Energy Exchange

After the Aliso Disaster: Less Gas Storage, More Clean Energy Through Increased Market Efficiency

By EDF Blogs / Published: February 22, 2016

By: Mark Brownstein & Tim O’Connor4157619250_29ac89191b_o

The nearly four-month disaster at the Aliso Canyon storage facility owned by Southern California Gas Company has spurred widespread calls to close the sprawling underground reservoir, and cast intense scrutiny on the 13 other similar facilities around California. But others, including Governor Jerry Brown and key state agencies, say the facilities may be needed to keep the electric grid running reliably.

Ironically, one reason for dependence on this fossil fuel is California’s renewable energy boom.

As things currently stand, there aren’t enough responsive resources on the grid to simultaneously manage the large daily swings in consumer electricity demand typical in California and swings in renewable energy output due to variations in time of day and weather.

A more robust grid in combination with innovative energy storage and energy management technology will eventually reduce these swings, but may take decades to fully deploy.  Until then, fast-acting gas-fired generation is necessary for balancing system operations. This has become a rallying cry for SoCalGas and the rest of California’s oil and gas industry in the wake of Aliso Canyon. Read More »

Posted in Aliso Canyon, California, General, Methane, Natural Gas / Read 2 Responses

Why The Surprise Supreme Court Decision Won’t Thwart The Clean Power Plan

By EDF Blogs / Published: February 11, 2016

By: Keith Gaby

In a surprise procedural decision on Feb. 9, the U.S. Supreme Court put the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan on pause while a lower court reviews it.

The Court did not weigh in on the merits of the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan, and didn’t explain its reasoning, so we don’t know the legal basis for this unusual decision.

But we do know that the court has repeatedly upheld the EPA’s authority – in fact, its responsibility – to limit climate pollution under the Clean Air Act.

So we remain confident that the Clean Power Plan rests on a solid legal foundation, as states, power companies, legal experts and air pollution control officials nationwide have already recognized.

This is why states should stay on course and continue to invest in cleaner energy sources.

Posted in Clean Power Plan / Read 1 Response

Clean Energy Conference Roundup: February 2016

By EDF Blogs / Published: January 30, 2016

rp_conference-300x200.jpgEach month, the Energy Exchange rounds up a list of top clean energy conferences around the country. Our list includes conferences at which experts from the EDF Clean Energy Program will be speaking, plus additional events that we think our readers may benefit from marking on their calendars.

Top clean energy conferences featuring EDF experts in February:

February 3-5: Energy, Utility & Environment Conference (San Diego, CA)
Speaker: John Finnigan, Lead Attorney, U.S. Climate and Energy

  • The 19th annual energy, utility, and environment conference will feature more than 500 presentations by experts in tracks that include battery and energy storage, climate management, smart grid and risk management, energy policy and efficiency, renewable energy, the Clean Power Plan, permits and compliance, and many more. More than 2,000 attendees will network at 8 lunches, receptions, and breaks held in a 200-business exhibit area.

February 16-19: UT Energy Week (Austin, TX)
Speaker: Jim Marston, Vice President, U.S. Climate and Energy

  • During this second annual event, experts in academia, industry, government, and the non-profit world will take a fresh look at some of the most vital energy issues facing society. Full-day programs include the role of natural gas and renewables in reforming the Mexican power sector (Feb. 16); energy and society (Feb. 17); utilities and the grid (Feb. 18); and challenges in the oil and gas industry (Feb. 19). Read More »
Posted in Conference Roundup / Comments are closed

On Clean Energy, Illinois Governor would Have Been Wise to Borrow from…Himself.

By EDF Blogs / Published: January 29, 2016

Let's map out a better future for ILBy Lisa Albrecht, renewable energy specialist with Solar Service Inc., and member of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition

This week, Illinois Governor Rauner gave his annual State of the State address – but, there was one big thing missing. Despite broad bipartisan support across the state for action on clean energy, Gov. Rauner failed to address this issue at all.

In summing up Illinois’ current priorities, Gov. Rauner should have looked to the remarks he himself delivered in his first State of the State address last year:

“Our top priority must be making Illinois competitive again, to grow more jobs here… Competitiveness must become our watchword.”

“We must avoid slipping further behind other states in…the capacity of our economy to grow.”

“It’s now or never for Illinois. It’s time to act.”

Those are sound principles. And, if the Governor is still committed to them, there is a clear and obvious path to achieving them: by embracing Illinois’ clean energy future through the Clean Power Plan and the Illinois Clean Jobs Bill. Read More »

Posted in Clean Energy, Illinois / Comments are closed

How Battery Technology and Crowd-Sourced Energy Can Save Our Aging Grid

By EDF Blogs / Published: January 6, 2016

By: Karin Rives

Not too long ago, making and selling your own electricity via rooftop solar was a novelty. Today, with 784,000 homes and businesses in the United States already on solar, such transactions are taking place every day in 44 states.

Now comes Bring Your Own Battery

Posted in California, Electric Vehicles, Grid Modernization, Solar Energy, Utility Business Models / Tagged | Comments are closed

Clean Energy Conference Roundup: January 2016

By EDF Blogs / Published: December 30, 2015

conferenceEach month, the Energy Exchange rounds up a list of top clean energy conferences around the country. Our list includes conferences at which experts from the EDF Clean Energy Program will be speaking, plus additional events that we think our readers may benefit from marking on their calendars.

Top clean energy conferences featuring EDF experts in January:

January 19-21: The Food-Energy-Water Nexus  (Washington, DC)
Speaker: Kate Zerrenner, Manager

  • One thousand innovative thinkers in science, technology, policy, governance, business, education, and civil society will gather to work across traditional boundaries and address big questions:
    1. How will we feed the 9.6 billion people expected to be alive in 2050 while also meeting their needs for water and energy and improving the environment?
    2. What are the opportunities to improve water and energy efficiency and reduce food waste such that every improvement in one area yields gains in all areas?
    3. What are the strategies for resilience in the face of increased climate variability and other environmental changes?
    4. How do we unleash scientific talent, technological advances, human ingenuity and entrepreneurialism, with wise public policy to meet essential human needs and restore the earth’s environment, both regionally and globally?

    The conference will emphasize putting ideas into action – moving forward on policy and practice. This is a conference designed to challenge thinking and spur creativity. Participants will take away new ideas, new relationships, and increased motivation to contribute to addressing these integrated challenges in new ways. Read More »

Posted in Conference Roundup / Comments are closed