{"id":25686,"date":"2026-02-06T11:23:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/?p=25686"},"modified":"2026-02-06T11:23:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:23:06","slug":"how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/","title":{"rendered":"How California plans to keep the lights on: A look into recent regulatory developments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It&nbsp;takes time and&nbsp;extensive&nbsp;planning&nbsp;to build a new clean power plant in California.&nbsp;Figuring out&nbsp;how,&nbsp;where&nbsp;and when to generate&nbsp;clean electrons is a balance between ensuring that the energy transition is affordable,&nbsp;and that&nbsp;the state&nbsp;keeps&nbsp;the lights on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>California regulators&nbsp;recently&nbsp;issued a proposal&nbsp;that will do just that.&nbsp;There are a lot of things to like, but as with everything,&nbsp;getting the details right&nbsp;is essential to securing&nbsp;an affordable,&nbsp;reliable&nbsp;and clean energy&nbsp;future.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is an Integrated Resource Plan?\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>An&nbsp;Integrated Resource Planning (IRP)&nbsp;process&nbsp;is&nbsp;a recurring planning cycle that&nbsp;determines&nbsp;how&nbsp;California&nbsp;can meet future electricity needs. It evaluates electricity generation, transmission&nbsp;needs&nbsp;and demand forecasts to ensure the state can&nbsp;maintain&nbsp;reliability, control costs for&nbsp;ratepayers&nbsp;and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.&nbsp;The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is the primary state agency that conducts this assessment.&nbsp;Recently, the CPUC released a new proposal through this process that has significant implications for the state\u2019s clean energy transition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two&nbsp;major&nbsp;determinations&nbsp;are at stake. First,&nbsp;the CPUC outlines a portfolio of future electricity resources designed to achieve California\u2019s climate goals without compromising grid reliability or imposing unnecessary costs on ratepayers. Once&nbsp;finalized, the assumptions will be handed to the state\u2019s primary grid operator, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which&nbsp;will&nbsp;determine&nbsp;the transmission infrastructure needed to deliver this clean energy efficiently across the state.&nbsp;Second,&nbsp;the CPUC proposes directing electricity providers to&nbsp;procure&nbsp;additional&nbsp;clean energy to meet growing demand. Because building power plants is expensive,&nbsp;determining&nbsp;that the generation is truly needed is a critical step to keeping rates just and reasonable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the&nbsp;CPUC\u2019s most recent&nbsp;proposal&nbsp;gets several things right, it&nbsp;also misses the mark on details that could&nbsp;significantly affect&nbsp;the&nbsp;reliability,&nbsp;affordability&nbsp;and pace of California\u2019s clean energy transition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Finding the right mix&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To deliver new clean energy generation, California will require significant upgrades to the transmission system. However, building&nbsp;transmission&nbsp;infrastructure takes time. To&nbsp;plan ahead,&nbsp;the CPUC develops a \u201cbase portfolio\u201d \u2014 a proposed future mix of energy resources designed to meet reliability needs while meeting California\u2019s emission goals. The base portfolio is then handed off to CAISO, which analyzes what transmission upgrades are needed to deliver it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">California is leading on offshore wind and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0time for the plans to reflect that\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Offshore wind is a crucial piece of the puzzle to help clean the grid in an affordable and reliable manner. As a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2021\/05\/13\/clean-firm-power-is-the-key-to-affordable-reliable-grid-decarbonization-in-california\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">clean firm resource<\/a>,&nbsp;offshore wind can supply electricity continuously or adjust output to meet peak demand. When paired with other clean energy resources such as solar and storage, offshore wind can help fill reliability gaps and meet emission reduction targets without compromising electricity availability.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recognizing its importance, the CEC set a goal of developing&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.utilitydive.com\/news\/california-plan-offshore-wind-goal-floating\/720075\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">25 GW of offshore wind by 2045,<\/a>&nbsp;and as directed by AB 1373, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayerbrown.com\/en\/insights\/publications\/2023\/10\/novel-california-law-to-boost-offshore-wind-projects-central-procurement-framework-to-benefit-offshore-wind-development-and-long-duration-energy-storag\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CPUC directed the state\u2019s Department of Water Resources<\/a>&nbsp;(DWR) to centrally&nbsp;procure&nbsp;up to 7.6 GW of offshore wind in 2024. Yet the recent proposal only plans for 4.5 GW of new offshore wind by 2045, split between Morro Bay and Humboldt. Regulators also assume that offshore wind project timelines will slip, leading the CPUC to&nbsp;advise CAISO to&nbsp;delay the transmission upgrades needed to deliver power from the Humboldt site until 2036.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The CPUC points to recent federal uncertainty as the catalyst for these delays.&nbsp;Over the past year, the offshore wind industry has faced significant barriers, including&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-offshore-wind-energy-climate-337980893e944ca274e46dbb70d04cb1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">five federal stop-work orders<\/a>&nbsp;issued on East Coast projects in December based on ambiguous national security claims.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/media\/courts-strike-down-all-five-stop-work-orders-offshore-wind-projects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Recent court decisions<\/a>, however, have rejected the Trump administration\u2019s flimsy assertions, greenlighting construction to resume in all five cases and helping restore industry confidence.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>California\u2019s energy transition should not be slowed down or negatively shaped by tenuous federal claims and uncertainty. Instead, the state should be a national leader on offshore wind development. Ratepayers will be best served by reducing risk and uncertainty, and being&nbsp;very clear&nbsp;about the state\u2019s long-term planning timelines despite short-term political volatility is a critical step. Limiting the ceiling for offshore wind capacity now would send mixed signals to developers and undermine the industry&#8217;s ability to achieve economies of scale that could&nbsp;ultimately lower&nbsp;costs for ratepayers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Meeting&nbsp;growing demand<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For the first time in a generation,&nbsp;California\u2019s electricity demand is growing.&nbsp;According to the California Energy&nbsp;Commission&nbsp;(CEC),&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.ca.gov\/filebrowser\/download\/9328?fid=9328\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">peak electricity&nbsp;demand&nbsp;is expected to increase by 53% by 2045<\/a>.&nbsp;The surge is&nbsp;driven&nbsp;largely&nbsp;by&nbsp;data centers, building&nbsp;electrification&nbsp;and&nbsp;transportation&nbsp;electrification.&nbsp;Together, these&nbsp;trends mean California will need more electricity than previously modeled.&nbsp;To support this expanding electrified economy, electricity rates must remain both affordable and reliable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The state is&nbsp;attempting&nbsp;to&nbsp;meet&nbsp;the moment.&nbsp;Recognizing&nbsp;growing risks&nbsp;to&nbsp;grid reliability and the potential for future blackouts,&nbsp;the CPUC&nbsp;is proposing that electricity providers&nbsp;procure&nbsp;additional&nbsp;clean&nbsp;power.&nbsp;The CPUC&nbsp;recommends&nbsp;buying&nbsp;2,000 MW&nbsp;of capacity by 2030, followed by another 4,000 MW&nbsp;by 2032.&nbsp;That\u2019s&nbsp;enough&nbsp;electricity to&nbsp;deliver power to&nbsp;4&nbsp;million&nbsp;Californian&nbsp;households&nbsp;during peak&nbsp;demand.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To&nbsp;encourage a mix of resources, the CPUC&nbsp;proposes&nbsp;limiting&nbsp;batteries, or short-duration&nbsp;electric energy&nbsp;storage,&nbsp;to no more than&nbsp;half of&nbsp;the new&nbsp;clean&nbsp;resources.&nbsp;Batteries&nbsp;are&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yesenergy.com\/blog\/the-caiso-energy-storage-revolution\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">increasingly&nbsp;cost-effective<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;essential&nbsp;for balancing&nbsp;the grid, but&nbsp;they can only store energy for short periods&nbsp;and&nbsp;depend on sufficient&nbsp;generation&nbsp;to charge.&nbsp;Without&nbsp;adequate&nbsp;clean&nbsp;generation, the grid risks&nbsp;supply shortages&nbsp;during extreme weather&nbsp;events.&nbsp;Applying&nbsp;a&nbsp;storage limit&nbsp;across both&nbsp;tranches&nbsp;is&nbsp;critical to&nbsp;maintaining&nbsp;system stability as electricity demand continues to&nbsp;rise.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Focusing&nbsp;on&nbsp;local&nbsp;procurement&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The IRP considers&nbsp;both statewide planning needs and local system constraints.&nbsp;While&nbsp;the CPUC&nbsp;proposes&nbsp;maintaining&nbsp;a greenhouse gas reduction target of 25 MMT by&nbsp;2035,&nbsp;they&nbsp;must&nbsp;also&nbsp;ensure that local air quality pollution is eliminated.&nbsp;In areas with limited&nbsp;infrastructure&nbsp;to import power, dirty gas-fired plants often ramp up during peak demand, increasing emissions and threatening public health in these communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While a comprehensive local procurement planning process&nbsp;is eventually needed&nbsp;to&nbsp;fully&nbsp;retire&nbsp;gas plants,&nbsp;implementing&nbsp;a&nbsp;modest&nbsp;clean energy&nbsp;procurement&nbsp;requirement&nbsp;in the most&nbsp;overburdened&nbsp;communities&nbsp;would be a&nbsp;meaningful first step.&nbsp;This approach would allow the state to evaluate long-term solutions&nbsp;that reduce reliance on&nbsp;local gas dependence&nbsp;while improving air quality&nbsp;in&nbsp;affected&nbsp;areas.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s&nbsp;next?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s&nbsp;important to acknowledge that this proposal is just that&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;a proposal. While there is a lot to like,&nbsp;including&nbsp;clear signals&nbsp;for&nbsp;power and storage&nbsp;procurement&nbsp;and assumptions to upgrade our transmission&nbsp;grid, the&nbsp;success of&nbsp;the process will depend on getting the details right.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>California has a real opportunity to lead boldly in the clean energy transition&nbsp;by accelerating&nbsp;clean firm power&nbsp;resources,&nbsp;like&nbsp;offshore wind, to build a grid capable of meeting the moment. Proactive leadership today can&nbsp;diminish&nbsp;reliance on&nbsp;fossil generation, reduce harmful pollution in vulnerable&nbsp;communities&nbsp;and help&nbsp;keep the grid affordable&nbsp;for all Californians.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&nbsp;takes time and&nbsp;extensive&nbsp;planning&nbsp;to build a new clean power plant in California.&nbsp;Figuring out&nbsp;how,&nbsp;where&nbsp;and when to generate&nbsp;clean electrons is a balance between ensuring that the energy transition is affordable,&nbsp;and that&nbsp;the state&nbsp;keeps&nbsp;the lights on.&nbsp; California regulators&nbsp;recently&nbsp;issued a proposal&nbsp;that will do just that.&nbsp;There are a lot of things to like, but as with everything,&nbsp;getting the details right&nbsp;is essential to &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":153256,"featured_media":25687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[200,107925,202,20,44],"tags":[],"coauthors":[108246,108111],"class_list":["post-25686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-california","category-cities-and-states","category-greenhouse-gas-emissions","category-news","category-policy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How California plans to keep the lights on: A look into recent regulatory developments - Climate 411<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"California has a real opportunity to lead boldly in the clean energy transition by accelerating clean firm power resources, like offshore wind, to build a grid capable of meeting the moment.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How California plans to keep the lights on: A look into recent regulatory developments - Climate 411\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"California has a real opportunity to lead boldly in the clean energy transition by accelerating clean firm power resources, like offshore wind, to build a grid capable of meeting the moment.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Climate 411\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-06T16:23:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-06T16:23:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/CPUC-Blog.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dominic Peters, Michael Colvin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dominic Peters, Michael Colvin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/06\\\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/06\\\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Dominic Peters\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e864e4e4850b0638d4248a281ddfa70b\"},\"headline\":\"How California plans to keep the lights on: A look into recent regulatory developments\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-06T16:23:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-06T16:23:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/06\\\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1437,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/06\\\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/7\\\/files\\\/\\\/CPUC-Blog.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"California\",\"Cities and states\",\"Greenhouse Gas Emissions\",\"News\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/06\\\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/06\\\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\\\/\",\"name\":\"How California plans to keep the lights on: A look into recent regulatory developments - Climate 411\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/06\\\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/06\\\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/7\\\/files\\\/\\\/CPUC-Blog.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-06T16:23:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-06T16:23:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e864e4e4850b0638d4248a281ddfa70b\"},\"description\":\"California has a real opportunity to lead boldly in the clean energy transition by accelerating clean firm power resources, like offshore wind, to build a grid capable of meeting the moment.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/06\\\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/06\\\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/06\\\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/7\\\/files\\\/\\\/CPUC-Blog.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/7\\\/files\\\/\\\/CPUC-Blog.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/06\\\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How California plans to keep the lights on: A look into recent regulatory developments\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/\",\"name\":\"Climate 411\",\"description\":\"Blogging the science and policy of global warming\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e864e4e4850b0638d4248a281ddfa70b\",\"name\":\"Dominic Peters\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e5020c50e4c044845ac5c824591d46e9a87d6d7d5371240d6b60df508f614f35?s=96&d=mm&r=g52e54138b4d9bc4b91ad2451f0f71b7e\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e5020c50e4c044845ac5c824591d46e9a87d6d7d5371240d6b60df508f614f35?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e5020c50e4c044845ac5c824591d46e9a87d6d7d5371240d6b60df508f614f35?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dominic Peters\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.edf.org\\\/people\\\/dominic-peters\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/author\\\/dopeters\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How California plans to keep the lights on: A look into recent regulatory developments - Climate 411","description":"California has a real opportunity to lead boldly in the clean energy transition by accelerating clean firm power resources, like offshore wind, to build a grid capable of meeting the moment.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How California plans to keep the lights on: A look into recent regulatory developments - Climate 411","og_description":"California has a real opportunity to lead boldly in the clean energy transition by accelerating clean firm power resources, like offshore wind, to build a grid capable of meeting the moment.","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/","og_site_name":"Climate 411","article_published_time":"2026-02-06T16:23:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-06T16:23:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/CPUC-Blog.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Dominic Peters, Michael Colvin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dominic Peters, Michael Colvin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/"},"author":{"name":"Dominic Peters","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/#\/schema\/person\/e864e4e4850b0638d4248a281ddfa70b"},"headline":"How California plans to keep the lights on: A look into recent regulatory developments","datePublished":"2026-02-06T16:23:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-06T16:23:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/"},"wordCount":1437,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/CPUC-Blog.jpg","articleSection":["California","Cities and states","Greenhouse Gas Emissions","News","Policy"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/","name":"How California plans to keep the lights on: A look into recent regulatory developments - Climate 411","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/CPUC-Blog.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-06T16:23:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-06T16:23:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/#\/schema\/person\/e864e4e4850b0638d4248a281ddfa70b"},"description":"California has a real opportunity to lead boldly in the clean energy transition by accelerating clean firm power resources, like offshore wind, to build a grid capable of meeting the moment.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/CPUC-Blog.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/CPUC-Blog.jpg","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/02\/06\/how-california-plans-to-keep-the-lights-on-a-look-into-recent-regulatory-developments\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How California plans to keep the lights on: A look into recent regulatory developments"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/","name":"Climate 411","description":"Blogging the science and policy of global warming","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/#\/schema\/person\/e864e4e4850b0638d4248a281ddfa70b","name":"Dominic Peters","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e5020c50e4c044845ac5c824591d46e9a87d6d7d5371240d6b60df508f614f35?s=96&d=mm&r=g52e54138b4d9bc4b91ad2451f0f71b7e","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e5020c50e4c044845ac5c824591d46e9a87d6d7d5371240d6b60df508f614f35?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e5020c50e4c044845ac5c824591d46e9a87d6d7d5371240d6b60df508f614f35?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dominic Peters"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.edf.org\/people\/dominic-peters"],"url":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/author\/dopeters\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/153256"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25686"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25689,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25686\/revisions\/25689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25686"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=25686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}