Electricity: The Road To California -- January 16, 2018

From Bloomberg:

The California Public Utilities Commission approved an order Thursday that will require PG&E Corp., the state’s biggest utility, to change the way it supplies power when demand peaks. Instead of relying on electricity from three gas-fired plants run by Calpine Corp., PG&E will have to use batteries or other non-fossil fuel resources to keep the lights on in the most-populated U.S. state.

It will be fascinating to watch how this plays out.  My brother-in-law is already complaining about the high price of electricity in California.

My hunch is the order phases in this requirement. Let's hope.

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Update On The Bullet Train

From The St Louis Dispatch, January 16, 2018:

• estimated cost for first phase climbed by 35% this week to $10.6 billion
• first phase: 119 miles; Central Valley
• entire project now projected at $67 billion; when voters approved project in 2008, project estimated to cost $40 billion

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Road To New England

Now that the cold snap is over, it looks like the grid in New England is back to "normal." Spot electricity only spiked to $150/MWh, but look at the piddly amount renewable energy provided -- 6%. And it was pointed out that by renewable in New England: half of that 6% is wind; and half of that 6% is biomass, wood chips, not exactly what most folks consider "renewable energy."

And so it goes.