california

Deadly California Rains Overwhelm Power Grid With Mass Outages

Deadly California Rains Overwhelm Power Grid With Mass Outages

Two weeks of unrelenting rains in California have killed more people than have died directly from wildfires in the last two years — and the deluge is not over. At least 19 people have died across 10 counties. While officials expect that number to rise, it will also be incomplete. “Those living in our streets […]

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    New California Project Uses Solar Panels to Restore Native Prairie, Pollinator Habitat

    New California Project Uses Solar Panels to Restore Native Prairie, Pollinator Habitat

    An innovative solar project at a decommissioned nuclear power plant in California has found a way to tackle both the climate and biodiversity crises.  Non-profit the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) announced Thursday that they would restore native prairie and habitat for pollinators beneath and around 160 megawatts […]

    California Cuts Payments to New Rooftop Solar Customers

    California Cuts Payments to New Rooftop Solar Customers

    The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday dramatically altered the structures by which new solar customers are compensated for the energy their solar panels produce. The commission slashed net metering rates for new solar panels by about 75%, replacing the old rates with varying payment rates based on the time of day and electricity demand. […]

    Smoke From California Wildfires Dimmed Solar Energy in 2020

    Smoke From California Wildfires Dimmed Solar Energy in 2020

    In September of 2020, the smoke from major wildfires in California made the skies so dark that the state’s solar power production was reduced by 10 to 30 percent during peak hours, according to a National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) study. For several days during the wildfires, solar energy forecasts significantly overestimated the amount […]

    First-Ever U.S. Floating Offshore Wind Auction to Be Held Today

    First-Ever U.S. Floating Offshore Wind Auction to Be Held Today

    The Biden administration will hold the nation’s first-ever lease auction for commercial-scale floating wind energy leases today. The five deep-water lease tracts in two areas about 25 miles off the California coast have the potential to generate 4.5 GW of electricity, enough to power 1.5 million homes. Global interest in the lease sales is strong […]

    Los Angeles Bans New Oil Drilling, Will Phase Out Current Wells

    Los Angeles Bans New Oil Drilling, Will Phase Out Current Wells

    The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously on Friday to ban new oil and methane gas drilling, and phase out existing wells within 20 years. The ordinance is a major victory for communities — disproportionately communities of color essentially forced to live in sacrifice zones — who have long suffered from decades of carcinogenic pollution released by […]