California rooftop solar policy wipes out up to 17,000 jobs

SOLAR: Data show new California rooftop solar installations have plummeted by up to 85% since regulators slashed net-metering rates in April, potentially wiping out some 17,000 jobs by the end of the year. (Canary Media)

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ALSO:

• Clean energy advocates urge California regulators to encourage front-of-the-meter, utility-scale solar on rooftops, parking lots, irrigation canals and along highways. (PV Magazine)
• A Nevada county urges state regulators to block a plan to truck water to a utility-scale solar facility under construction in the southern part of the state. (Pahrump Valley Times)
• An Oregon county considers installing a solar array on a soon to be retired landfill. (Waste 360)

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WIND: California officials remain confident in offshore wind’s future in the state even though the industry is experiencing setbacks on the East Coast. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

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TRANSMISSION: The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on proposed changes to designated Western energy corridors aimed at expediting clean energy transmission development. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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TRANSPORTATION: Colorado transportation officials say proposed passenger rail in the northwestern part of the state could be operational in less than a decade. (CPR)

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UTILITIES:

• California consumer advocates urge regulators to limit Pacific Gas & Electric’s rate hikes, saying they are outstripping inflation and disproportionately burden low-income households. (Capital & Main)
• California regulators vote to delay a decision on Pacific Gas & Electric’s proposed settlement over the utility’s role in sparking the 2021 Dixie Fire. (CBS Bay Area)
• Colorado advocates push back on a utility’s plan to replace a retiring coal plant with natural gas generation instead of clean energy. (KUNC)
• Washington state’s utility and transportation regulatory commission is investigated amid allegations of a hostile workplace environment. (Crosscut)

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NUCLEAR: TerraPower and a mining company partner on an effort to restore domestic uranium supply chains and to fuel the Bill Gates-backed firm’s proposed advanced nuclear reactor in Wyoming. (Cowboy State Daily)

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STORAGE:

• New Mexico researchers look to use rocks as low-cost energy storage systems. (KOB 4)
• A developer proposes an 80 MW grid-scale battery energy storage facility in southern California. (Patch)

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CARBON CAPTURE: New Mexico researchers study the feasibility of geologically sequestering captured carbon in the San Juan Basin oil and gas fields in the northwestern part of the state. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

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HYDROPOWER: California lawmakers work to expedite wave energy development, but industry analysts say grid-scale implementation is at least a decade away. (CalMatters)

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GEOTHERMAL: A western Colorado town begins studying the feasibility of developing a geothermal loop district heating system. (Aspen Times)

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