Kavya Balaraman

Google signs AES, Xcel supply deals to meet data-center energy needs Alphabet's Google doubled down on efforts to secure power supply for its data centers across the country by entering into separate agreements with U.S. utilities, AES Corp and Xcel Energy , on Tuesday...

Google is doubling down on efforts to secure power supply for its data centers, announcing new deals with AES Corp and Xcel Energy: www.reuters.com/business/ene...

Gold’s bull run seen intact despite steep pullback Despite a historic pullback in gold and silver prices, triggered by the sharpest two-session sell-off in decades, analysts see the metal's bull run continuing and expect it to notch fresh record highs...

Analysts remain bullish on gold despite the sharpest two-session sell-off in decades: www.reuters.com/world/india/...

Coal plant owners say DOE ‘emergency’ order to run it violates Constitution By mandating the generator’s availability to operate, the order “constitutes both a physical taking and a regulatory taking” of property by the government without just compensation or due process, the...

"The owners of a Colorado power unit say the Department of Energy violated their Constitutional rights when it ordered them to continue running a coal-fired generator they had been planning for years to retire at the end of 2025." www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-eme... via @ethanhowl.bsky.social 🔌💡

In Venezuela, Trump expands his anti-climate empire The U.S. president’s fossil fuel-powered world vision is a bet on the energy transition failing.

Trump's vision for Venezuela's oil is a wager that the energy transition will not come.

Latest here w/ @karlmathiesen.bsky.social

www.politico.eu/article/vene...

Trump's ambitions to see energy giants pour $100 billion into Venezuela's oil industry, dramatically increasing its current production, face a number of challenges reut.rs/4sH5aCI

Started this starter pack with energy justice & climate justice folks. Let me know who I should add to it. go.bsky.app/HXiuKJ5
(P.S. yes this is my way of finding my friends that migrated to bluer skies)

@costasamaras.com @menrywy.bsky.social @leahstokes.bsky.social @sidersadapts.bsky.social

Utilities Are Spending a Lot for Power Lines We May Not Need, and Spending Less on Ones We Do Need - Inside Climate News A new analysis examines a regulatory gap that allows for nearly unchecked spending on local transmission lines.

I wrote about a tour de force of a report from @cwayner.bsky.social:

"Utilities Are Spending a Lot for Power Lines We May Not Need, and Spending Less on Ones We Do Need"

insideclimatenews.org/news/2111202...

California energy storage capacity is ten times the 1.325 GW energy storage mandate set by the California Public Utilities Commission in 2013.🔋🔌💡

Here's a starter pack for electric grid & power systems - lmk if you want me to add your account! (Omissions 100% unintentional, still finding folks here :-) 🔌💡
go.bsky.app/RwCBCab

I've curated a small but mighty list of people who post about nuclear energy ⚛️🔌💡

go.bsky.app/5EJY58V

I’m on maternity leave at the moment and not on top of wildfire coverage, but this was a great briefer on what a second Trump term could mean for the wildfire crisis.

Faced with transformer shortages, developers are getting creative | Latitude Media Renewable and storage developers are building relationships with equipment manufacturers and looking overseas to avoid delays to their projects.

US clean energy developers are building relationships with equipment manufacturers and looking overseas to avoid delays to their projects because of transformer shortages: www.latitudemedia.com/news/faced-w... by @kavya.bsky.social

California rooftop solar had a tough year following NEM 3.0. Can the industry bounce back? NEM 3.0 and broader economic headwinds pose challenges to the industry. But looking ahead, high retail electricity rates could still push customers to install rooftop solar.

California rooftop solar had a tough year following NEM 3.0. Can the industry bounce back?

www.utilitydive.com/news/califor...

California's grid is hindering its climate goals. Can a new law fix… The state's grid isn't growing fast enough to support a surge of EVs, heat pumps and more. A new law offers a potential path forward — and could be a model for other states.

This is a good look at how the recently-passed California SB410 stands a chance of changing electric transmission deployment to enable the massive renewables build-out needed to decarbonize transportation and heating in the state.
www.canarymedia.com/articles/tra...

Electriq Power expands into New England with solar-plus-battery storage system program The program will help homeowners in Derby, Connecticut access solar-plus-battery solutions regardless of their socioeconomic status.

Electriq Power is expanding into New England with its turnkey solar+battery system program, targeting a region of the country that has very high electricity costs. pv-magazine-usa.com/2023/11/08/e...

Redwood Materials to recycle 4.6 MWh first-generation battery system from Hawaii substation The successful decommissioning could serve as an industry model for future, gigawatt-scale projects, according to the company.

Redwood Materials is going to recycle a 4.6 MWh, first-generation battery system at a Hawaii substation: www.utilitydive.com/news/redwood...

Electricity markets aren’t ready for long-duration energy storage | Latitude Media The current market set-up doesn’t always recognize the benefits that emerging and existing storage technologies provide to the grid.

Are U.S. electricity markets and regulatory systems ready for long-duration energy storage? Dug into the question for Latitude Media:
www.latitudemedia.com/news/ldes-ma...

What? The sun isn't always shining?! Having recently learned that the sun isn't always shining & the wind isn't always blowing, I turned to Princeton professor Jesse Jenkins to help explain how we can build a robust energy system around ...

Today on Volts: wind & solar power are variable! They come & go w/ the weather. How can we build a reliable, always-on electricity system around variable resources? I discuss the many answers to that question with energy modeler @jessejenkins.bsky.social.

California central buyer proposal could boost Pacific offshore wind industry, advocates say California has adopted preliminary planning goals to install between 2 GW and 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 25 GW by 2045.

California's central buyer proposal could provide a significant boost to the nascent Pacific offshore wind industry.
www.utilitydive.com/news/califor...

Powerful overview of wildfires, "risk blindness" and Maui (and Colorado and California and Oregon and Greece and and and and and), with outstanding appearances by @zhirji.bsky.social and Mark Chediak

www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/...

Utility-owned storage becomes point of contention in New Jersey incentive program proposal The straw proposal, released last September, would include only private storage devices, and doesn’t allow for utility-owned and operated ones.

New Jersey regulators are planning an energy storage incentive program, but there is disagreement on whether it should include utility-owned and operated energy storage devices.

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/utility-owned-storage-becomes-point-of-contention-in-new-jersey-incentive-p/690839/

New York governor creates safety group to investigate fires at energy storage facilities The move comes after multiple fires in recent months. As well as working to prevent fires, the group will help ensure emergency responders have the training to address them.

New York’s governor has set up a safety working group to investigate recent fires at energy storage facilities in the state: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/new-york-investigates-fires-at-battery-energy-storage/689823/

PG&E Corp. CEO touts efforts to prevent fires, but some say it’s ignoring the most effective measu... PG&E’s wildfire prevention efforts “dramatically changed our risk exposure and the fundamental safety of our system,” CEO Patti Poppe said on the company’s earnings call Thursday.

And here’s the latest on Pacific Gas & Electric’s efforts to prevent wildfires in its footprint: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pge-pacific-gas-wildfires-power-lines-earnings/689272/

Southern California Edison eyeing ‘substantial investments’ in grid resilience and reliability, ... From 2025 through 2028, SCE projects annual capital deployment of around $8 billion — double what it was six years ago — with over 85% of its investments going into the distribution grid.

Highlighting a couple of utility earnings stories from last week. First, Southern California Edison’s plans to invest aggressively in upgrading its grid: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/southern-california-edison-substantial-investments-grid-resiliency-reliability-wildfire-prevention/689385/

Energy Startup Says It Has Achieved Geothermal Tech Breakthrough An enhanced geothermal system expands the range of sites able to be tapped for geothermal energy, and Fervo’s demo is the first time a company has shown it can be done on this kind of commercial sca...

Big news today! For the first time ever, enhanced geothermal has been achieved at commercial scale. 24/7 clean energy, where you want it, when you want it.

Super proud of @timlatimer.bsky.social and the whole Fervo Energy team, and super excited to go scale it up!

The California ISO reports that it now has 5,600 MW of battery storage capacity on the grid. Three years ago, that number was 500 MW.

More details here: http://www.caiso.com/Documents/new-storage-milestone-reached-for-the-california-grid-more-than-5000-mw-now-available-for-dispatch.pdf

How the Supreme Court Could Destroy Environmental Justice Efforts Last week’s rulings have real ramifications for how the government could help vulnerable communities moving forward.

for @tnr.bsky.social ‘s climate newsletter this week, i wrote about how the most recent Supreme Court decisions spell very bad news for government efforts to address environmental justice —

California greenlights $4.3B funding for energy efficiency, targets underserved and rural communitie... The funding will support energy efficiency efforts from 2024 through 2027. Regulators also approved a forecasted budget of another $4.6 billion from 2028 through 2031.

ICYMI: California plans to spend nearly $9 billion on energy efficiency efforts through 2031, and regulators want to make sure these investments reach underserved and rural communities in the state.

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/california-puc-energy-efficiency-funding-rural/654390/

A Giant Wind Farm Is Taking Root Off Massachusetts The offshore energy project will have turbines taller than any building in Boston, but they will be barely visible from Martha’s Vineyard.

“In the coming months, 62 turbines, each up to 850 feet high (taller than any building in Boston) with blades about 350 feet long, will be planted on a sweep of seabed 15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard…”

Hawai’i looks to tackle equity considerations of siting energy infrastructure as part of new docke... The state has some of the highest electricity rates in the country, and regulators opened a docket in December focused on ensuring more equity in its energy landscape.

Hawai’i utility regulators want to take a closer look at how the state is siting new energy infrastructure, as part of a broader focus on equity and justice in the power sector.

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/hawaii-puc-equity-siting-energy-infrastructure/654109/