California


D. Reichmuth/UCS

California Takes the Next Step Towards Ensuring Cleaner Cars and Trucks

, Senior vehicles engineer

May 7, 2021 10:16 AM EDT

On Thursday, California’s air quality regulator, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), released the first draft of their plan to ensure all new passenger cars and trucks are electric drive by 2035. A key component of CARB’s proposal would ramp up the existing Zero Emission Vehicles requirement on automakers, eventually requiring 100% ZEVs for model year 2035 vehicles. In theory, this means automakers would need to have about 75 percent ZEV sales by 2030. This is about the pace we need to be on to make the large reductions in both climate pollution and air pollution emissions that harm human health. However, there is the potential for automakers to avoid hitting these sales targets and therefore not achieve needed emissions reductions. Read more >

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EV charging stations in parking lot
Open Grid Scheduler/flickr

Gov. Newsom’s Proposal to Invest $1 Billion in ZEV Infrastructure is a Smart Proposition

, Western states policy manager

March 10, 2021 9:52 AM EDT

Governor Newsom’s executive order last year, which established a set of goals for fully electrifying cars and trucks, was an important marker of California’s commitment to vehicle electrification. However, it is a tall order to get to 100% ZEV sales for passenger cars by 2035 and 100% ZEV heavy-duty trucks and buses in operation by 2045 at our current pace. To meet this challenge, California must simultaneously make rapid progress on many fronts to increase use of ZEVs. This includes policies to require increased manufacturing of ZEVs, require that private and public fleets purchase ZEVs, help drivers at all income levels access ZEVs through purchase incentives and other programs that create access to ZEV mobility, and many other strategies. One of the most significant areas where state leadership is needed is supporting investment in the necessary infrastructure to charge electric vehicles and refuel hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Read more >

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Nuclear Regulatory Commission/flickr

Diablo Canyon is Shutting Down. Is California Ready?

, Energy analyst

February 23, 2021 12:05 PM EDT

In this moment, California’s electrical grid faces no shortage of challenges. There’s the year-round risk that utility power lines will spark wildfires, and there’s the real possibility that an extreme summer heatwave will trigger more rotating blackouts. But there’s another issue looming on the horizon that California hasn’t even begun to address: replacing the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant with clean energy when it shuts down mid-decade. Read more >

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jayRaz/flickr

Power Outages in Texas and California Have Less in Common than You Think

, Energy analyst

February 18, 2021 3:41 PM EDT

Chances are that you’ve already heard about the ongoing power outages in Texas and other nearby states. If you haven’t gotten the message already, the situation is dire and totally unprecedented. In the midst of a historic cold snap, electricity demand has outstripped supply by a massive amount. Faced with no other choice, the electrical grid operator in Texas shut off power to millions of Texans early Monday morning, and many are still without power even now. Read more >

jayRaz/flickr
NWS Austin/San Antonio
Larry D. Moore/Wikimedia
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Midway Sunset Cogeneration Company plant, Midway-Sunset Oil Field, Kern County, CA Antandrus at English Wikipedia

California Energy: One Grid Under Too Many Assumptions

, Western States Energy Manager and Senior Analyst

February 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT

California’s energy grid is essentially a very complicated group project. But much like a group project in school, California is much more likely to meet its goal of a reliable, decarbonized energy grid if everyone actually participates and collaborates. Read more >

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