Elizabeth McCarthy

Elizabeth McCarthy

Elizabeth McCarthy is co-founder and managing editor of California Current. She has reported on energy, the climate crisis, water and health issues for various publications and organizations.

The Latest from Elizabeth McCarthy

Energy storage

Big batteries are booming in California, but the outlook for small-scale storage just got more uncertain

A new plan for solar net metering could slow adoption of home batteries — just when the state needs them most.

By Elizabeth McCarthy . 23 December 2021
Clean industry

Can the US take the lead on cleaner lithium production?

Three companies are attracting private and public funding for their potentially game-changing efforts to extract lithium from brine in California.

By Elizabeth McCarthy . 14 October 2021
Fossil fuels

The dark side of California's emergency grid rescue plan: More dirty emissions from backup generators

Once again, disadvantaged communities bear the brunt when cleaner grid buildouts lag behind schedule.

By Elizabeth McCarthy . 24 August 2021
Utilities

California's biggest utility plans to bury 10,000 miles of power lines. How much will that cost residents?

Wildfires and other climate disasters are pushing PG&E to put lines underground, but it's a notoriously expensive process.

By Elizabeth McCarthy . 6 August 2021
Fossil fuels

California has embraced clean energy, so why is it still building natural gas infrastructure?

Decarbonization advocates are fighting ratepayer subsidies that incentivize the growth of an increasingly obsolete gas system.

By Elizabeth McCarthy . 14 July 2021
Batteries

Used EV batteries could get a second life storing clean energy on California's grid

A surge in retired EV batteries is helping to eliminate second-life EV battery storage hurdles, just in time to help meet clean energy mandates.

By Elizabeth McCarthy . 22 June 2021
Hydrogen

Los Angeles plans to jump-start a green hydrogen market in the US

LA wants to fuel its public utility with carbon-free hydrogen. Can it break through the nascent industry’s economic and technical challenges?

By Elizabeth McCarthy . 8 June 2021
EV charging

EV charger installations in California are bogged down by local permitting

A six-year-old permitting law hasn’t unblocked installation delays — so state lawmakers are now considering mandates.

By Elizabeth McCarthy . 24 May 2021
Utilities

PG&E’s $7.5B securitization: A bellwether for utility efforts to cover the costs of climate change?

Wildfire liability financing under scrutiny in California could presage efforts in other states to offset costs of coal plant retirements and climate-change mitigations.

By Elizabeth McCarthy . 11 May 2021

Elizabeth McCarthy

The Latest from Elizabeth McCarthy

Big batteries are booming in California, but the outlook for small-scale storage just got more uncertain

Can the US take the lead on cleaner lithium production?

The dark side of California's emergency grid rescue plan: More dirty emissions from backup generators

California's biggest utility plans to bury 10,000 miles of power lines. How much will that cost residents?

California has embraced clean energy, so why is it still building natural gas infrastructure?

Used EV batteries could get a second life storing clean energy on California's grid

Los Angeles plans to jump-start a green hydrogen market in the US

EV charger installations in California are bogged down by local permitting

PG&E’s $7.5B securitization: A bellwether for utility efforts to cover the costs of climate change?