you is that the demand — any...
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