California

Offshore wind

Anti-offshore wind groups target $426M grant for California port

Activists want Trump to claw back funding for a floating offshore wind port in Northern California, signaling an expansion of anti-wind sentiment to the West Coast.

By Clare Fieseler . 17 June 2025
Heat pumps

SoCal rejects plan to phase down new gas furnaces and water heaters

After an opposition campaign waged by SoCalGas and others, regulators tanked rules that would’ve encouraged, but not required, a transition to electric heat pumps.

By Alison F. Takemura . 10 June 2025
Solar

Chart: California is wasting more and more clean energy

The state produces more clean energy than its grid can handle, forcing it to curtail the extra wind and solar power it can’t use. There are ways to fix that.

By Dan McCarthy . 6 June 2025
Virtual power plants

California’s successful virtual power plant program faces big budget cuts

Companies tapping smart thermostats and solar-charged home batteries to help the grid say funding cuts could undermine their efforts and cost customers.

By Jeff St. John . 5 June 2025
Energy storage

PG&E defers restart of huge grid battery next to Moss Landing fire site

The Elkhorn plant almost got back online in time to help California’s grid handle summer heat. But malfunctions in one of its Tesla batteries gummed up the plans.

By Julian Spector . 2 June 2025
Heat pumps

Electrifying this affordable housing complex made financial sense

In Sacramento, California, property owner BRIDGE Housing moved ahead with a heat-pump-plus retrofit designed to save both itself and its residents money.

By Alison F. Takemura . 30 May 2025
Geothermal

California college grows clean energy program amid geothermal interest

Mendocino County sits on a prime geothermal zone. As the industry grows, local leaders are ramping up efforts to prep residents for the jobs it creates.

By Aly Brown . 22 May 2025
Solar

New California bill would undo some 20-year rooftop solar contracts

The bill would deal another blow to California’s ailing rooftop solar sector — and hardly move the needle on its stated purpose of reducing utility costs.

By Jeff St. John . 8 May 2025
Carbon-free buildings

After LA fires, could it be cheaper and faster to rebuild without gas?

The city waived its all-electric building requirement in an effort to fast-track recovery after the January fires. A new report argues that’s the wrong approach.

By Alison F. Takemura . 5 May 2025
Solar

Farmers are making bank harvesting a new crop: Solar energy

In California's water-stressed Central Valley, farmers are fallowing land and installing solar, providing financial stability and saving water.

By Matt Simon . 5 May 2025