March 2013 Archives
Solar:
Japan expects to install more solar capacity this year than California has in the last 20.
Photovoltaic (PV):
The Palm Springs Unified School District does what Coachella Valley strip mall owners should have done years ago. This year, 10 schools will have installed enough solar power generating capacity to meet somewhere between 60 and 90 percent of each their needs.
Utilities:
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has likely made some San Diego County residents very happy today with a decision not to allow San Diego Gas & Electric to buy power from the controversial proposed Pio Pico Energy Center and Quail Brush Power gas-fired power plants.
The Grid:
The California Independent System Operator (CaISO), which manages the majority of the state's power grid, has approved five new transmission projects that the agency says are crucial to the state's renewable energy future.
Wind:
Even a resource as unpredictable as wind power -- which can fluctuate statewide in an hour or two -- isn't that hard to incorporate into a grid the size of California's.
Utilities:
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced today that the city of Los Angeles is phasing out use of coal-fired electrical power in the next 12 years.
Concentrating Solar:
Inyo County drops its opposition to the Hidden Hills solar project for $15 million.
Government:
Under a new Obama Administration program, the BLM's energy development budget will be increased by 20 percent, with the money going to "streamline" permit applications for both renewable and non-renewable energy development on public lands, including monetary incentives for new oil and gas drilling.
Government:
The House Committee on Natural resources opens another front in the war of words between the Republicans and the Obama Administration, this time with an ethics inquiry into the Interior Department.
Geothermal:
California remains the nation's geothermal leader with over 2,700 megawatts of capacity installed.
News and analysis about renewable energy in California. Blog host Chris Clarke is an environmental writer of two decades standing. He currently lives in Joshua Tree and can be contacted at: rewire@kcet.org.
- Wind Power
- PV and Solar Thermal
- Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROEI)
- Watts and Watt-Hours, Kilo and Mega
- 'Enough To Power X Thousand Homes'
- The Grid
- Distributed Generation
- Conservation and 'Negawatts'
- Grid Storage
- PACE Loans, Feed In Tariffs and Net Metering
- Base Load and Peaking Power
- Capacity Factor
- Renewable Portfolio Standards
- Biomass
- Transportation and Renewable Energy
- Geothermal
