California

Inside Climate News interviewed several energy experts about what to expect from state governments on renewable energy policies in the new year. United’s Amisha Rai pointed to the California Legislature’s opportunity to support the development of a regional transmission grid through the West’s Pathways Initiative. She also highlighted the bipartisan support for advanced energy solutions in Texas.

Californians voted to pass Proposition 4, the Climate Bond, in response to the increasing threat of wildfires, water pollution, and extreme heat. The measure is designed to advance clean energy, ensure access to clean drinking water, and support environmental protection programs that will bolster community resiliency and response time from these climate-related disasters.

In 2023, advanced energy employment nationwide increased by 4%, more than double the growth rate of the overall U.S. labor market. Advanced energy jobs surged from 2022 to 2023, with 4.1 million U.S. workers now working in the sector. Some of these gains were driven by the early impact of tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Utility Dive reports on the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative (WWGPI) draft Step 2 proposal that would create an independent organization to oversee the Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) and pending Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM), which are run by the California Independent System Operator. The article quotes United’s Brian Turner, a member of the WWGPI Launch Committee, saying that this independent organization could evolve to offer a full range of regional transmission organization services.

California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill (SB) 1374, which was designed to accelerate local solar adoption. SB 1374 would have expanded solar benefits by reversing a prior CPUC decision that prevents schools and apartment buildings from being able to use the solar energy they generate on their properties. This misguided veto will result in unnecessary energy costs for schools and apartment buildings.

NewsData reports on the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative (WWGPI) draft Step 2 proposal. The draft Step 2 proposal includes several components: regional organization (RO) scope and function, formation of the RO, governance of the RO, public-interest protections, and the stakeholder process. The article quotes United’s Brian Turner, a member of the WWGPI Launch Committee, saying that this proposal represents a significant step toward improving electricity markets in the West and addressing long-standing barriers.

Renewable Energy World reports that California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed SB 1006 into law, requiring utilities to evaluate grid enhancing technologies (GETs) as often as every two years in transmission planning. The article quotes United’s Edson Perez, who stated that the bill incentivizes the state to find the best ways to deploy these technologies across California’s utilities.

The Launch Committee for the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative released Step 2 of its Straw Proposal, which proposes to establish a new, independent Regional Organization (RO) to govern existing regional energy markets, as well as potentially provide additional market services in the future. Clean energy industry representatives provided the following statements on the proposal, which will also help advance efforts to build a Western RTO.

Canary Media reports on California’s energy affordability challenges, how they relate to expanding the state’s power grid, and the potential role of distributed energy resources (DERs). The article quotes United’s Edson Perez, who says that leveraging DERs could provide significant cost savings and improve grid resilience if given proper policy support.

The Bakersfield Californian reports on two grid-enhancing technology bills, Senate Bill 1006 and Assembly Bill 2779, which have passed the California legislature. The article quotes United’s Edson Perez, who highlights that these technologies will increase transmission capacity and improve efficiency, safety, and reliability.

Senate Bill 1221 passed the California legislature, and now awaits Governor’s signature.

Los Angeles Times reports on the electricity affordability plan aimed to reduce Californians’ soaring energy costs. The article quotes United’s Edson Perez, who urges decision-makers to support critical distributed energy resources programs like SGIP and SOMAH, which offer long-term benefits for disadvantaged communities and ratepayers.