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.

CA Becomes First State to Fully Eliminate Ratepayer Subsidies for Gas Line Extensions 

On September 15th, The California Public Utilities Commission unanimously voted to “entirely eliminate ratepayer subsidies for the extension of new gas lines beginning in July,” reports Utility Dive. The decision comes alongside a current push to decarbonize the building sector.  CPUC Commissioner Clifford Rechtschaffen explained,...
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Wholesale power prices in California spiked in Sep 2022. Why did that happen– and how high did they go?

Lucas Davis, Jeffrey A. Jacobs Distinguished Professor in Business and Technology at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, recently revealed insights about the effect of record-breaking summer heat waves on power prices. “The September heat wave was historic, both in...
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Global Natural Gas Crisis Heightened by War, Climate Crises Ahead of Winter

As the Wall Street Journal reports, U.S. shale gas is a highly sought commodity, with global events contributing to higher costs. In fact, natural gas has not been so costly since before the shale-drilling boom, and trading firm Ritterbusch & Associates predicts near-term prices skyrocketing...
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SPURR Helps County of Fresno Procure Largest Public Sector Solar System

When the County of Fresno embarked on reportedly “the largest public sector solar system in Fresno County,” they turned to SPURR’s Renewable Energy Aggregated Procurement (REAP) Program. The REAP Program helps school districts, community college districts, and other public agencies in California leverage a SPURR...
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Solar Energy… at Night?

According to the International Energy Agency, “by 2026, global renewable electricity capacity is forecast to rise more than 60% from 2020 levels to over 4,800 GW.” The IEA says Solar remains the leading renewable energy source, far outpacing the others.  Adoption of solar as a...
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The Oakland Unified School District Success Story

I’m always gratified by helping our program participants achieve outstanding outcomes on their utility projects, but this holds special meaning to me when we can put a significant amount of savings back into a California School District.  I couldn’t have been more pleased to open...
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Utilities, solar industry battle over Net Energy Metering

Last month, the CA Public Utilities Commission “re-opened the record” in its widely watched Net Energy Metering case. On Jun 15, numerous parties commented on the case, showing the wide differences between the battling sides. PG&E, SoCal Edison and SDG&E (the Utilities), argued that the...
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Interesting perspective on Ukraine War — ARC Energy Research

Podcast featuring guest Candyce Kelshall, President of the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies –Vancouver, Adjunct Professor, Buckingham University Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies and Vice Chair at the Canadian Intelligence Network.
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