Rising electricity rates in California are on a “collision course” with the state’s goal to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2045, says Mark Toney, one of the state’s leading advocates for clean and affordable energy. “Unless we can moderate the electricity rates, we’re going to end up in a situation...
California Legislature Returns Amid Homeless, Climate Crisis
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers returned to work on Monday to tackle a daunting list of challenges that include climate concerns and a growing homeless population — problems magnified by election-year politics. Members of the state Assembly's Democratic majority kicked off the second year of the two-year legislative session by announcing...
Oil Prices Jump on Fears of Iranian Retaliation Against Us
LONDON — The price of oil surged Friday on concerns that Iran might respond to the killing of its top general by the United States by disrupting global supplies of energy from the Mideast. If sustained, the rise in oil prices could lead to more expensive car fuel, heating and...
Buy, Lease or Subscribe to Add Solar Panels to Your Home
NEW YORK — Homeowners are clamoring to power through blackouts that have become a regrettably frequent part of life in California. The cost of solar panels and batteries has fallen. And a new California law will require all new homes to produce as much energy as they consume beginning in...
Chevron Will Write Down Assets by at Least $10 Billion
SAN RAMON — Chevron Corp. said Tuesday it will book a charge of at least $10 billion because lower long-term prices for oil and natural gas will reduce the value of its assets. More than half the write-down is related to gas drilling operations in Appalachia. The huge fourth-quarter write-down...
Global Carbon Pollution Continues to Rise, but More Slowly
WASHINGTON — The world continues to increase the amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide it pumps into the air, but it’s not rising as fast as in the previous couple years. Led by big jumps from China and India, the world is projected to spew 40.57 billion tons of carbon dioxide...
Iran Discovers New Oil Field With Over 50 Billion Barrels
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has discovered a new oil field in the country's south with over 50 billion barrels of crude, its president said Sunday, a find that could boost the country's proven reserves by a third as it struggles to sell energy abroad over U.S. sanctions. The announcement by...
Nobel Prize Honors Breakthroughs on Lithium-Ion Batteries
STOCKHOLM — If you're reading this on a mobile phone or laptop computer, you might thank this year's three laureates for the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their work on lithium-ion batteries. Yet the batteries developed by the British, American and Japanese winners that make those devices possible are far...
President's Windmill Hatred Is a Worry for Booming Industry
BLOCK ISLAND, R.I. — The winds are blowing fair for America's wind power industry, making it one of the fastest-growing U.S. energy sources. Land-based turbines are rising by the thousands across America, from the remote Texas plains to farm towns of Iowa. And the U.S. wind boom now is expanding...
Think Globally, Power Locally: Hydro Plants Serve Neighbors
WALKILL, N.Y. — Eat locally. Shop locally. Generate locally? Some electricity customers in New York's Hudson Valley support hydropower harnessed from running water close to home. The idea is similar to farm-to-table, except for electricity instead of food.: green-minded customers supporting an area renewable resource. And smaller hydro plants like...