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California's Net Metering Reform: Necessary, Accurate, Fair

Expert BlogCaliforniaMohit Chhabra

The CPUC’s Proposed Decision, if adopted, it would institute significant reforms to the Commission’s net metering (NEM) rate for residential customers with rooftop solar. This proposed decision is the culmination of a year-long proceeding at the CPUC.

Tenant Protections, Good Jobs Key to Decarbonizing Buildings

Expert BlogLos Angeles, CaliforniaMichele Knab Hasson, Merrian Borgeson

In Los Angeles, buildings are the top source of carbon pollution, and the city is taking bold steps to end these harmful emissions completely by 2050. As city leaders and other stakeholders consider how to achieve these emissions reductions equitably…

Should CA Seek Another Life Extension for Diablo Canyon?

Expert BlogUnited States, CaliforniaRalph Cavanagh

In an op-ed calling for the nuclear power plant’s operating license to be extended past 2025, Steven Chu and Ernest Moniz acknowledge that the process would be “complex.” It wouldn’t just be complex; it would be hugely expensive and wrong.

A Four Point Guide to California's Net Metering Update

Expert BlogCaliforniaMohit Chhabra, Julia de Lamare, Merrian Borgeson

What should rooftop solar customers be paid for the electricity they generate, and how should the costs of the electric system that we all depend on be shared among customers with and without rooftop solar?

LA Must Tackle Clean Buildings & Affordable Housing Together

Expert BlogLos Angeles, CaliforniaStefan Schaffer, Michele Knab Hasson, Megan Ross

Currently, LA’s building stock is responsible for 43% of the city’s total greenhouse gas emissions. A recent report dives deep into the complex relationship between getting fossil fuels out of buildings and creating and preserving affordable housing in Los Angeles…

California Enacts Plan for Smart Offshore Wind Development

Expert BlogCaliforniaSandy Aylesworth, Mohit Chhabra

When AB 525 became law last month, California set the standard for floating offshore wind energy development in the United States. The law requires California to develop offshore wind in a way that creates good jobs, protects California's unparalleled marine…

California’s NEM 3.0 Must Grow Rooftop Solar Sustainably

Expert BlogCaliforniaJulia de Lamare, Mohit Chhabra

One of the foremost challenges that the California Public Utilities Commission faces in developing a new net energy metering policy, called NEM 3.0, is to ensure that rooftop solar continues to grow sustainably in California as required by law.

The West Coast: Carbon Free by 2045 . . . or Earlier

Expert BlogWest, California, Oregon, WashingtonRalph Cavanagh

HB 2021, Oregon’s “100% Clean Electricity” bill just approved by the legislature and sent to Governor Brown’s desk for signing, aligns with New York for the most aggressive state clean electricity goal in the country—zero greenhouse gas emissions in the…

It’s Time to End Subsidies for New Gas Hook-Ups

Expert BlogCaliforniaMerrian Borgeson

California utility customers contribute over $100 million every year to subsidize gas connections for new customers. But it doesn’t make sense to keep extending gas pipelines as California moves away from using fossil fuels that add to the climate problem…

Ocean Wind Becomes California’s Future Power

Expert BlogCaliforniaSandy Aylesworth, Mohit Chhabra

Department of Interior advances leasing for offshore wind energy development in California offshore waters, ending years-long impasse with the Department of Defense.

California Develops Proposal to Achieve Clean Vehicle Future

Expert BlogCaliforniaDr. Simon Mui

California, a global leader in electric vehicle deployment and policy innovation, presented plans today for the next round of its Advanced Clean Cars program. It will require all new vehicles to be electric-drive by 2035.

New Electric Rates Put Power Back in Californians' Hands

Expert BlogCaliforniaAlejandra Mejia Cunningham, Mohit Chhabra
California’s policy makers and IOUs are now taking action to reward Californians for using electricity at the times when it is cleanest and most plentiful, by introducing time-varying pricing plans.

CA’s Carbon-Free Electricity Goal Needs Bold Action Now

Expert BlogCaliforniaJulia de Lamare, Mohit Chhabra
A new report released by California’s energy agencies says we could reach zero-carbon electricity by 2045, which is great news for the state’s climate goals. But bold action will be needed to achieve that milestone.

Rooftop Solar in California is Ready to Take the Next Step

Expert BlogCaliforniaMohit Chhabra, Julia de Lamare
Through this blog we explain NEM, why California’s current policy needs to evolve, and share NRDC’s proposal in the California Public Utilities Commission’s NEM 3.0 proceeding. Our proposal is intended to support sustainable growth in the solar industry while increasing…

MISO and SPP Can Benefit from a More Connected Grid

Expert BlogTexas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kansas, MissouriToba Pearlman

Electric grids across the Midwest, South, and in Texas failed a key resilience test during last month’s winter storm, and one key conclusion is clear: The grids connected via transmission lines fared significantly better than those isolated and on their…

A Tale of Two Grids: Texas and California

Expert BlogCalifornia, TexasRalph Cavanagh

Although both California and Texas recently faced traumatic weather events, the consequences for electric system reliability were dramatically different. 

The Clean Energy Expert Bringing Black Voices to the Table

NRDC in ActionCaliforniaRasheena Fountain
As NRDC’s California state lead for clean energy and equity, Alexis Cureton is working to ensure that communities of color help shape energy policy, both inside and outside of the energy sector.