Lyft, Peninsula Clean Energy EV Ride-Hailing Program Surpasses 250,000 Rides
A ride-hail electrification pilot program launched in spring 2022 by California community choice aggregator Peninsula Clean Energy, Lyft and one of its Express Drive rental partners, Flexdrive, reached a key milestone by providing more than 250,000 electric vehicle rides across more than three million all-electric miles driven in the Bay Area.
San Francisco Officials Urge PG&E to Reconsider Position on Sale of Grid Assets
In a May 3 letter to Patricia Poppe, CEO of California investor-owned utility Pacific Gas & Electric, San Francisco officials including Dennis Herrera, General Manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, urged the utility to reconsider its position related to the city’s plan to buy PG&E’s grid assets, which would allow the city to become responsible for all electric distribution service within San Francisco’s boundaries.
Virtual Power Plants Could Save Utilities $15-$35B in Capacity Investment Over 10 Years: Report
A new report from the Brattle Group finds that 60 gigawatts of virtual power plant deployment could meet future U.S. resource adequacy needs at $15–$35 billion less than the cost of the alternative options over the ensuing decade.
Fitch Assigns A- Rating to Bonds issued by the Lower Colorado River Authority on behalf of Transmission Entity
Fitch Ratings has assigned an ‘A+’ rating to bonds issued by Texas-based Lower Colorado River Authority on behalf of the Lower Colorado River Authority Transmission Services Corp.
Pacific Northwest Forecast Projects a 20% Increase in Load Over the Next Five Years
The Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee released its 2023 Northwest Regional Forecast on May 4, which projects a 20 percent increase in load over the next five years. This equates to roughly 4,000 average megawatts.
U.S. Offshore Wind Is Growing, With Nearly 51,400 Megawatts in Development: Report
The U.S. has a pipeline of offshore wind projects totaling nearly 51,400 megawatts, according to a report by the American Clean Power Association.
First-Ever LADWP Women’s Career and Wellness Expo Details Utility Career Paths
More than 1,500 Los Angeles students, community members, employees and prospective job candidates gathered on May 6 at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Truesdale Training Center for the inaugural Women’s Career and Wellness Expo.
Bills in Florida That Would Have Undercut Public Power Fall Short in Legislative Session
Legislation in Florida that would have substantially limited the ability of public power electric utilities to transfer revenues to cities’ general funds failed to cross the finish line in the recently completed state legislative session, which came to an end on May 5.
LS Power to Acquire 2.1 GW Natural Gas Generation Portfolio from Brazos Electric
LS Power on May 8 announced it has reached an agreement with Brazos Electric Power Cooperative to acquire 2,145 megawatts of natural gas generation in the ERCOT North region of Texas through a special purpose affiliate.
Voters in El Paso, Texas, Reject Climate Proposal That Included Plan to Explore Public Power Utility
Voters in El Paso, Texas, on May 6 rejected a proposal that included exploring the creation of a public power utility.