# Quitting Carbon > Reporting and analysis on the projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition published by award-winning journalist Justin Gerdes. Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### About this site URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/about/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T21:42:21.000Z **Quitting Carbon** is an independent publication launched in November 2024 by award-winning journalist **Justin Gerdes**. Justin is a [veteran energy journalist](https://www.linkedin.com/in/justingerdes/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was formerly the Managing Editor and U.S. Senior Correspondent for [Energy Monitor](https://www.energymonitor.ai/author/justingerdes/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). He is also a former Contributing Writer for Greentech Media and author of [Quitting Carbon: How Denmark Is Leading the Clean Energy Transition and Winning the Race to the Low-Carbon Future](https://www.amazon.com/Quitting-Carbon-Denmark-Transition-Low-Carbon-ebook/dp/B01F0LRKWY/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/09/Author_Justin-Gerdes_Nyhavn-Canal_October-2014.jpg) Quitting Carbon founder Justin Gerdes on the Nyhavn canal in Copenhagen, Denmark. Justin's reporting and commentary on energy, the environment, and politics has appeared at the Guardian, the Financial Times' Sustainable Views, Yale Environment 360, Forbes.com, Motherjones.com, Sierra magazine, Smithsonian.com, Ensia, Chinadialogue, Earth Island Journal, and Greentech Media, among others. **Praise for Quitting Carbon** [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-08-144123.png)](https://bsky.app/profile/chrisnelder.bsky.social/post/3mslq337edk2o?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/Transition-Times_Nelder-Notes_May-13_2026.png) \- from "[NN#2: The Trump Paradox](https://www.transitiontimes.net/nn-2-the-trump-paradox/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)," Transition Times, May 13, 2026. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/BlueSky_David-Roberts_May-4_2026.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/11/Canary-Media_November-21_2025.png) \- from "[Electrify your home with our handy roundup before tax credits expire](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/electrification/home-electrification-guide-tax-credits?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)," Canary Media, November 21, 2025. > Fantastic read from @justingerdes.bsky.social's Quitting Carbon newsletter this morning. We need more storytelling about the intricacies of tough decisions around decarbonization — Justin's story can act as inspiration for us in NYC. www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-el... > > — [Skylight NYC (@skylightnyc.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ioh3rgvhyh42oyylppzyvg4q?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [2025-07-28T16:45:43.300Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ioh3rgvhyh42oyylppzyvg4q/post/3lv224wk5x22r?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) > Always interesting content from @justingerdes.bsky.social and QuittingCarbonMedia.com > > — [Robert Shalett (@rshalett.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:galcybl2re4mheuyzfuswx5v?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [2025-07-28T14:12:26.156Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:galcybl2re4mheuyzfuswx5v/post/3luzrkthlz22y?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) > Justin is a long-time clean tech reporter. His expertise is just what you need to stay informed about the clean energy transition. > > — [Erica Gies / SlowWater.world (@ericagies.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ir5q4aijvya2ww6w3lttm26j?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [2024-12-31T18:51:12.786Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ir5q4aijvya2ww6w3lttm26j/post/3lempovv2nc2e?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) ### Access Quitting Carbon [**Subscribe**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) today and you'll get full access to the website as well as an email newsletter with reporting and analysis you can't find anywhere else. **Quitting Carbon** is a **100% subscriber-funded publication**. Your [**subscription**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) makes this site possible, so please consider [**becoming a paid subscriber**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/support/#/portal/signup) or [**making a one-time donation**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/support/#/portal/support). By signing up, you'll get access to the full archive of everything that's been published before and everything that's still to come. Expect to hear from me once or twice a week. Thank you! ### Independent journalism on the energy transition, delivered to your inbox Stay up to date with new content sent straight to your inbox. No more worrying about whether you missed something because of a pesky algorithm or news feed. --- ### Support Quitting Carbon URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/support/ Last updated: 2026-07-20T06:54:18.000Z **Quitting Carbon** is a 100% [**subscriber-funded**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) publication. You won't see annoying and distracting ads or auto-play videos at this site. I don't plan to erect a paywall either. But I can only continue doing this work with your support. If the original [reporting](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/reporting/), [interviews](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/interviews/), [commentary](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/commentary/), and [roundups](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/what-im-reading/) I publish here is important to you, I hope you will consider [**becoming a paid subscriber**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup), [**gifting a paid subscription**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift), or [**leaving a tip**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support). And if my in-depth reporting and analysis on the energy transition has been useful in your work, you might even be able to deduct the cost of a subscription as a business expense. Thank you, as always, for reading, sharing, and [**paying to support**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) the work I do here at **Quitting Carbon**. With gratitude, Justin ## Posts ### These states aren’t waiting on Congress to expand their power grids URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/these-states-arent-waiting-on-congress-to-expand-their-power-grids/ Last updated: 2026-10-23T14:29:59.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*, or* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*.* Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act touched just about every part of the clean energy economy. But perhaps that bill’s biggest omission, most experts agree, was language to accelerate the expansion of the transmission grid in the United States. Lawmakers in Congress are still working to address this oversight. Last month, for example, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D), the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced [legislation](https://www.energy.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GAI26569.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to [establish a federal 10-year, 30% investment tax credit](https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/heinrich-introduces-legislation-to-support-investments-to-build-a-more-resilient-reliable-grid?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to support the construction of large-scale transmission projects and adoption of grid-enhancing technologies. Heinrich also joined a bipartisan group of senators in introducing a [permitting reform bill](https://heatmap.news/politics/bipartisan-permitting-reform?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) last month that likewise aims to make it easier to expand the grid. But states with ambitious clean energy and climate targets are not waiting on Congress to build new transmission lines. **A new transmission authority in the Evergreen State** In Washington state, legislation ([SB 6355](https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=6355&Year=2026&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) creating the Washington Electric Transmission Authority (WETA) took effect in June. The problem in the Evergreen State, as [outlined by lawyers](https://www.dwt.com/blogs/energy--environmental-law-blog/2026/09/washington-electric-transmission-authority-sb-6355?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with the Seattle and Portland offices of the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine (DWT), is that Washington needs new transmission lines to meet rising electricity demand and to decarbonize the state’s grid, but the Bonneville Power Administration, which “owns and operates roughly 75% of the transmission lines in the Pacific Northwest ... has built almost no new transmission lines since the 1970s.” The new authority aims to break this logjam and hasten the construction of new transmission lines to carry wind and solar power from projects in eastern Washington over the Cascades to the state’s western population centers. “The authority may help identify and advance new corridors, support upgrades to existing lines, coordinate siting and development activity, assist with permitting processes, pursue financing tools, own transmission facilities in appropriate circumstances, and ultimately sell projects or project interests,” write the DWT lawyers. They added that “WETA must also consider non-wire alternatives, community microgrids, [distributed energy resources](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-what-it-will-take-to-unlock-the-potential-of-advanced-energy-communities/), and energy conservation as part of broader transmission and capacity expansion efforts.” The authority will operate as an independent entity, overseen by a 10-member board of directors, who will be appointed by the governor before January 1, 2027. The clean energy industry welcomed the launch of the transmission authority. “The passage of SB 6355 is significant for Washington’s clean energy future and for addressing infrastructure gaps at a time when access to affordable electricity is increasingly urgent,” [Emilie Olson](https://advancedenergyunited.org/about/team/member/emilie-olson/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), senior principal with the national industry association Advanced Energy United, told me in an email. “States across the West are shifting toward a more coordinated, multi-state approach to transmission, with Washington being the most recent,” she added. “As more state transmission and energy infrastructure authorities take shape and connect across the region, it will be exciting to see how they might work together to advance interstate transmission initiatives that benefit the West as a whole.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Unlocking transmission buildout in the Golden State** Another state transmission authority taking shape in the region is California’s Transmission Infrastructure Accelerator. Last month, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation ([AB 192](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billHistoryClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260AB192&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) that builds upon a bill passed last year ([SB 254](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260SB254&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) to create the transmission accelerator in California. “AB 192 requires the accelerator to evaluate the California Independent System Operator’s transmission planning process and authorizes it to select eligible transmission projects that may receive public financing from the California Transmission Accelerator Revolving Fund,” [reports Utility Dive’s Meris Lutz](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/newsom-vetoes-california-puc-bill/830864/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The bill earmarked $325 million for that revolving fund from the $10 billion climate bond [approved by California voters in November 2024](https://calmatters.org/politics/elections/2024/11/california-election-news-proposition-4-environment/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The funding was allocated to the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to be administered by the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank ([I-Bank](https://ibank.ca.gov/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)). AB 192 also authorizes the I-Bank “to provide loans, bonds, and other financial assistance for eligible projects through the revolving fund and establishes state tax credits equal to 20% of qualified transmission project expenditures, capped at $20 million per taxpayer per year, for taxable years beginning in 2026 through 2035,” according to an AEU [bill summary](https://app.insightengine.org/bills/ca-ab192-2025-2026-regular-session-2025-01-08?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The point of this program is to lower the cost of these projects so that when there is a rate of return that California Public Utilities Commission approves, it will be lower to ratepayers versus just doing the process as it is now without any kind of public financing,” AEU California Director [Brandon Garcia](https://advancedenergyunited.org/about/team/member/brandon-garcia/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) told me in an interview. “The state right now is literally in the process of figuring out things like: How is the program is going to be set up? How much money are we going to spend per transmission project? How many projects will qualify?” he said. Officials at GO-Biz and the I-Bank have until the end of 2027 to write guidelines for the transmission accelerator program, which is scheduled to expire at the end of 2035. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) “We desperately do need more transmission, and we desperately do need more transmission that is cheaper. Those are conflicting but sometimes complementary problems,” said Garcia. “We have this twofold problem of we need to build more transmission because it’s constrained, and it being constrained means less projects get online. It’s like an infinite circle that eats itself.” “You can’t be spending billions of dollars every single time on each project. You couldn’t do that normally. But today, specifically with the [high costs ratepayers have to pay](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/), you certainly [couldn’t do that from a political angle](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/budgets-not-utility-bills-should-be-how-we-fund-critical-clean-energy-programs/),” he added. “The point of this program is to drive down costs and to expand the type of transmission infrastructure we have.” Garcia explained that California Independent System Operator, the entity that manages much of the state’s grid, [identifies transmission projects that need to be built](https://www.caiso.com/generation-transmission/transmission/transmission-planning?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and then [puts out a competitive solicitation](https://stakeholdercenter.caiso.com/RecurringStakeholderProcesses/2025-2026-Transmission-planning-process?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to determine who gets to bid to build the lines. “Concurrently, but separately, this program will look at those competitive bids and then do their own process to decide which of those projects should receive some public financing,” he said. ### What I’m reading: Surging electric truck sales, France's clean tech social leasing success, and global energy transition tracker URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-surging-electric-truck-sales-frances-clean-tech-social-leasing-success-and-global-energy-transition-tracker/ Last updated: 2026-10-09T18:29:59.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*, or* [*leaving a tip*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. These every-other-Friday roundups are my way of flagging important energy transition developments you might have missed. I was off last week relaxing in Bend, Oregon, (read to the end for some photos!), hence the belated arrival of this roundup. Have a great weekend and thanks, as always, for reading. **With diesel prices soaring and battery technology maturing, electric trucks sales are surging across the globe** Trucks have lagged passenger vehicles in transitioning to battery-powered models. But with diesel prices soaring across the globe and batteries more capable than ever of powering even heavy-duty trucks, the disparity between the two segments will close. “Worldwide, sales of medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks [hit a record high](https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-energy/the-electric-trucking-markets-record-rise-three-things-to-know/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in the first half of this year, according to research firm BloombergNEF. Nearly 160,000 e-trucks were sold in that time period, up by around 75% from the first half of 2025,” [reports Canary Media’s Ysabelle Kempe](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-fleets/diesel-prices-electric-truck-sales?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In major European markets like France and Germany, electric trucks are already cheaper to operate than their diesel counterparts. A [report](https://www.transportenvironment.org/articles/are-electric-trucks-cheaper-to-operate-than-diesel?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published last month by the campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) finds that electric trucks deliver a lower total cost of ownership in six out of nine major EU markets. The six markets (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden) together account for 46% of all new heavy trucks sold in the EU. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/10/2026_09_truks-Tco-4-changes_final-5.png) “In the Netherlands and Germany, savings can go up to €100,000 and €85,000 respectively over five years, with electric trucks reaching their payback time after only two years. With current high diesel prices, savings could rise to €123,000 and €106,000 respectively,” according to a T&E [press release](https://www.transportenvironment.org/articles/electric-trucks-cheaper-to-operate-than-diesel-for-almost-half-of-trucks-sold-in-eu-new-analysis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). With battery electric trucks cheaper to operate than diesel models in more markets, shipping giants are adding electric trucks to their fleets. Last month, in Germany, Mercedes-Benz Trucks [delivered the first 27 models from Amazon's largest-ever order of electric trucks](https://www.aboutamazon.eu/news/company-news/amazon-mercedes-trucks-germany?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). By the end of 2026, Amazon will be operating more than 50 of the Mercedes-Benz [eActros 600](https://www.mercedes-benz-trucks.com/int/en/trucks/eactros.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) battery electric trucks on German roads. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/10/Amazon_Mercedes-Benz-electric-trucks.webp) [Credit](https://www.aboutamazon.eu/news/company-news/amazon-mercedes-trucks-germany?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Amazon. Just last week, FedEx [placed an order](https://harbingermotors.com/newsroom/fedex-orders-2000-harbinger-electric-trucks/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with California-based electric truck manufacturer [Harbinger](https://harbingermotors.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for 2,000 all-electric box trucks – a transaction “believed to be one of the largest binding orders for electric medium or heavy-duty trucks in history,” according to Harbinger. The e-trucks are to be delivered by the end of 2027 and rolled out across the U.S. and Canada. The total order is valued at more than $300 million, but Harbinger estimates the 2,000 electric trucks can generate $800 million in diesel fuel savings. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/10/FedEx-PR-Post-2-1.webp) [Credit](https://harbingermotors.com/newsroom/fedex-orders-2000-harbinger-electric-trucks/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Harbinger. Deals like the Amazon and FedEx deployments will become increasingly common because manufacturers keep improving the business case for electric trucks by boosting their range and shortening charging times. Consider some recent examples. Swedish truck manufacturer Scania added two batteries behind the cab in its electric long-haul trucks, [boosting the range to up to 720 kilometers](https://thedriven.io/2026/09/16/scania-adds-more-batteries-to-boost-range-of-electric-long-haul-trucks-to-up-to-720-km/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (447 miles). Another Swedish truck maker, Volvo, recently unveiled a new 80-ton electric truck and [began commercial production of the FH Aero Electric](https://thedriven.io/2026/09/17/turning-technology-into-reality-volvo-unveils-80-tonne-electric-truck-and-begins-series-production-of-700-km-model/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a truck with a range of 700 kilometers (435 miles). Chinese electric automaker BYD [unveiled a new heavy-duty truck with range up to 600 kilometers](https://thedriven.io/2026/09/16/byd-unveils-flagship-electric-heavy-truck-with-600km-range-and-1-5-mw-blade-battery-charging-rate/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (373 miles) and a 1.5-megawatt charging system. And Chinese battery giant CATL [announced a next-generation commercial truck battery](https://thedriven.io/2026/09/17/catl-unveils-new-generation-of-truck-battery-with-up-to-1000km-of-range/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with a range up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) and the ability to switch between charging or battery swapping. Tesla recently [opened its first pre-assembled Semi Megacharger site](https://thedriven.io/2026/09/21/tesla-deploys-first-pre-fabricated-1-2-mw-electric-truck-charger/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), with each stall providing up to 1.2 MW of charging power. San Francisco-based startup [Revoy](https://www.revoy.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) offers a detachable “dolly” that can [turn a conventional diesel truck into a hybrid electric vehicle](https://spectrum.ieee.org/revoy-hybrid-diesel-semi-truck?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The dolly, a unit containing a battery pack, electric motor, and drive axle that bolts between the cab and cargo trailer, can reduce diesel consumption by up to 95% and tailpipe emissions by 85%. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **France finds “social leasing” unlocks the market for EVs** French policymakers might have struck upon a solution to one stumbling block of the energy transition: the upfront cost for climate solutions like electric vehicles and heat pumps. Under a novel *le leasing social* (social leasing) program, low-income French households can drive an EV without a down payment. Here’s how it works, as [reported by Politico’s Zia Weise and Nicolas Camut](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-surge/2026/10/05/frances-ev-price-experiment-01106485?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=via%20Getty%20Images-,FREEV,-%3A%20Can%E2%80%99t%20afford). “Allow low-income households to lease an EV for less than €200 a month over three years, without a deposit. The government subsidizes a large share of the cost in cooperation with carmakers. Drivers can return the car when the lease ends, or buy it.” “Since 2024,” they write, “social leasing has helped finance 100,000 cars, and 36,000 people have already applied for the 50,000 EVs on offer since the latest funding round kicked off in July – a figure the French government said proves the program’s success.” Just this week, French officials launched a similar program with a goal to finance 55,000 heat pumps over the next two years. Social leasing is proving so popular that policymakers across Europe are pushing to adopt the concept: > European policymakers are starting to pay attention. In July, the European Commission [advised governments to consider](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52026DC0595&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) adopting social leasing schemes for EVs, heat pumps, batteries and solar panels. > The center-left Socialists & Democrats, the second-largest faction in the European Parliament, [called this spring](https://www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu/newsroom/sds-social-leasing-can-deliver-triple-win-people-climate-and-industry?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for a continent-wide social leasing scheme in response to sky-high energy costs stemming from the Iran war. > “It’s a very effective measure when it comes to lowering the demand for gasoline and petrol, because we see that the prices are rising, and creating alternatives in the short run for people with a low income or middle income is very needed,” said Mohammed Chahim, vice chair of the Socialists & Democrats. > The Dutch government said [earlier this year that](https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/ah-tk-20252026-1679.html?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) research into duplicating the French program is underway. Italy [announced a pilot leasing scheme](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/automotive-sector-social-car-hire-scheme-with-a-monthly-fee-of-100-euros-AJTO4NT?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in July for low-emissions cars and EVs. Sweden [will use the revenues](https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/funding/social-climate-fund/social-climate-fund-national-plans/swedens-social-climate-plan%5Fen?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from a new EU carbon price to fund EV leasing for low-income households. I’d love to see social leasing programs for clean energy technologies piloted by local and state governments here in the U.S. as a proof of concept ahead of inclusion in an IRA 2.0 package to be introduced in a future session of Congress. 🌍 ****Global energy transition tracker** Now a regular feature of these roundups, let’s take another quick tour of the globe for some recent clean energy deployment records and milestones: **Renewables records** - On a Saturday afternoon last month, renewables net more than 80% of demand on **Australia's** main grid for the first time. (Giles Parkinson, [Renew Economy](https://reneweconomy.com.au/renewables-hit-more-than-80-pct-of-grid-demand-for-first-time-despite-heavy-throttling-of-wind-and-solar/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) Over the month of September, large-scale solar generation hit new record highs in three states (New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria), while fossil gas generation hit a new low. (Sophie Vorrath, [Renew Economy](https://reneweconomy.com.au/utility-solar-power-hits-record-high-in-first-month-of-spring-as-gas-generation-falls-to-new-low/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - Renewables covered a record 61% of **Germany's** electricity consumption during the first three quarters of 2026, a 4% increase over the same period last year. (Carolina Kyllmann, [Clean Energy Wire](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/renewables-cover-61-germanys-electricity-needs-so-far-year?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - **Germany** generated as much solar electricity by the end of September as it did all of last year. (Carolina Kyllmann, [Clean Energy Wire](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/german-solar-power-generation-reaches-new-yearly-record-september?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - The **UK** recorded more solar installations during the first half of 2026 than in any previous year. (Michael Holder, [BusinessGreen](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4536473/uk-sets-fresh-renewables-record-solar-installations-hit-14?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) **Clean energy slashes energy bills** - The **UK's** clean energy auction scheduled for this autumn could deliver more than £11 billion ($13.2 billion) in savings for consumers through 2050, according to energy transition consultancy LCP Delta. (James Murray, [BusinessGreen](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4535986/clean-power-contract-auction-slash-energy-bills-11bn-analysts-claim?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) **Fossil fuel and energy transition plans** - **Germany** presented a plan to kick fossil fuels by 2045, becoming just the third country, after France and the Netherlands, to publish such a plan. (Julian Wettengel, [Clean Energy Wire](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-presents-fossil-fuel-transition-plan-reaffirms-2045-climate-target?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - This week, **South Korea** announced a $747 billion energy transition and decarbonization plan calling for 100 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 and for electric and hydrogen vehicles to exceed 70% of new vehicle sales by 2035\. The plan also includes targeted decarbonization plans for high-emitting sectors such as steel, cement, and semiconductors. ([ESG News](https://esgnews.com/south-korea-announces-747-billion-energy-transition-plan-through-2035/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) **China's emissions-slashing exports** - **China's** clean tech exports prevented 374 million metric tons of CO2 last year, more than the annual emissions of the **UK**, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. (Lewis Jackson, [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/chinas-clean-tech-exports-avoided-more-co2-than-uk-emitted-2026-09-23/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) **Heat pumps sales jump in Europe** - In the first six months of 2026, sales of residential heat pumps increased by 11% in a dozen **European** countries. Slightly more than 1.16 million heat pumps were sold in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland – up from the 1.04 million units sold in the first half of 2025\. ([European Heat Pump Association](https://ehpa.org/news-and-resources/press-releases/post-hormuz-heat-pump-sales-climb-11/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) **EV sales surge continues** - EV sales hit a new record in the **UK** in September, grabbing a 28% share of the overall market with almost 100,000 fully electric vehicles sold. (Michael Holder, [BusinessGreen](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4536682/major-achievement-evs-sold-uk-minute-september?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - Fully electric vehicles accounted for at least 50% of new passenger vehicle registrations in six **European** countries in September. In **Denmark**, battery EV registrations hit a record 88.8% share, and gas-only vehicles dipped below 50% of the overall passenger vehicle fleet for the first time (49.98%). (Joshua S. Hill, [The Driven](https://thedriven.io/2026/10/07/evs-dominate-european-new-car-sales-in-september-as-denmark-chases-down-norway-to-be-market-leader/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - Gas-only cars dipped below 50% of **global** new car sales for the first time in the first half of 2026\. Gas-only cars accounted for 49% of global new car sales over the period, down from 73% in 2021, according to Mobility Global data first reported by Nikkei. (Fred Lambert, [Electrek](https://electrek.co/2026/10/05/gas-cars-fall-below-50-percent-global-new-car-sales/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) **One more thing: Scenes from Bend and Crater Lake National Park, Oregon** As promised, here are some scenes from last week's stay in Bend and visit to Crater Lake National Park on the drive home. One of my favorite things to do in Bend is to simply walk along the Deschutes River in Drake Park at sunset. Mirror Pond is just steps from the downtown. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/10/IMG_20260930_100242740.jpg) Mural in downtown Bend. Credit: Justin Gerdes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/10/IMG_20260928_182934355_HDR.jpg) Mirror Pond, along the Deschutes River in Drake Park, downtown Bend. Credit: Justin Gerdes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/10/IMG_20260928_190528913.jpg) The Deschutes River in Bend's Drake Park at sunset. Credit: Justin Gerdes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/10/IMG_20261003_131025955.jpg) Wizard Island, as seen from the west rim of Crater Lake, in Crater Lake National Park. Credit: Justin Gerdes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/10/IMG_20261003_144959612_HDR.jpg) The Phantom Ship, as seen from the east rim of Crater Lake, in Crater Lake National Park. Credit: Justin Gerdes. ### Trump’s ‘energy dominance’ agenda is only making renewables more attractive – at home and abroad URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-energy-dominance-agenda-is-only-making-renewables-more-attractive-at-home-and-abroad/ Last updated: 2026-09-24T18:24:44.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*, or* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*.* As with so many Trump administration policies, you wonder if this one was thought all the way through. The administration’s chest-thumping “[energy dominance](https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/02/american-energy-dominance-is-back-under-president-trump/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)” evangelists like Energy Secretary [Chris Wright](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-does-chris-wright-insist-on-being-so-wrong-on-the-energy-transition/) are so eager to export U.S. fossil fuels overseas, they seem oblivious that fuel sent abroad could mean constrained capacity – and higher prices – at home. How might that happen? Americans feeling the pinch of [rising electricity bills](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/) are looking for someone to blame, and that someone is increasingly the tech barons racing to build AI data centers across the country – [with the full support of Donald Trump](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/us/politics/trump-truth-social-ai-data-centers.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The colossal fossil gas-burning power plant Amazon is building to power a data center campus in Pecos County, Texas, to cite one especially egregious example, “could become the largest single source of climate pollution in the United States,” [reports The New York Times’ Hiroko Tabuchi](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/climate/amazon-data-center-texas-pollution.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.DFE.c%5FMg.2I3kjjsmYU9n&smid=url-share&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Thirty-five gas-burning turbines would generate up to 7.65 *gigawatts* to support the data center. It is “new on-site generation that won’t raise electricity costs for Texas families,” the company told Tabuchi. 📖 ****Read more:** [****Why does Chris Wright insist on being so wrong on the energy transition?**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-does-chris-wright-insist-on-being-so-wrong-on-the-energy-transition/) **The U.S. LNG export boom** The U.S. is [on track for record fossil gas production](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67944&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in 2026, surpassing the previous record set just last year. But the Trump administration is also pushing to send as much of that gas as it can overseas. U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports during the first half of this year were [up by 23% over the same period last year](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=68064&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). And the country's LNG export capacity is [expected to nearly double from December 2025 levels by 2031](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67224&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Not satisfied with already being [the world’s largest LNG exporter](https://www.energy.gov/articles/fact-sheet-energy-department-celebrating-president-trumps-great-american-energy-comeback?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the Trump administration is working to send more of the country’s gas to yet more markets. [Support Quitting Carbon with a paid subscription](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) In March, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) [launched the Global Gas Initiative](https://ustda.gov/ustda-launches-u-s-global-gas-initiative/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “a new effort to expand U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports by accelerating the deployment of U.S.-made gas infrastructure to emerging markets.” USTDA said it would host six reverse trade missions, “bringing delegates from approximately 12 countries to the United States for firsthand exposure to American LNG technologies and services across the full value chain.” Just last week, the agency said it was [bringing an energy industry delegation from Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco to the U.S.](https://ustda.gov/ustda-supports-u-s-gas-infrastructure-exports-to-the-middle-east-and-north-africa/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to pitch them on the LNG exports. The group will visit Washington, D.C., “where the President’s National Energy Dominance Council will host a U.S. Government Engagement Day at the White House,” and Houston, Texas, to meet with LNG infrastructure companies. **Meeting demand at home and overseas** With the White House so focused on gas exports, what happens when Amazon and its rivals begin to power up gas-fired AI data centers like the behemoth Amazon is building in West Texas? After all, the gas used to power turbines at that data center is gas that could be used to deliver power to the grid or to heat homes or businesses. Already, [25% of U.S. fossil gas production is being dedicated to exports](https://www.citizen.org/news/trumps-lng-energy-export-policy-cost-households-12-billion-in-first-nine-months-of-2025/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Can the U.S. natural gas industry meet increased demand expected to come from data centers at home *and* terminals exporting LNG around the globe? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/09/US-LNG-gross-exports_EIA.png) [Credit](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67224&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): "Ten years after first Sabine Pass cargo, U.S. LNG exports are still on the rise," U.S. Energy Information Administration. “We are definitely going to 30 BCF \[billion cubic feet\] of LNG export. So at the time at which all of this natural gas is going to be coming online, we’re going to need a lot more natural gas production in this country,” Jigar Shah, who led the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office during the Biden administration, [said on a recent episode](https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-circuit-power-is-caught-in-ais-doom-loop/?nab=0&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of the “Open Circuit” podcast he co-hosts. “And when that happens,” he went on, “because we’re not out of natural gas, we’re just out of natural gas that pencils at $3 a million BTU to pull out of the ground. We’re going to have to go to some of the other shale plays and they pencil at $4 a million BTU, which is a 33% increase in the cost of the fuel. And some of them pencil at $5 a million BTU to get out of the ground. And that is a 66% increase in the cost of the fuel right at the time where people are not diversifying and they’re going all in on gas, gas ends up getting all of the \[utility\] CEOs fired.” Can gas producers resist the siren song of sending ever-more of their product overseas? Likely not, when gas can be sold to buyers in Asia or Europe for [four or five times the price in the U.S.](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=68064&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=The%20average%20price,to%20Bloomberg%20data.), as it could [during the first half of 2026](https://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/rngwhhdm.htm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Global LNG prices remained sufficiently high throughout \[the first half of 2026\] to continue incentivizing U.S. exports near maximum output levels,” as the U.S. Energy Information Administration [noted recently](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=68064&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **The fallout from two misbegotten policies converges** The Trump administration’s unflinching support for LNG exports threatens to constrain supply for gas at home and [raise prices for consumers](https://www.citizen.org/news/trumps-lng-energy-export-policy-cost-households-12-billion-in-first-nine-months-of-2025/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). How long before even GOP lawmakers lobby President Trump to limit LNG exports – especially if the president’s allies in Big Tech succeed in building gigawatt-scale, gas-fired AI data centers and households feel no relief from surging electricity bills? But Trump’s quandary doesn’t end there. His catastrophic decision to start a war with Iran has not only increased domestic prices for [diesel](https://sg-mktg.com/MTc4OTk2MzU5MHxGZGVDQWdyR19BcFpRTlRPWm5ONkozZ0JqMnRJWXU2S2syLTRKbC1LQTBrQnc2MERXNkZHTHU1YUNWc2I5WXNmUDBiMk9razBUeFEwYzVVem1TWmxFcDlNY29Ec2IwaG0wai1kaTd1R0pObV9lT0FDcUZVUFFYamJKVEVqSU5GSzhPVkVTV0VkU0V3ZTZ2MHB0Z0FwdVZKdy1PNjBTdVRuVlRiVFJQMDg0c0JFZ3JoRFRyeTVldHFHaFQ4MlZjY3ZkN21DbkIwOHFGQ1dqeGE4YTFIdzc0ZER6dTVlQzNjRDgzQjl3Q1p2WUd5eHBxMHdPVzhuQkNxTzdPSC1pM0RrQWtZVTdnPT185Ux6q-Awt4Cqb7pB4Slfqeg9WyrXz1B6knmGKlZecbQ=?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [gasoline](https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/rising-gas-prices-frustrate-voters-trump-inexpensive-price-136597370?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and [heating oil](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/business/energy-environment/heating-oil-winter-iran-war.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). It is also pushing other countries to reject investing in the infrastructure needed to import the LNG that Trump and Wright are [so determined to push on them](https://www.energy.gov/articles/fact-sheet-energy-department-celebrating-president-trumps-great-american-energy-comeback?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=of%20the%20decade.-,Since%20January%202025,-%2C%20the%20Energy%20Department). 📖 ****Read more:** [****Trump’s Iran war is driving politicians and consumers to embrace clean energy**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-iran-war-is-driving-politicians-and-consumers-to-embrace-clean-energy/) Asian demand for LNG is set to [decline by up to 10% from 2025 levels this year](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/asian-lng-demand-set-fall-second-year-war-shrinks-supply-2026-09-17/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The Financial Times [reports](https://www.ft.com/content/31f41c2e-084b-4bdf-a548-bf3d1139dbbe?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the Strait of Hormuz crisis “threatens to undermine long-term LNG demand.” “Given what’s happening, the disruption to the oil supply means Thailand, like many countries, is speeding up the energy transition process,” Akanat Promphan, Thailand’s minister of energy, [told Bloomberg](https://gasoutlook.com/analysis/demand-scenarios-diverge-at-gastech/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWe%20have%20to,also%20energy%20security.%E2%80%9D). “The answer to that is more electrification basically, not only to solve the problems of climate change, but also energy security.” Meanwhile, as the financial advisory firm Lazard recently reconfirmed, renewables [remain the cheapest way to add new power to the grid](https://www.lazard.com/news-announcements/lazard-releases-2026-levelized-cost-of-energyplus-report-pr/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Homegrown renewables are less exposed to global price shocks, too. All of which means we’ve reached a confluence of two misbegotten Trump pursuits. The administration is pitching LNG to countries whose leaders increasingly see renewables as the future because Donald Trump’s war of choice in Iran crystallized the dangers of relying on imported fossil fuels. ### What I’m reading: Germany notches tall turbine and big battery milestones, electrification is coming for big ships and planes, making it easier for EV drivers to charge, global energy transition tracker, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-germany-notches-tall-turbine-and-big-battery-milestones-electrification-coming-for-big-ships-and-planes-making-it-easier-for-ev-drivers-to-charge-global-energy-transitio/ Last updated: 2026-09-18T18:30:05.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*, or* [*leaving a tip*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. For all the new readers who have joined us in recent weeks, these every-other-Friday roundups are my way of flagging important energy transition developments you might have missed. Have a great weekend and thanks, as always, for reading. **Germany notches tall turbine and big battery milestones** Near the town of Schipkau, between Berlin and Dresden, in Germany, the project developer Gicon is erecting what it calls [the world’s largest onshore wind turbine](https://www.gicon.de/gicon%5Fhoehenwindturm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). On Sunday, a hydraulic lift will hoist the turbine’s assembled nacelle, hub, and rotor blades from a platform at 165 meters to their final position at 300 meters (984 feet) on a “telescopic onshore lattice tower.” “Including the blades, the wind turbine in Schipkau, in the eastern state of Brandenburg, is set to be 365 metres tall, almost exactly the same height as Berlin’s iconic TV tower,” [writes Clean Energy Wire’s Sören Amelang](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/construction-worlds-tallest-wind-turbine-faces-key-test-300-metre-nacelle-lift?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). According to Gicon, “the high-altitude wind tower will be able to produce more than twice as much energy as a comparable conventional onshore wind turbine once operational.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/09/Gicon_World-s-tallest-wind-turbine.jpg) Gicon's high-altitude “telescopic onshore lattice tower” under construction near Schipkau in eastern Germany. [Credit](https://www.gicon.de/gicon%5Fhoehenwindturm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Gicon. In the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, Swedish energy giant Vattenfall recently decided to proceed with construction on a 254-megawatt/1,000-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system. The project, which will be built at the site of the Brunsbüttel nuclear power plant, will be “one of the country’s and Europe’s largest battery energy storage system (BESS) projects,” [reports Energy Storage News’ Andy Colthorpe](https://www.energy-storage.news/vattenfall-goes-ahead-with-1gwh-battery-storage-project-at-former-nuclear-site-in-germany/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The project is one in a wave of big battery projects in the pipeline in Germany. “The Vattenfall project, if completed today, would be Germany’s biggest operational BESS, but others are already in construction that will dwarf it,” notes Colthorpe. “BESS owner-operator [BW ESS recently broke ground on the 1,000MW/5,700MWh Klostermansfeld BESS](https://www.energy-storage.news/europe-goes-big-bess-projects-totalling-11gwh-launched-by-ipps-bw-ess-greenvolt-and-giga-storage/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in Saxony-Anhalt, and utility LEAG is currently building the [1GW/4GWh GigaBattery Jänschwalde 1000 ](https://www.energy-storage.news/germany-leag-builds-1gw-4gwh-largest-bess-project-in-europe-fluence-to-supply-tech/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)as well as the [400MW/1.6GWh GigaBattery Boxberg 400 project](https://www.energy-storage.news/hyperstrong-starts-building-leags-1-6gwh-germany-bess-under-turnkey-contract/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com),” he adds. Vattenfall's Brunsbüttel battery is scheduled to come online by the end of 2028. **Electrification is coming for big ships and planes, too** In a recent roundup, I [wrote about the impending launch](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-california-bolsters-its-grid-more-energy-i-text-and-more/#:~:text=in%20the%20Assembly.-,Checking%20in%20on%20Australia%E2%80%99s%20energy%20transition,-The%20Sydney%20Harbour) of what is billed as “the world’s largest battery-electric ship,” a ferry built by the Tasmanian shipbuilder Incat destined for duty in South America. The ship’s deployment was delayed by the fallout of the war in Iran (the heavy lift vessel slated to carry the electric ferry to its destination had been stuck in the Persian Gulf, unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz). But the ferry just arrived in South America and will soon enter service. “The vessel will now be commissioned before entering regular ferry service on the River Plate between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Colonia, Uruguay,” [reports Renew Economy’s Joshua S. Hill](https://thedriven.io/2026/09/15/made-in-australia-worlds-largest-battery-electric-ship-completes-trip-from-tasmania-factory-to-new-home-in-south-america/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Another three similar electric ferries are now being built by Incat in Tasmania, this time for European ferry operators, which will also be the biggest of their type in the EU.” Meanwhile, the first test flight of what is billed as “[the largest battery-electric aircraft ever flown](https://www.heartaerospace.com/newsroom/heart-aerospace-completes-first-flight-of-world-s-largest-electric-aircraft?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)” took place last month in upstate New York. The X1, a full-scale demonstrator of Heart Aerospace’s [ES-30](https://www.heartaerospace.com/es-30?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) production aircraft, took to the skies from Plattsburgh International Airport for a 27-minute flight as part of the plane’s FAA certification process. The ES-30, a 30-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner, has secured customer commitments from United Airlines, Air Canada, and JSX. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/09/20260812-38376969.webp) Heart Aerospace’s X1 demonstrator crosses the Champlain Valley near Plattsburgh, New York, at sunrise during its first flight in August 2026\. [Credit](https://www.heartaerospace.com/x1?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Heart Aerospace. “With the first flight of X1, Heart Aerospace has demonstrated electric flight at the scale of a commercial airliner,” said Anders Forslund, founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, in a press release. “Electric commercial aircraft have the potential to fundamentally reshape airline economics and, ultimately, lower the cost of air travel for passengers. This is at the heart of our vision for abundant air travel, with electrification enabling more affordable, frequent, and cleaner air service to and from airports closer to home,” he added. Heart Aerospace expects the ES-30 to begin commercial service in 2031, and “to reduce aircraft operating costs by more than 40% compared with legacy regional aircraft.” 📖 ****Read more:** [****A glimpse of the future of aviation**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/a-glimpse-of-the-future-of-aviation/) **and** [****Why you should feel a little less guilty about flying**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-you-should-feel-a-little-less-guilty-about-flying/) **Making it easier for EV drivers to charge** Most electric vehicle charging is done at home but for EVs to become mainstream everywhere, and across vehicle classes, plugs need to be more accessible in more places. Towards that end, here are models that are expanding the access to EV charging in urban areas, for shoppers on the go, and for heavy-duty trucks hauling freight. On Tuesday, the City of New York announced a deal with startup [it’s electric](https://itselectric.us/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to increase the number of curbside charge points in the city to around 700 by 2030. “To put in perspective how important this is, London and New York City have similar populations. But London has around 27,000 curbside EV chargers while New York City has just 88 so this is a major opportunity for expansion,” Tiya Gordon, it’s electric’s co-founder and COO, [told Heatmap’s Trisha Gupta](https://heatmap.news/electric-vehicles/its-electric-new-york?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The city will select neighborhoods where a greater concentration of rideshare drivers live to install the 150 new curbside charging stations. It’s electric’s model streamlines the utility interconnection and permitting process by selecting curbside sites adjacent to buildings with spare electricity capacity. “The charging stations meter and pay for their own electricity use, and in exchange for the building’s surplus power, it’s electric [shares its revenue](https://itselectric.us/for-buildings?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with building owners,” writes Gupta. [Like what you're reading? Support this independent energy journalism with a paid subscription.](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) EV drivers looking to top off their batteries away from home can visit Walmart’s expanding network of company-owned and operated fast-chargers. The mega-retailer recently opened its 100th fast-charging site at a store in Colorado. **“**The milestone brings Walmart’s charging network to 100 stores across 20 states,” [reports the IESNA newsletter](https://www.iesna.com/news-insights/walmarts-ev-charging-network-reaches-100-stores-across-20-states/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Most Walmart EV charging locations feature between 8 and 16 fast charging stalls capable of delivering up to 400 kilowatts (kW) of power, with both CCS and NACS connectors to support the majority of EVs currently on the road.” In Germany, the country’s federal transport minister said the government is [starting to build the first of what will be a network](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-launches-construction-fast-charging-motorway-network-trucks?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of 4,200 fast-charging points at around 350 locations along motorways for heavy-duty electric trucks. Writing at Clean Energy Wire, Sören Amelang notes that “Half of \[Germany's\] logistics companies [said in a poll published in February](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/one-three-german-hauliers-planning-use-electric-trucks-2030-survey?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that a lack of public charging points is a reason why they have not yet bought electric trucks.” “Around one third of hauliers said they plan to use electric trucks by 2030, while 77 percent assumed that electric trucks will be standard or at least widely in use by that year, according to [the survey](https://www.oeko.de/news/pressemeldungen/neue-umfrage-akzeptanz-fuer-e-lkw-steigt/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from think tank Öko-Institut.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. 🌍 ****Global energy transition tracker** Back by popular demand, let’s take another quick tour of the globe for some recent clean energy deployment records and milestones: **EV sales surge in August** - In **Australia**, EVs accounted for a record 24.9% of the new car market, more than conventional petrol or diesel models. (Giles Parkinson, [Renew Economy](https://thedriven.io/2026/09/03/ev-sales-hit-new-peaks-grab-record-share-of-24-9-pct-of-australias-new-car-market-in-august/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - EVs captured a new record share of the car market in the **UK**, too, at 30% and “became the \[country\]'s biggest selling fuel type for the first time.” (Michael Holder, [BusinessGreen](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4535211/economic-environmental-success-story-ev-sales-surge-august?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - Sales records were also set across Europe, with EVs accounting for 98.7% and 85.9% in **Norway** and **Denmark**, respectively. (Joshua S. Hill, [The Driven](https://thedriven.io/2026/09/03/evs-set-new-sales-records-across-europe-in-august-reach-98-7-pct-of-new-car-deliveries-in-norway/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - In **China**, EVs and hybrids accounted for 65% of total passenger car sales in the month, and the government published a new plan calling for EVs and hybrids to reach a 70% market share for passenger cars by 2030\. (James Murray, [BusinessGreen](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4535653/china-sets-target-electrified-vehicles-hit-cent-market-share-2030?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) **Renewables milestones and records** - **Germany** nearly halved its use of fossil fuel use for electricity between 2018 and 2026, falling from 174.6 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) to 94.2 billion kWh. (Benjamin Wehrmann, [Clean Energy Wire](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-nearly-halves-fossil-fuel-use-electricity-between-2018-and-2026?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - Solar power hit a record high in the **UK** over summer 2026, and by the end of August the country's total solar generation was 17 terawatt-hours – 13% higher than the same point in 2025\. (Molly Lempriere andHo Woo Nam, [Carbon Brief](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-solar-power-hits-record-high-over-summer-2026?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - **China** notched multiple solar milestones this summer: solar generation increased by 15.5% year-over-year in the first seven months of 2026, and solar generating capacity hit 1,286 gigawatts by the end of July, 31.5% of total installed power generation. “Solar panels are now China’s top source of power capacity, surpassing coal in a key milestone for the country’s green-energy boom.” (Felix Tam, [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-01/solar-surpasses-coal-as-china-s-top-source-of-power-capacity?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) **Electrification advances in China** - Rapid electrification of transport is beginning to slash fossil fuel use and reduce carbon emissions in China. “China's carbon dioxide emissions shrank by 1% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, driven by a 9% decrease in oil consumption as consumers chose cleaner and cheaper ways to get around, according ​to a Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) analysis for Carbon Brief.” (Colleen Howe, [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chinas-shrinking-appetite-oil-behind-emissions-cut-first-time-2026-09-03/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - Economywide electrification and accelerating renewables deployment has pushed fossil fuels to a plateau in China. “Coal generation has stopped growing in 17 out of 26 Chinese provinces and regions, and [fossil fuel use is reaching its peak](https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/china-energy-transition-review-2026/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in eight out of 11 industrial sectors, according to a new report by energy think tank Ember.” (Eugenia Perozo, [Semafor](https://www.semafor.com/newsletter/09/08/2026/semafor-energy-oil-execs-are-anxious-about-venezuela?utm%5Fsource=nowshare&utm%5Fmedium=net+zero&utm%5Fcampaign=flagshipnumbered3#e)) - “Power generation from coal and gas fell 4% in China in August, as solar and wind covered all electricity demand growth and hydropower and nuclear grew as well. Cement production fell 12%, crude steel 4% and oil refinery output 7%, indicating emission reductions across the board.” (Lauri Myllyvirta, CREA, [via Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mvjvoozdjk22?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) **Bending the curve on emissions** - A clean energy surge has kept **India's** power sector emissions flat from the first half of 2024 through the first half of 2026\. “This is the first time in more than 50 years that there has been no growth in India’s coal power over a two-year period, even as electricity demand grew overall.” (Lauri Myllyvirta and Anubha Aggarwal, CREA, [Carbon Brief](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-indias-power-sector-emissions-flat-for-two-years-due-to-clean-energy-surge?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - Global fossil-fuel emissions are set to fall by around 0.5% in 2026 amid the fallout from the war in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz closure, according to a new Carbon Brief analysis. (Simon Evans, [Carbon Brief](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-global-fossil-fuel-emissions-set-to-fall-in-2026-amid-hormuz-crisis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) **One more thing: A stunning Concord sunset** It would make for a better story if I had snapped this photo deep in the wilderness, on a trail miles from the nearest road. But no, I captured this scene not far from my home in Concord, California, in the parking lot of a favorite taphouse. Even in the most mundane urban setting, the Earth's majesty is never far away. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/09/Concord-sunset-at-taphouse.jpg) Credit: Justin Gerdes. ### Solving the Golden State's "anywhere but California" problem for clean energy manufacturing URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/solving-the-golden-states-anywhere-but-california-problem-for-clean-energy-manufacturing/ Last updated: 2026-09-10T15:30:48.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*, or* [*leaving a tip*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* “Anywhere but California.” In her time at the U.S. Department of Energy during the Biden administration, [Kate Gordon](https://cafwd.org/about-us/our-team/kate-gordon/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) heard that refrain time and again from clean energy companies looking to expand domestically or to enter the U.S. market. For Gordon, then a senior advisor to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, solving the “ABC” problem has become a focus of her work. Gordon is a policy wonk who has spent the past two decades working to solve challenges related to climate risk, energy policy, and green industrial policy, with stops along the way at philanthropies, think tanks, and state and federal governments. Gordon served as the director of the Governor's Office of Planning and Research and senior climate policy advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom (D) during his first term. After leaving the Biden administration, she was named CEO of [California Forward](https://cafwd.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a statewide non-profit organization “dedicated to a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive economy across every region of the state.” I recently spoke with Gordon about what it will take to build a durable green industrial policy in California and make the Golden State a destination for clean energy manufacturing. “What we haven't done is what a lot of other states have done, which is build out an economic development ecosystem to attract industry based on a set of strategic imperatives,” she told me. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/09/Kate-Gordon-headshot-1120x1120.jpg) Kate Gordon, CEO, California Forward. Credit: California Forward. **At a recent event, you said about California: “We've done economic policy through regulation.” What do you mean by that?** California has been really fortunate in its economy. We are incredibly fortunate in our geography and our climate, and all these great natural resource discoveries over the centuries. Gold, and then very shortly after that, oil in the 1890s and early 1900s. We have incredible agricultural land, we had forestry. We were on the Pacific Theater for World War II, so we get defense and aerospace in a significant way, and then tech. Hollywood, of course. So, all that incredible opportunity. Because of that fortune, California's approach to its economy has been more regulating the harms from those industries than planning to attract industries. As a result, we have groundbreaking regulation, particularly in the climate space. When people say California is a climate leader, they usually mean our regulatory structures and our cap-and-trade market. But what we haven't done is what a lot of other states have done, which is build out an economic development ecosystem to attract industry based on a set of strategic imperatives. And my argument, and we're [doing a lot of work on this at California Forward](https://cafwd.org/energy-industrial-revolution/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), is that we have to shift toward doing that because the unintended consequences of not planning are a lack of diversification of the economy. It makes us less resilient. It provides less economic mobility if you don't build out that supply chain, manufacturing, a more diversified set of industries. **You've also noted that California doesn't do a lot of planning and strategy in the economic space. Does the state need to take a more active role in overseeing the managed decline of fossil fuel infrastructure such as refineries?** It's beyond the refineries. Economic shocks in general are hard if you're not thinking ahead to building a more resilient economy. Do I think we need a strategy? Absolutely. One thing that I internalized in the Biden administration running the coal community strategy is that energy transition strategy is as much about economic development and industrial policy as it is about energy policy. It really comes down to: How do you help a resource-dependent community that exists because of a resource, because there's oil in the ground, because there's coal, because there's a plant? How do you help that place transform its jobs, its tax base, its culture, frankly, in a lot of cases towards something else? That's not an easy one-for-one replacement conversation. It requires an intentional approach to transition that leans in on asset mapping, workforce analysis, labor market analysis, economic development strategies, and that's a muscle that is underdeveloped in California versus some other states. You could point to New York or Indiana, which has a pretty good economic development structure. Texas, a bunch of other states, are much more robust on this. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **You’ve noted that California is one of the only U.S. states that does not have a state-level economic development agency.** [**GO-Biz**](https://business.ca.gov/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)**, in the governor's office, is a recruiter, but you argue the state needs a centralized agency to support building a supply chain for clean energy technologies. Talk a little bit more about the need for California to build that economic development muscle, as you put it, that other states have.** We’re among the only ones that don’t have government functions at this state and regional level in a coherent state-to-region structure. We have GO-Biz \[the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development\] at the state level, and then we have a series underneath it of often nonprofits, business groups – the LA Business Council is a good example, or the Bay Area Council. GO-Biz does really important work. But for those who understand the national structure, GO-Biz is akin to the National Economic Council. It's a political arm of the governor. It's not an agency. It's not something with a Cabinet-level, legislatively confirmed secretary and a budget and a set of committees in the Legislature and a clear structure of long-term work. That's challenging because at the federal level the National Economic Council plays a really important role, but it's not the same as the Department of Commerce. What we're missing is a Department of Commerce analog. In other states, the [New York State Economic Development Council](https://nysedc.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the [Texas Economic Development Corporation](https://businessintexas.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), they do labor market data. They do site analysis around the state. They do foreign direct investment trips to drive investment into priority sectors. They coordinate conversations when they're trying to attract a company for county-level siting, and everyone – permitting, state-level economic development, the company – is in a room figuring it out together. That's something we've been told over and over again by industry in California. They just don't see it here. They come to California, and it's like, We're happy to have you. Here's a tax credit over here from GO-Biz. Here's what you can maybe get from California Energy Commission. And over here is the CARB regulation process that you're going to be subject to, and over here is a conversation with the Coastal Commission. It's very disaggregated. They don't have a partner to navigate all those things and figure out a path through them for industries the state has prioritized. We have bits and pieces of that. GO-Biz has done a good job in recent years prioritizing industries, but then underneath that it's: Who's aligning the funding across the agencies? Who's sitting down with the county? Where are the available sites? Which region is best positioned? Where's the workforce training piece? That's all in different places at the moment, and we are losing companies because of this. **State Senator Jerry McNerney (D) introduced a green industrial policy bill last year (**[**SB 787**](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260SB787&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)**) that passed the Legislature but was vetoed by Governor Newsom. Newsom said the bill was duplicative, that the senior position at the California Energy Commission that was proposed to coordinate the supply chain for batteries, offshore wind, and building decarbonization technologies, already existed within his administration. What did you think of that legislation and of Newsom’s veto?** That legislation was really important. What we thought was: Look, if these are priority technologies for the state, which we know they are because a number of regions had gone through the [California Jobs First program](https://jobsfirst.ca.gov/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that helped create, when I was in the governor's office, regional economic development districts around the state and then provide them with planning dollars toward coming out of COVID and building more resilient economies that also were transition economies. We gave the regions planning dollars, and each of the regions did this incredible regional plan where they did asset mapping and analysis and looked at priority sectors for the region. One thing every region highlighted was clean energy. Every region has it in some form, whether it's Humboldt or the Central Coast and [offshore wind](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/backed-by-the-law-and-voters-the-offshore-wind-industry-must-go-on-offense-to-secure-its-future/); whether it's batteries across Sacramento, but also the Inland Empire and Orange County. And, of course, every region does building decarbonization. So, we knew this was a priority across the state. The theory was let's have the California Energy Commission, which has expertise in global markets of these technologies, let's have them play a similar role to what DOE did in the Biden administration with the [Liftoff reports](https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-releases-new-reports-pathways-commercial-liftoff-accelerate-clean-energy-technologies?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The president says, *This is a priority technology*, and then DOE says, *Here's how we get it to market*. DOE did that because DOE is where the energy expertise is. CEC is the analog to DOE. So, we thought: Let them have a coordinator figure this out, working with all these people, including GO-Biz. It doesn't solve this problem of not having an economic development agency, but it's a piece of the puzzle. We were really surprised by the veto. I don't think that capacity exists otherwise. It's coordination from a position of expertise that's just not what you have at GO-Biz, which is very good on business development generically. Something like energy and batteries, for instance, you have to pay attention to where the market is, because you could end up otherwise investing in – just as an obvious example – a Solyndra. Solyndra is a huge investment that's made without sufficient attention to where China was on next-gen solar technology. Just because a region wants to have a thing and you have a piece of land available doesn't mean it's competitive for California or good for the community. **In July, the sodium-ion battery startup Peak Energy** [**announced plans**](https://peakenergy.com/news/latest/gigafactory-announcement?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **to build a factory in Sacramento. The project** [**received**](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/05/06/governor-newsom-announces-1b-in-private-investment-generated-through-california-competes-tax-credits-driving-business-expansion-in-key-industry-sectors/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **$10.5 million in tax credits from the** [**California Competes**](https://business.ca.gov/california-competes-tax-credit/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **program. Are there lessons learned that can be applied to future clean energy manufacturing projects in California?** In the solar supply chain and the battery supply chain, we have the potential to be really competitive. We have a fair amount of raw material. We have the innovation ecosystem. And we have a huge consumer base. I'm super excited they got a CalCompetes grant. CalCompetes is one of the tools GO-Biz has to help individual companies. We've had a couple of tries and misses with some other solar companies, frankly, in Sacramento. Sacramento is a region that, through their Jobs First process, determined it really wanted battery manufacturing and clean energy manufacturing. CalCompetes is really important. We've had a number of situations where people have gotten CalCompetes grants and not stayed. I'm excited Sacramento has done the work at the county and regional level, and through nonprofits like [Valley Vision](https://www.valleyvision.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and the [Greater Sacramento Economic Council](https://greatersacramento.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). They’ve made it easier. They've paved the way for manufacturing. They've created industrial land and space for these companies. They've really leaned in. The question for me is: Are we going to be able to scale up? Or will we continue to be the place where the initial manufacturing is happening and then folks leave? We've seen that story over and over. [Lyten](https://lyten.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) started in the Bay Area. [Sila](https://www.silanano.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) started in Alameda. Both companies left – one for Nevada, one for Washington state. People start stuff here and commercialize elsewhere. I would love to see the commercialization happening here because that's where the jobs and the tax base come from. Washington state has a very coordinated clean energy manufacturing strategy where they [identified Moses Lake as a key place for clean energy manufacturing](https://medium.com/wagovernor/clean-tech-takes-off-in-moses-lake-211294767929?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). It teed up a workforce strategy, a state support strategy, worked very closely with that region and those counties. That has really paid off for them. It's worth looking at other states and learning from what they've done. 📖 ****Read more:** [****California has a new plan to decarbonize industry**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-has-a-new-plan-to-decarbonize-industry/) **Your former boss at DOE, Secretary Granholm, just** [**endorsed**](https://yesonprop45.com/2026/09/03/former-u-s-energy-secretary-jennifer-granholm-endorses-prop-45-to-accelerate-clean-energy-development-lower-cost-of-living-for-families/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)[**Prop 45**](https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2026/proposition-45-environmental-review/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)**, a ballot measure here in California that would streamline environmental approvals for “essential” projects like housing and clean energy development. Do you support Prop 45? And what are your thoughts about the need for CEQA reform to boost clean energy manufacturing?** California Forward hasn't endorsed it. We are considering it. Prop 45 does shorten the shot clock, essentially, shorten the timeframes in CEQA \[the California Environmental Quality Act\]. One thing it does that's not getting enough attention is it preempts all the local process. That's a big concern, as you can imagine, for a number of people. The building trades came out against it and the environmental community. One of the things about shortening the shot clocks is that all the staff implications get put on the local government because they've got to do the permitting, and they have very little staff. California got rid of redevelopment during the \[Gov. Jerry\] Brown administration, and now there's almost no staff at the local and county level to do planning and permitting. There's a lot of concern in the local government world about how to implement this if it passes. I am in no way opposed to CEQA reform. CEQA is a policy that was designed to deal with local environmental impacts of projects, so is NEPA \[the National Environmental Policy Act\]. You shouldn't relax basic environmental standards, but you're building toward a new kind of economy that's better for the climate, which is not about local environmental impacts. We don't really have a regulatory structure that's fit for purpose for this at all. Our cap-and-trade system is not really fit for purpose because it's measuring carbon emissions from local sources, but those then go into the atmosphere and become global. You could argue it incentivizes offshoring of manufacturing because it gets rid of emissions within this artificial local boundary. CEQA doesn't really account for the impact of a project on the broader clean energy transition, which is good for the environment. It's all outdated regulation that we need to think through. How can we restructure regulation, so it provides incentives for something that's creating a new kind of economy that'll have lower emissions overall? That's not easy to do because an individual project – even if it's a battery manufacturing plant – probably increases emissions in a local area. It will have some impacts because there is no development anywhere in the world that does not have any impact on the local area. How do you think through that balancing act? [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) I don't think CEQA is very good at doing it. I'm not yet convinced Prop 45 does it well either. We need to start having creative conversations about things that are *not* CEQA. CEQA is a tool that everyone leans on to be the answer to everything in California. What if we talked about clean industrial zone development, where we're pre-permitting based on a set of standards and input from the community and the local government? You're speeding up, but you're not doing it through this one tool that's not fit for purpose. What about we talk about building a state and regional economic development system where we're prioritizing certain industries because they're meeting state goals, and then we're leaning in on a package to support them? We've got to get beyond this CEQA tunnel vision because it's not a policy that does a particularly good job at planning. I have seen firsthand that exemptions from it don't keep people here necessarily. [Pacific Fusion](https://www.pacificfusion.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) is the example I always give: born at Livermore Lab, went to New Mexico. What they will say is: “We went to New Mexico, and the governor, and economic development director, and the county, and Sandia Labs all sat down with us and figured out how we were going to do this.” CEQA is not always the answer, but it's everyone's favorite tool to play with. **It's incredibly likely California’s next governor will be Xavier Becerra. He doesn’t have many long-standing positions in the green industrial or clean energy policy space. Do you have thoughts on what his policy priorities might be?** It's a great point. He's not coming out of an energy background. You've got Health and Human Services; you've got being in the attorney general's office. He was involved not only in setting up the environmental justice unit there, but also thinking through things like: Does the state sue oil and gas companies under attribution science? But being attorney general is really different from being governor. I'm encouraged by what I've heard. He's listening to a lot of people and learning a lot. It's a time in state government where, honestly, a lot of stuff has to happen. We're facing a complicated budget situation because we have a combination of extremely volatile revenues. We have increasing spending. Spending is not going down, and that's related to having a huge safety net because a lot of people in the state living paycheck to paycheck. We have a big inequality problem, and we also have natural disasters, which are creating more and more costs. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) The key is going to be: Is he willing to come in and break some glass and change some things to get the systems to work better? We're adding thing upon thing, goal upon goal, policy upon policy, and they're not being coordinated particularly well toward a set of clear outcomes. We and others are doing a lot of work on playbooks for the next governor to say, Look, some of this is structural. You need to have an economic development agency. You need to prioritize things you want to build toward in the state. And then we need the governor's office to have some muscle to align around that, to get the Cabinet, the agencies, the regulatory structures aligned toward those goals. Working with the Legislature on policy that needs to change. We need a strong governor coming in and doing that coordination and alignment and becoming more effective and efficient and transparent about the goals. Number one is structural. Number two is what is the vision? What kind of California do we want to be living in in 2030 and 2035, and how do we work toward that? Do we have metrics we're stocktaking along the way? Are we seeing tangible progress on the ground? Too many things have been left to figure themselves out. We need a governor who's able to set a path. We're all making that point. Is that going to happen? I don't know. But we can try. ### What I'm reading: Special research roundup edition URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-special-research-roundup-edition-2/ Last updated: 2026-09-04T18:30:19.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*, or* [*leaving a tip*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* **Programming note:** I'm working on several stories at the moment, including a few conversations that will be published as [Q&As](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/interviews/) in the coming weeks. Until then, I thought this week I'd share some important recent reports and studies on the energy transition you might have missed. Have a great long holiday weekend and thanks, as always, for reading. 💡 ****Research roundup** **How to make “green statecraft” durable in 2029 and beyond** “How can the United States build climate policy that lasts?” That’s the question a group of former Biden administration officials, academics, and policy experts sought to answer in a [policy handbook](https://rooseveltinstitute.org/publications/building-up-in-2029/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published recently by the Roosevelt Institute. “This first-of-its-kind, 17-essay collection brings together 19 scholars and practitioners to sketch out what a future governing agenda for climate could look like, post-DOGE,” writes Todd N. Tucker, director of Roosevelt’s industrial policy and trade program. The collection’s essays are divided into four sections: governing, planning, financing, and producing the next phase of the energy transition. “Together, they constitute a slice of what a ‘Project 2029’–type effort for climate would look like, including adapting Donald Trump’s means to progressive ends,” writes Tucker. **When it comes to climate impact, it’s almost never too soon to ditch your gas-guzzler** If you’re curious about buying an electric vehicle but have hesitated to make the shift because you wonder whether it’s better for the climate to hold on to your internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) just a little bit longer, a new [report](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adv5441?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) makes it very clear: ditch it. The report authors, J. Elliott Campbell and Roland Geyer, researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and UC Santa Barbara, respectively, “conducted life-cycle analyses of different vehicle types and concluded that the energy impact benefits from swapping an EV for an ICEV begin to accrue as early as the first day of the life of the ICEV, and that replacement early in the life cycle consistently provides reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,” writes Jesse Smith, a senior editor at Science. “Financial considerations will also affect when people choose to make the replacement, of course, but from the perspective of emissions, it is almost never too soon to switch.” “Although scrapping a functional asset remains economically prohibitive under current market conditions, these results demonstrate a major mitigation potential for policy interventions, such as enhanced scrappage subsidies, to address the emissions of an increasingly durable ICE fleet,” write Campbell and Geyer. **Renewables would save Pacific island nations $700 million annually in avoided fossil fuel costs** “Australia’s Pacific neighbours could save almost $1 billion \[$700 million USD\] a year by swapping fossil fuel imports for renewable energy – and cover the cost of the transition in just over a decade,” [reports Australian Associated Press’ Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson](https://reneweconomy.com.au/ditching-diesel-for-renewables-could-save-pacific-nations-nearly-1-billion-a-year-study-finds/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Researchers at UNSW Sydney analyzed the costs of fossil fuel imported to operate power plants, generators, boats, and vehicles in 21 Pacific countries in a [report](https://www.unsw.edu.au/content/dam/pdfs/science/icrr/research-reports/2026-08-publications/renewable%5Fenergy%5Fresearch%5Fbrief%5Funsw%5Finstitute%5Ffor%5Fclimate%5Frisk%5Fand%5Fresponse.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published last month. “Replacing diesel generators in the region would require 2.2 gigawatts of renewable energy generation and 8800 megawatt hours of storage, the report found, and would cost $US650 million per year,” writes Dudley-Nicholson. “However, the investment could deliver savings of $US700 million a year, which would cover the cost of renewable energy investment in little more than 10 years.” “We're used to talking about renewable energy in the Pacific as a moral issue, but today’s report shows that the economic case is overwhelming,” [said](https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/08/as-fuel-crisis-deepens-pacific-nations-can-save-billions-by-switching-to-renewables-new-report?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) report author Wesley Morgan,a research associate with UNSW’s Institute for Climate Risk & Response, in a press release. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Trucking’s tipping point** The transition to electric trucks is likely to be faster than you think, according to a new [report](https://carbontracker.org/reports/truckings-tipping-point/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the Carbon Tracker initiative. “Heavy-duty transport has long been considered as one of the hardest sectors to electrify. Carbon Tracker’s analysis finds that this assumption is increasingly at odds with the economics of commercial freight,” write the report authors. “Falling battery costs, manufacturing scale and improving operating economics are bringing battery-electric trucks towards total cost of ownership parity with diesel across major markets, with key tipping points expected by the early 2030s.” “Once parity is reached,” they add, “adoption is unlikely to proceed gradually.” The authors cite [the example of China](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-chinas-e-truck-boom-uk-to-require-solar-and-heat-pumps-in-new-homes-state-building-energy-codes-threatened-and-more/#:~:text=always%2C%20for%20reading.-,China%E2%80%99s%20e%2Dtruck%20boom,-In%20a%20recent). “Battery-electric trucks accounted for more than 30% of Chinese heavy-duty truck sales in 2025, up from around 1% in 2021, demonstrating how quickly market share can shift once commercial economics become favourable.” **Another record-breaking quarter for U.S. battery energy storage** A record 20.2 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery energy storage capacity was installed in the U.S. in the second quarter of the year, according to a [report](http://www.seia.org/esmo?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [released Tuesday by the Solar Energy Industries Association](https://seia.org/news/largest-quarter-on-record-for-energy-storage/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Utility-scale battery energy storage projects accounted for nearly 90% of that new capacity. The total installed capacity of these larger projects has nearly doubled from 88 GWh to 165 GWh over the past 18 months. According to the report, the pace of new U.S. battery energy storage installations is increasing – momentum reflected in its updated 2030 forecast. “Demand for energy storage is outpacing expectations, prompting a 11.5% increase in the report’s forecast through 2030 to 683 GWh. The upward revision comes as the industry continues to set deployment records, with more than 10% of all energy storage capacity currently installed in the U.S. coming online in Q2 alone.” **Cheap batteries and the era of “anytime” solar** Cheap solar and cheaper batteries are teaming up to unlock the era of “anytime” solar, finds a [report](https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/batteries-have-unlocked-the-era-of-anytime-solar/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published last month by the energy think tank Ember. “Cheap daytime solar has become the most powerful transformative force reshaping power grids globally, growing faster than any other source of electricity. Now batteries have become cheap and good enough to unlock the next stage of solar growth with anytime solar. Delivering solar in non-sunny hours, the current stronghold of fossil power, changes everything: solar’s role in global power systems can be far bigger than previously thought possible,” writes Kostantsa Rangelova, senior battery analyst, Ember. According to the report, “batteries deployed in 2026 could shift over a third of new daily solar generation.” The report notes that in leading markets like Bulgaria and Chile, new battery storage capacity added in 2025 could shift more than three-quarters of the new daily solar generation in the countries. In another leading market, California, “solar plus batteries met over a quarter of electricity demand during the evening peak (7–9pm) on the average day in H1 2026.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/09/Ember_Storage-and-anytime-solar.png)](https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/batteries-have-unlocked-the-era-of-anytime-solar/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **Energy efficiency and demand flexibility can help meet data center loads** Research from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) underscores the potential to meet expected electricity demand growth – including from data centers – by making homes and other buildings more efficient and responsive to grid needs. “Amid the growing consensus that data centers should fund their own power generation and grid upgrades, companies and policymakers are discovering that energy efficiency and load shifting in homes and other buildings are a key part of the solution,” [write ACEEE’s Mike Specian and Mark Rodeffer](https://www.aceee.org/news/early-examples-show-efficiency-and-demand-flexibility-in-buildings-can-help-meet-data-center-loads/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The pair cite recent examples of business deals and state policies that seek to unlock the potential of these demand-side resources. Google and Voltus, for example, pledged to together develop a “scalable blueprint” to aggregate distributed energy resources from residential, commercial, and industrial customers across the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region. And policymakers in New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Kansas have already acted to authorize “large-load customers like data centers to procure energy efficiency and flexible demand, not just new generation, to meet their power needs,” write Specian and Rodeffer. They note that other states, including North Carolina and Illinois, are considering similar measures. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) An ACEEE [report](https://www.aceee.org/faster-and-cheaper-using-energy-efficiency-and-demand-flexibility-to-address-electric-load-growth/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published earlier this year found that “efficiency and demand flexibility in buildings could together free up 130 to 270 gigawatts over the next 10 to 15 years, more than even the most aggressive projections of total U.S. data center capacity.” And they could do so at lower cost than fossil-fueled alternatives. “Programs investing in energy efficiency in homes and buildings, together with demand flexibility, could significantly offset the power needs of new data centers and other drivers of projected load growth at a far lower cost than building new gas plants, both combined-cycle and peaker plants,” finds the report. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/09/ACEEE_Faster-and-Cheaper_EE-and-Demand-Flexibility.png) [Credit](https://www.aceee.org/faster-and-cheaper-using-energy-efficiency-and-demand-flexibility-to-address-electric-load-growth/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): "Faster and Cheaper: Demand-Side Solutions for Rapid Load Growth," ACEEE, February 2026\. **Unlocking the flexible load from millions of distributed energy resources across California** A new [report](https://gridlab.org/portfolio-item/ca-flex-blueprint/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) outlines how California officials can unlock the potential of millions of customer-owned energy resources located in homes and on driveways across the state to support the state’s grid. Released last month by GridLab, Kevala, and E3, the report offers “practical recommendations for integrating electric vehicles (EVs), home batteries, smart buildings, and other flexible loads into grid operations to lower electricity costs, strengthen grid reliability, and modernize demand flexibility programs.” One key finding from the report: “Enrolling just 10% of California's projected EVs in vehicle-to-grid (V2G) programs by 2036 could provide approximately 9 GW of 12-hour storage, representing more than one-third of the state's 2036 long-duration storage procurement target.” "The next generation of grid infrastructure is already sitting in our driveways, homes, and businesses. The question isn't whether California has the resources – it's whether our programs are designed to unlock their full value,” said Ric O'Connell, executive director of GridLab, in a [press release](https://gridlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GridLab-I-CA-Flex-Roadmap-Release%5FFINAL.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ### What I’m reading: Californians believe renewables will lower energy costs, balcony solar advances in California and the UK, the California solar 'power hour,' global energy transition tracker, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-californians-see-clean-energy-will-lower-energy-costs-balcony-solar-advances-in-california-and-the-uk-the-california-solar-power-hour-global-energy-transition-tracker-an/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T18:30:55.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*, or* [*leaving a tip*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. Have a great weekend and thanks, as always, for reading. **Californians want relief from high energy bills, see clean energy as the solution – survey** Californians are concerned about the state’s energy future, and they are worried about rising utility bills, but they also overwhelmingly see clean energy as the solution to both challenges. Those are the key takeaways from a [survey](https://advancedenergyunited.org/reports/california-statewide-voter-survey-report/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of more than 1,200 California November 2026 general election likely voters [released earlier this month](https://advancedenergyunited.org/press-releases/new-poll-finds-california-voters-want-action-to-lower-energy-costs-see-clean-energy-as-affordable-solution/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by Advanced Energy United (AEU), a national industry association, at a [policy summit in Sacramento](https://reg.eventmobi.com/california-powers-up/pages/agenda?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The survey, which was conducted by the public opinion research firm Bold Decision for AEU, finds a plurality (34%) agreeing the “economy, inflation, cost of living, affordability” is “the single most important issue or challenge facing the state of California today.” Eighty percent agree that “challenges regarding energy and electricity in California” are “a new long-term reality.” Just 36% believe “California has sufficient electricity infrastructure to meet current demand” and even less (30%) believe “California has sufficient electricity infrastructure to meet future needs.” But most Californians prefer renewable and clean energy over fossil fuels to address these challenges, and they believe renewables will lower their costs. Seventy percent say wind or solar are “a more affordable approach for addressing California’s energy needs,” while just 23% say “conventional energy sources such as oil, gas, or coal” would be cheaper. And by a 2-1 margin, more Californians think “encouraging more renewable/clean energy” will “make electricity costs lower” (50%) than “make electricity costs higher” (25%). **Balcony solar advances in California and the UK** Balcony solar systems could soon be available in two huge new markets. In California, state lawmakers just sent legislation ([SB 868](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260SB868&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) legalizing plug-in solar systems (aka balcony solar) to Governor Gavin Newsom (D). Newsom has until September 30 to sign or veto the bill. “Plug-in solar allows renters (who usually don’t benefit from rooftop solar) and homeowners (who may not be able to afford rooftop solar up-front costs) to plug in a low cost solar panel and quickly lower their electric bills. SB 868 is a big win for affordability,” the bill's author, state Senator Scott Wiener (D), [wrote on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/scottwiener.bsky.social/post/3mtzsdzrwr225?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In the UK, plug-in solar systems are now legal to buy and use across the country. “Major retailers – such as Wickes, Currys, B&Q, Screwfix, Asda and Amazon, which have all worked with the government on the rollout – are set to now offer plug-in solar products in stores and online,” [reports BusinessGreen's Stuart Stone](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4534869/simple-affordable-plug-solar-panels-approved-sale-uk?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). 📖 ****Read more:** [****Bringing small modular solar to the masses**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/bringing-small-modular-solar-to-the-masses/) **Fleet owners bet big on electric trucks** Truck fleet owners are notorious for obsessively tracking the cost per mile for service, so it is noteworthy that some very large retailers and logistics providers are making the shift to electric trucks. In Australia, the supermarket giant Woolworths recently signed a deal to lease 148 electric delivery trucks from the fleet electrification specialist Zenobē. The companies say the deal comprises “Australia’s largest electric truck rollout to date,” [reports The Driven’s Sam Parkinson](https://thedriven.io/2026/07/02/australian-retail-giant-signs-148-truck-ev-deal-as-electric-freight-moves-beyond-pilot-stage/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The deal, which is being supported by Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation, “will see the new electric trucks added to Woolworths’ expanding last-mile delivery fleet across Australia. The first trucks were delivered in May, with the full rollout expected to be completed progressively through 2026,” he writes. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Just this week, Tesla confirmed the largest order to date for its Semi electric truck. Supply chain company Einride placed an order for 500 Tesla Semis, worth just under $A175 million ($125 million), [reported Parkinson’s colleague Riz Akhtar](https://thedriven.io/2026/08/22/tesla-announces-biggest-order-to-date-for-semi-electric-truck-from-supply-chain-company/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “EV heavy trucks provide lower costs per mile from fuel savings, reduced maintenance, and better uptime over diesel trucks. These savings increase further through operational efficiency when deploying EV trucks at scale, and we are excited that Einride recognizes this and look forward to supporting their deployments,” said Dan Priestley, director of Tesla’s Semi program, in a statement. Indeed, as Canary Media’s Jeff St. John [reports](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/electric-vehicles/electric-trucks-look-a-lot-more-appealing-when-gas-prices-are-sky-high?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “the fuel price spike triggered by the Iran war has made it clear just how much cheaper it can be to move freight with trucks that run on electricity instead of gasoline or diesel.” Consider the example of a step van from electric vehicle manufacturer [Workhorse](https://workhorse.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The electric trucks Workhorse builds and runs in its Stables fleet, a type known as step vans, were already cheaper to operate last year than their gasoline-fueled counterparts – saving about 42.5 cents per mile, based on electricity at 11 cents per kilowatt-hour and gasoline at $2.98 per gallon,” writes St. John. “But by May 1, gasoline had spiked to an average of $4.83 per gallon in Ohio, pushing the savings advantage for electric trucks up to 73.6 cents per mile. With gas prices so high, a Workhorse step van driving about 50 miles per day can expect to save about $11,000 per year on fuel costs.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **California’s “free” solar “power hour” – and a cautionary tale from Australia** Xavier Becerra’s otherwise somnolent campaign to be the next governor of California generated headlines earlier this month when at a Politico event in Sacramento the candidate [announced his support for a “power hour” initiative](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/11/xavier-becerra-wants-to-give-californians-a-free-electricity-power-hour-01034803?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that would give low-income households two hours of free electricity each day. Becerra said he would work with the California Public Utilities Commission to launch the program within his first year in office. On its face, it’s a tantalizing idea. In California, solar power surges onto the grid at midday – so much so that the output from large solar power plants that is not soaked up by [the state’s growing battery fleet](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2026-08/california-surpasses-21000-megawatts-battery-resources-supporting-states?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) can go unused (i.e. curtailed by the state’s grid operator). So, why not incentivize households to take advantage of that cheap, plentiful midday solar power that otherwise might be wasted? But as a new program in another similarly sun-blessed locale demonstrates, the devil is very much in the details. Becerra’s “power hour” initiative is very likely inspired by a similar “[Solar Sharer](https://www.energy.gov.au/rebates/solar-sharer-offer?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)” offer that went live in three Australian states on July 1\. But it turns out that Australia’s example might be more cautionary tale than policy win to emulate. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Writing at Renew Economy, Gavin Gilchrist, program manager with Inner West Community Energy Inc. in Sydney, [argues](https://reneweconomy.com.au/solar-sharer-has-become-the-solar-shocker-with-the-costliest-of-retail-offers/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the Solar Sharer program has *increased* costs for participating households. “It could have been a very smart, exciting and world-first energy policy initiative. But now we can see the results, it’s clear that Solar Sharer has gone terribly, terribly wrong,” he writes. “As is too often the case in energy policy, the customer ends up the loser.” This despite the offer launching with the approval of the Australian Energy Regulator, the federal government’s market regulator. Gilchrist writes that he reviewed pricing schedules on the federal government’s [Energy Made Easy](https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) website to compare Solar Sharer offers to the other pricing plans available from Australia’s three dominant electricity retailers: AGL, Energy Australia, and Origin. “It’s now clear that Solar Sharer pricing has the highest cost for a household of all pricing schedules on offer. The electricity retailers have increased the price of electricity outside the free three hours of Solar Sharer, plus they’ve increased the daily supply charge above the supply charge in their other pricing offers,” he writes. “Unfortunately, when left to the greedy, price-gouging gentailers and retailers to implement, it has now become a more expensive option for consumers – it’s not a bill saver – and all overseen by the Australian Energy Regulator who are doing nothing to protect consumers,” [Ty Christopher](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ty-christopher-30989417/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), director of the Energy Futures Network at the University of Wollongong, told Gilchrist. “If you have a large battery and can fill it in three hours, you *might* be better off with Solar Sharer,” Gilchrist writes, “even though your daily supply charge will be almost twice what it would be on a standard tariff. But tenants and apartment dwellers, the very people Solar Sharer most intended to support, will not be able to install a home battery.” (emphasis in original) “Solar Sharer, a great idea in principle, has become the Solar Shocker,” he concludes. Governor Becerra: You’ve been warned! **“Uniquely valuable” ARPA-E should be “reliably funded” – National Academies report** Established in 2009, the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (APPA-E) has [over the past 15 years](https://arpa-e.energy.gov/about/arpa-e-at-a-glance/history?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) garnered bipartisan backing in the U.S. Congress as an incubator of high-risk, high-reward energy technologies. The agency is one of the most important actors in the U.S.’ energy innovation ecosystem. A new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine [report](https://www.nationalacademies.org/publications/29399?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) affirms this view, finding that “Congress should continue to provide reliable funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, as it plays a unique and valuable role in the nation’s energy innovation ecosystem.” “In our analysis of ARPA-E, we found the agency’s unique organization and operations are central to its success and make this agency indispensable to U.S. energy innovation,” said [Gary Marchant](https://search.asu.edu/profile/228973?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), professor at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and chair of the committee that wrote the report, in a [press release](https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/arpa-e-plays-unique-and-valuable-role-in-energy-innovation-and-should-be-reliably-funded-says-new-report?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The agency has been so successful in carrying out its mission that the report recommends that Congress boost its funding. The report calls for an “increase annual funding specifically for ARPA-E’s [SCALEUP program](https://arpa-e.energy.gov/programs-and-initiatives/SCALEUP-program?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from roughly $40 million to $120 million, which should be added on top of the agency’s overall budget.” 📖 ****Read more:** [****Could "sophisticated miniature modular plants" slash the energy consumption and emissions resulting from processing raw materials?**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/could-sophisticated-miniature-modular-plants-slash-the-energy-consumption-and-emissions-resulting-from-processing-raw-materials/) **and** [****Why does Chris Wright insist on being so wrong on the energy transition?**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-federal-courts-chip-away-at-trumps-wind-and-solar-blockade-trump-wants-to-kill-public-transit-europes-electrification-action-plan-global-energy-transition-tracker-and-mo/) 🌍 ****Global energy transition tracker** Let’s take another quick tour of the globe to note recent clean energy milestones: - Australia's first offshore wind auction went live after Victoria opened the Request for Proposal process for the state's first two gigawatts of projects. (Sophie Vorrath, [Renew Economy](https://reneweconomy.com.au/giant-leap-australias-first-ever-offshore-wind-auction-goes-live-as-state-seeks-first-2-gw-of-projects/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - Pacifico Energy Korea was selected as the sole developer for the 2.13 GW Jindo Integrated Cluster Phase 2 offshore wind project in South Korea. (Lily Bowers, [TGS](https://www.tgs4c.com/news/pacifico-energy-korea-secures-key-role-in-2.13gw-offshore-wind-cluster-nid33192.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - 500,000 residential batteries have been installed in Australia under the federal Labor government's [Cheaper Home Batteries Program](https://www.dcceew.gov.au/energy/programs/cheaper-home-batteries?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). (Sophie Vorrath, [Renew Economy](https://reneweconomy.com.au/from-niche-technology-to-500000-households-taking-control-cheaper-home-batteries-hits-half-million-milestone/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) Four percent of Australian homes have installed batteries – “that totals 14 GWh, comparing to the US' 9 GWh, where the population is 12x larger, according to Energy Minister Chris Bowen.” (Keira Wright, [Bloomberg](https://bsky.app/profile/bykeirawright.bsky.social/post/3mtaqdg37yk2n?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - U.S. utility-scale battery storage capacity averaged 70% growth over the last three years. ([U.S. EIA](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67925&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) In California, the battery energy storage fleet now surpasses 21,000 megawatts of capacity. ([California Energy Commission](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2026-08/california-surpasses-21000-megawatts-battery-resources-supporting-states?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - “Electric car sales are on track to hit record highs this year, with 29 percent of all new cars purchased around the world expected to be either purely battery-powered models or plug-in hybrids, according to [a recent report](https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2026?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the International Energy Agency.” (Mira Rojanasakul and Brad Plumer, [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/18/climate/ev-car-sales-oil-prices.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.61A.05oA.qCa%5Fe3Sjvh4n&smid=url-share&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - Used EV sales in the UK increased by 67% in Q2 2026 to account for 5.5% of total used car market, a new record. (Stuart Stone, [Business Green](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4534161/electric-vehicle-sales-surge-record-uk-market-share?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - 97% of vehicles bought by private buyers in Denmark in July were fully battery electric. (Joshua S. Hill, [The Driven](https://thedriven.io/2026/08/11/denmark-joins-norway-at-ev-pinnacle-as-97-per-cent-of-private-buyers-opt-for-electric-cars-in-latest-month/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - “Under a revamped energy policy framework set in motion by President Claudia Sheinbaum ... 7,410 megawatts (MW) of utility-scale solar and wind projects were selected in June out of nearly 38,000 MW that had been proposed, highlighting strong investor interest to develop renewable projects in \[Mexico\].” (Seth Feaster, [IEEFA](https://ieefa.org/resources/policy-reset-could-significantly-expand-wind-and-solar-generation-mexico?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - Africa’s first 24/7 “solar baseload” power plant – comprising 233 MW of solar PV and a 526 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system – has come online at a copper mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Andy Colthorpe, [Energy Storage News](https://www.energy-storage.news/africas-first-24-7-solar-baseload-power-plant-enabled-by-batteries-goes-online-at-drc-copper-mine/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) **One more thing: More scenes from Sacramento** I was in downtown Sacramento, California, earlier this month to attend the Advanced Energy United California energy policy summit I mentioned at the top of this newsletter. Here are a few scenes from the walk to and from my hotel. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/08/California-State-Capitol_Justin-Gerdes_August-11_2026.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/08/IMG_20260811_173922371_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/08/IMG_20260811_173940877_HDR.jpg) From left/top: Morning view of the California State Capitol; the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament; and the Elks Tower. Credit: Justin Gerdes. ### The world is embracing offshore wind power. Trump wants to smother the industry in the U.S. – no matter the costs. URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/the-world-is-embracing-offshore-wind-power-trump-wants-to-smother-the-industry-in-the-u-s-no-matter-the-costs/ Last updated: 2026-08-20T17:09:21.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*, or* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*.* Governments across the globe are turning to offshore wind to bolster their grids. Just this summer, Romania [identified offshore wind zones in the Black Sea](https://renewablesnow.com/news/romania-idetifies-offshore-wind-zones-for-11-5-gw-in-phases-1298706/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that could supply up to 11.5 gigawatts of power; the State of Victoria confirmed plans to [hold Australia’s first offshore wind auction](https://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-first-offshore-wind-auction-is-going-ahead-as-planned-new-energy-minister-confirms/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com); Azerbaijan [designated an offshore wind development zone in the Caspian Sea](https://www.offshorewind.biz/2026/08/12/azerbaijan-designates-711-4-square-kilometre-area-in-caspian-sea-for-offshore-wind/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com); and Turkey announced plans to [hold its first offshore wind tender early next year](https://renewablesnow.com/news/turkey-to-hold-first-offshore-wind-tender-in-q1-2027-1299624/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). This all followed moves by the Canadian province of Nova Scotia to [prepare to award seabed licenses](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-offshore-wind-advances-in-canada-and-new-zealand-desertec-2-0-electrification-bills-advance-in-california-trumps-assault-on-energy-efficiency-and-more/#:~:text=Offshore%20wind%20advances%20in%20Canada%2C%20New%20Zealand) later this year to companies to develop offshore wind projects and by New Zealand lawmakers to [pass legislation](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-offshore-wind-advances-in-canada-and-new-zealand-desertec-2-0-electrification-bills-advance-in-california-trumps-assault-on-energy-efficiency-and-more/#:~:text=Offshore%20wind%20advances%20in%20Canada%2C%20New%20Zealand) that will support offshore renewable energy projects, including offshore wind farms. In the U.S., meanwhile, Donald Trump’s Interior Department spent the summer [paying energy companies a combined $4 billion](https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/07/trump-administration-s-latest-buyback-of-offshore-wind-leases-brings-total-to-nearly-dollar4-billion/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=This%20latest%20agreement%20brings%20the%20total%20amount%20spent%20on%20such%20settlements%20to%20nearly%20%244%20billion.) *not* to build offshore wind projects. Administration officials are so eager to carry out Donald Trump’s vendetta against offshore wind that they keep devising new schemes to kill the industry in the U.S. – no matter the cost to workers, to the grid, or to the economy. **The toll on workers** “It’s the strangest thing: I’ve spent 15 or so years working in public-sector economic development; I’ve never seen people cheering for job destruction, particularly elected officials,” Tim Sullivan, formerly the CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, [told Inside Climate News’ Ajani Stella](https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09082026/us-offshore-wind-disappears-leaving-workers-behind/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). It *is* strange. Politicians typically aren’t so cavalier and unfeeling about the fate of a billion-dollar industry and the investment and jobs that come with it. Donald Trump owes workers like Gerard Mullin an apology for his callousness. First, Mullin’s work as a pile driver on the Empire Wind project offshore New York was disrupted by a stop-work order last April. Now, Trump’s government-wide campaign to kill the offshore wind industry threatens to take Mullin’s livelihood at sea with it, too. “All of a sudden, the federal government is concerned with my work, and there’s nothing I can do to change how they view it,” Mullin told Stella. “Now there are things completely outside of my control, changing how I make a living.” Federal judges eventually allowed Empire Wind, and four other U.S. East Coast offshore wind farms the Trump administration had tried to shutter, [to continue construction](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-east-coast-offshore-wind-farms-nearing-completion-plug-in-solar-goes-nationwide-building-electrification-update-and-more/#:~:text=Developers%20race%20to%20finish%20East%20Coast%20offshore%20wind%20farms). But the workers who trained to build the projects, and the companies that invested billions to develop these and future projects, now face a crippling uncertainty. The Trump administration is systematically destroying the U.S.’ pipeline of projects. “Thousands of workers like Mullin who were promised steady, well-paying careers in offshore wind now find themselves racing to secure the few positions left or returning to their prior work. Meanwhile, the supply chain that emerged to support offshore development has been left adrift, including in towns in need of a promised economic boost,” writes Stella. 📖 ****Read more:** [****Backed by the law and voters, the offshore wind industry must go on offense to secure its future**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/backed-by-the-law-and-voters-the-offshore-wind-industry-must-go-on-offense-to-secure-its-future/) **Offshore wind bolsters the grid** As confounding as intentionally killing family-supporting jobs is the Trump administration’s determination to stop all new U.S. offshore wind projects even as the projects already built are delivering critical power to the grid when it is needed most. The U.S.’ first utility-scale offshore wind farm, [South Fork Wind](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-claims-offshore-wind-is-worthless-this-project-proves-the-opposite-is-true/), has already demonstrated its ability to deliver reliable power around the clock during winter cold snaps *and* summer heat waves. Last month, the turbines at South Fork Wind kept spinning during a brutal hot spell that strained New York’s grid. “From July 1-4, South Fork Wind delivered nearly 10 gigawatt-hours of locally produced power to Long Island’s grid. Over those four days, and as demand for electricity climbed with the heat, the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm achieved a 74.7% capacity factor – including nearly 90% on July 2,” Mikkel Maehlisen, Ørsted’s VP Generation, America, [wrote recently on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7481294773866143744/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The potential costs and benefits of offshore wind have been debated for decades,” Fara Courtney, principal consultant with Massachusetts-based Outer Harbor Consulting, [told Canary Media’s Maria Gallucci last month](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/offshore-wind/offshore-wind-new-england-heat?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Now we have the first projects up and producing, \[and\] the data is clear: Offshore wind is a new American energy sector with a big role to play in meeting this region’s skyrocketing energy demand.” 📖 ****Read more:** [****Trump claims offshore wind is worthless. This project proves the opposite is true.**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-claims-offshore-wind-is-worthless-this-project-proves-the-opposite-is-true/) **Offshore wind and the energy transition** If fellow fossil fuel-exporting countries like Australia, Azerbaijan, and Canada have decided that offshore wind belongs on their grids, you would think the Trump administration could get there, too. But officials who know better – like Energy Secretary [Chris Wright](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-does-chris-wright-insist-on-being-so-wrong-on-the-energy-transition/) and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum – are more concerned with appeasing Trump’s anti-wind power fixation than in doing what’s best for the country. Trump [says](https://bsky.app/profile/meidastouch.com/post/3ms75etulfk2w?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “Any country with windmills is a loser.” He claims that China only sells wind turbines but doesn’t use them. “All you have to do is say to China, how many windmill areas do you have in China? They are not able to find any. They don’t have windmills. I have told my people, we will not approve windmills,” Trump recently [said to reporters](https://bsky.app/profile/bluebirdnews.bsky.social/post/3mrd6fjlj6c2v?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). No matter that in the real world China is the runaway global leader in installed [onshore](https://www.gwec.net/news/global-wind-installations-rise-record-40-as-industry-charts-way-out-of-energy-crisis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [offshore wind](https://globalenergymonitor.org/projects/global-wind-power-tracker?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) power capacity. China, Denmark, Germany, the UK, and other countries that commercialized offshore wind power are still installing turbines off their coastlines. As the activity by newcomers this summer attests, more countries are eager to join their ranks. In the U.S., the world's most powerful man is blocking the offshore wind industry's future. Hopefully the industry can outlast him. ### What I’m reading: Federal courts chip away at Trump's renewables blockade, Trump wants to kill public transit, Europe's electrification action plan, global energy transition tracker, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-federal-courts-chip-away-at-trumps-wind-and-solar-blockade-trump-wants-to-kill-public-transit-europes-electrification-action-plan-global-energy-transition-tracker-and-mo/ Last updated: 2026-08-07T18:05:28.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*, or* [*leaving a tip*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. For all the new readers who have joined us in recent weeks, these every-other-Friday roundups are my way of flagging important energy transition developments you might have missed. Have a great weekend and thanks, as always, for reading. **Federal courts continue to chip away at Trump's renewables blockade** Court challenges to the Trump administration’s push to [kill new wind and solar projects](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/) advanced on several fronts over the past week. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Portland, Oregon, “indicated she was likely to find in favor of a coalition of renewable energy groups and order the Trump administration to resume reviewing wind projects,” [reports Courthouse News Service's Monique Merrill](https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-likely-to-make-pentagon-resume-wind-project-reviews/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The clean energy groups [sued](https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-likely-to-make-pentagon-resume-wind-project-reviews/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the Department of Defense at the end of May to force the department to resume wind energy project reviews. “Near the start of a two-hour hearing,” writes Merrill, “U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Donald Trump appointee, told the parties there was strong evidence the government had violated statutory and regulatory deadlines.” On Thursday, Judge Immergut [ordered the Pentagon to restart the stalled wind project reviews](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026/08/judge-pentagon-wind-project-reviews-01027541?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The latest in a series of legal claims by clean energy nonprofits was filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) challenging its “illegal” termination of grants awarded under the Biden administration’s $7 billion Solar for All program. “The parties allege the \[One Big Beautiful Bill Act\] was clear in its direction that the EPA cut only unobligated balances from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was the source of funding for local Solar for All programs across the country,” [reports PV Magazine’s Ben Zientara](https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2026/07/30/solar-nonprofits-are-taking-the-federal-government-to-court-over-rescinded-grants/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The groups say, “the vast majority of the $7 billion in Solar for All funding had already been obligated prior to the passage of the OBBBA, and that the terminations were therefore unlawful,” he adds. The new claims add to a growing roster of lawsuits challenging EPA’s termination of the Solar for All Program brought by state and local governments, tribes, labor unions, and solar companies. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) On a separate legal track, the D.C. Circuit federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld an injunction barring the EPA from terminating $20 billion in grants authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act to establish so-called green banks across the country. “A federal appeals court on Tuesday barred EPA from clawing back billions of dollars in unspent green energy grants that were awarded to nonprofits under former President Joe Biden’s signature climate law,” [reported Politico's Alex Guillén and Jean Chemnick](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026/08/appeals-court-upholds-injunction-shielding-20b-climate-grants-from-termination-01023613?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Under the court's order, the recipients could start drawing down funds as soon as next week, when the April 2025 stay that had effectively kept the cash frozen in bank accounts now must be lifted.” However, the Trump administration is expected to ask the Supreme Court to intervene to prevent that from happening. All the above affirms what I [argued recently](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/clean-energy-advocates-are-winning-the-legal-fight-against-the-trump-administration/): “If you're active in the clean energy economy and the administration has canceled your funding or is blocking your project, it’s an easy decision: Go to court to fight for your interests.” 📖 ****Read more:** [****Clean energy advocates are winning the legal fight against the Trump administration**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/clean-energy-advocates-are-winning-the-legal-fight-against-the-trump-administration/) **Trump 2.0's politicization of federal grants** Since publishing a column last month on a Trump administration proposal that would [give political appointees across federal agencies the power to kill grants](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/russell-vought-wants-complete-control-over-the-1-1-trillion-in-federal-grants-handed-out-each-year/), I’ve continued to track this looming threat. It turns out that with the proposal the Trump administration is attempting to codify across federal agencies a practice Energy Department lawyers just admitted in court was used to justify canceling billions of dollars in clean energy grants. “The administration nixed $7.6 billion in clean energy grants last year ‘based solely on the political identity of the grant recipient’s state,’ the U.S Department of Energy said in court documents,” Utility Dive’s Robert Walton [reported on July 27](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/backlash-trumps-vindictive-grant-cancellations-doe-energy/826226/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Here’s how U.S. Rep. Mike Levin (D) [responded to the news on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/mikelevin.org/post/3mrmynsaeec2s?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): “In an Appropriations Committee hearing earlier this year, I questioned Energy Secretary Chris Wright about the billions his department canceled in clean energy grants. He looked me in the eye and told me the decisions were made on the merits and had nothing to do with politics. That was a lie.” On Monday, two House Democrats [referred Wright to the Department of Justice for prosecution](https://heatmap.news/am/trump-wind-pause?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=4.%20Two%20House%20Democrats%20formally%20accuse%20Energy%20Secretary%20Chris%20Wright%20of%20lying%20to%20Congress) for that testimony. “Secretary Wright lied to the Committee with his statements, which sought to prevent us from learning the truth: that the October award terminations were an act of political retaliation,” Zoe Lofgren and Gabe Amo wrote in a [letter](https://democrats-science.house.gov/imo/media/doc/SST%20RM%20Lofgren%20and%20Amo%20-%20Letter%20to%20Acting%20AG%20Blanche%20-%20DOE%20Secretary%20Chris%20Wright%20-%208.4.26.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) addressed to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. 📖 ****Read more:** [****Why does Chris Wright insist on being so wrong on the energy transition?**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-does-chris-wright-insist-on-being-so-wrong-on-the-energy-transition/) Senate Democrats responded by calling on the Energy Department to [restore the $7.6 billion in terminated grants](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026/07/senate-dems-call-on-doe-to-restore-blue-state-grants-01016280?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Now that court documents have confirmed what we knew to be true, we write to demand that you restore previously awarded funding that the Trump administration has weaponized in an attempt to punish perceived political enemies," according to a letter Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich and Appropriations ranking member Patty Murray sent to DOE with the signatures of 37 of their colleagues. Meanwhile, last week, Murray [reached a deal](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/02/senate-finalizes-funding-patch-that-would-block-trumps-grant-overhaul-01021696?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with her counterpart, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R), that would – temporarily – block the Office of Management and Budget proposal pushed by Russell Vought that would give political appointees the power to kill federal grants. But the deal would only pause implementation of Vought’s OMB proposal for the duration of a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through December 11. “The proposed rule would systematically politicize federal funding and allow Trump officials to cancel grants at any time for any reason. Enabling this rule would only give Trump the greenlight to take even more federal funding hostage. While Republicans rejected killing the proposed rule outright, I’m going to keep fighting to put a stop to it once and for all, and I will keep pressing my Republican colleagues to do exactly that,” wrote Murray in a [statement](https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/senator-murray-on-release-of-cr-text?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). 📖 ****Read more:** [****Russell Vought wants complete control over the $1.1 trillion in federal grants handed out each year**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/russell-vought-wants-complete-control-over-the-1-1-trillion-in-federal-grants-handed-out-each-year/) ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Trump wants to kill public transit, too** The Trump administration isn’t just trying to make it harder to build new wind and solar projects. It’s also refusing to spend billions Congress budgeted for a federal program that helps state and local governments fund new transit projects. “Since President Trump returned to office, the Federal Transit Administration has not signed a single new agreement under the program, known as Capital Investment Grants. Large projects ready to enter the final phase of the program’s yearslong pipeline have stalled there,” [report The New York Times’ Emily Badger and Alicia Parlapiano](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/upshot/transit-projects-trump.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.01A.R4AH.qAqpFyEjc%5FnI&smid=url-share&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “As the number of pending projects builds up, so has anxiety about the federal government’s support for major transit infrastructure. Money that Congress designated for that purpose is accumulating too: [More than $7 billion](https://www.usaspending.gov/federal%5Faccount/069-1134?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) hasn’t been obligated to any project,” they write. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-05-151015.png) [Credit](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/upshot/transit-projects-trump.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.01A.R4AH.qAqpFyEjc%5FnI&smid=url-share&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Emily Badger and Alicia Parlapiano, The New York Times. If Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had his way, the federal government wouldn’t spend any money on public transit at all. “Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy proposed eliminating the Highway Trust Fund’s mass transit account, which provides funding for public transportation, in a July 22 letter outlining the [administration’s priorities](https://punchbowl.news/str-aspirations-letter%5Fjuly-22/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that was sent to six senators serving on committees with influence over the next surface transportation legislation,” Smart Cities Dive’s Dan Zukowski [reported last month](https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/duffy-dot-cut-funding-transit-bike-pedestrian/826213/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Duffy also proposed cutting funding for [Complete Streets activities](https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/complete-streets-policy-smart-growth-america-report/751760/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that focus on safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, bicycle lanes and grants for electric vehicle charging infrastructure,” he added. It gets even worse. According to Yonah Freemark at the Urban Institute, the federal transportation funding bill now under consideration in Congress, the [BUILD America 250 Act](https://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/build%5Famerica%5F250%5Fact%5Fbill%5Ftext.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), would slash funding for public transit over the next five years. “If passed, BUILD America 250 [would dramatically reduce federal support for new transit and intercity rail lines](https://blog.ucs.org/kshen/the-build-america-250-act-proposes-more-roads-less-transit-and-rail/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) compared with the previous five-year federal transportation law, the [Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (IIJA),” he wrote in a recent [blog post](https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/congresss-transportation-reauthorization-bill-would-drastically-underfund-transit-and?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Adjusted for inflation,” he added, “the bill would reduce *potential* overall transit funding by 15 percent compared with IIJA, including by making a 45 percent cut to programs designed to fund new transit and rail projects. Instead, the bill would direct a much greater share of funding to highways while eliminating *all* guaranteed funding for new rail or transit projects.” (emphasis in original) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-05-155326.png) [Credit](https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/congresss-transportation-reauthorization-bill-would-drastically-underfund-transit-and?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Yonah Freemark, Urban Institute. **EU action plan “defines electrification as the destination”** It didn’t get much press here in the U.S. but it’s worth noting that last month the European Commission released an [Electrification Action Plan](https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/plan-make-europe-first-electro-continent-2026-07-17-0%5Fen?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that aims “to make Europe the first electro-continent.” The goal is “to increase electrification from today's 23% of energy use to 46% by 2040\. By reaching this goal, the EU could save €260 billion per year in fossil fuel imports,” according to the Commission. Measures in the plan include: > Future-proofing electricity bills in the EU by empowering EU countries to reduce network charges for certain consumer groups and taxes for energy-intensive businesses > Encouraging faster deployment of smart meters, which will make it easier for consumers to save on their energy bills. > Lowering upfront costs of electrification technologies across key demand sectors. This will be achieved by mobilising tools such as social leasing schemes, the Emissions Trading System (ETS) financial instrument and the Social Climate Fund. > Speeding up the deployment of European electricity grids through the grids package; accelerating the uptake of innovative electrification solutions. > Investing in skills and jobs in electrification, with the potential of creating hundreds of thousands of quality jobs. The plan also includes more ambitious targets for energy storage deployment. “It recognises that energy storage is an essential element to optimise the functioning of the EU energy system, and that 200GW will be needed by 2030 and 500GW by 2050\. That is up from 55GW in 2026,” [reports Energy Storage News’ Cameron Murray](https://www.energy-storage.news/eu-releases-electrification-action-plan-reaffirms-200gw-2030-energy-storage-target/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “There's a lot to welcome, and the framing is right,” [observed Louise Sunderland](https://reurt-zgph.campaign-view.com/ua/viewinbrowser?od=3z160b806dfcf79474bce6a24195d0063fbb22af49c4c4484440c0959f046baed6&rd=18d88733177e225&sd=18d88733177e0e4&n=11699e4bfcb9988&mrd=18d88733177e0db&m=1&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), Europe director at the Regulatory Assistance Project, about the action plan. “To me the most important thing is that the action plan steps away from the technology neutrality approach favoured by policy makers. It defines electrification as the destination, and names the key technologies, the specific barriers and introduces targeted measures.” 🌍 ****Global energy transition tracker** Let’s take a quick tour of the globe for some recent clean energy deployment records and milestones: - Renewables accounted for 58% of Germany’s electricity consumption in the first half of 2026 – up three percentage points over the same period last year and a new record for the first six months of the year. (Julian Wettengel, [Clean Energy Wire](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/renewables-covered-record-58-german-electricity-consumption-first-half-2026?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - This comes after data confirmed that wind and solar power overtook fossil fuels on Germany's grid for the first time ever in 2025\. (Ho Woo Namand Josh Gabbatiss, [Carbon Brief](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-wind-and-solar-power-overtake-fossil-fuels-in-germany-for-first-time-ever?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - Solar generated a record 14.4% of the UK’s electricity in July – a jump from the previous monthly record of 12.4% set in May. (Stuart Stone, [BusinessGreen](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4533778/major-player-solar-generated-record-144-cent-great-britain-electricity-july?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - Wind turbines have generated more electricity than fossil gas plants in the UK in every month over the past year through July – the first consecutive 12-month period with more wind than gas generation in the country’s history. (Nicolas Fulghum, [Ember](https://bsky.app/profile/nicolasfulghum.bsky.social/post/3ms6v6pxmkk27?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - More than half (51%) of California’s electricity generation in May came from solar power – a “a world-first solar milestone” for a major economy. (Nicolas Fulghum, [Ember](https://bsky.app/profile/nicolasfulghum.bsky.social/post/3mrphf6bxys2s?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - China’s exports of low-carbon technologies jumped by a third from January to June, with shipments of lithium batteries and wind turbines increasing by 38% and 36%, respectively. ([Bloomberg News](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-14/china-s-green-tech-exports-surge-on-energy-transition-demand?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) - Quarterly EV sales records were set in 50 countries during the first half of 2026, according to the International Energy Agency. (Stuart Stone, [BusinessGreen](https://www.businessgreen.com/news-analysis/4533581/global-ev-boom-broke-records-countries?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) “In five major markets — Australia, Brazil, India, Korea, and Vietnam — sales have roughly doubled since the start of the energy crisis, compared to the same period last year.” (Nahal Toosi, [Politico](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/forecast/2026/08/05/the-un-is-in-crisis-who-wants-to-run-it-01026205?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) **One more thing: Sponsored by Big Oil** Recent editions of two of the most popular U.S. energy newsletters, [Axios Future of Energy](https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-future-of-energy-61365020-90f6-11f1-96cf-199cc5a9dbf3.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [Semafor Energy](https://www.semafor.com/newsletter/08/06/2026/semafor-energy-trumps-sanctions-dilemma?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), happen to share a lead sponsor. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-06-105850.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-06-105653.png) There are no fossil fuel ads here at **Quitting Carbon**. Instead, we are entirely funded by readers like you. Remember, you can support the newsletter anytime by [becoming a paid subscriber](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup), [gifting a paid subscription](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift), or [leaving a tip](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support). Thank you! ### Could "sophisticated miniature modular plants" slash the energy consumption and emissions resulting from processing raw materials? URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/could-sophisticated-miniature-modular-plants-slash-the-energy-consumption-and-emissions-resulting-from-processing-raw-materials/ Last updated: 2026-07-31T14:30:39.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*, or* [*leaving a tip*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Strangely, this is a story Donald Trump's Energy Department didn't want told. In April, I attended the annual Energy Innovation Summit hosted by DOE's moonshots incubator, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy ([ARPA-E](https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)). By far the best programming at the summits each year are the eight-minute presentations delivered by ARPA-E fellows and program directors during themed "Fast Pitch" sessions. Befitting an agency tasked with advancing "[high-potential, high-impact energy technologies](https://www.energy.gov/advanced-research-projects-agency-energy-arpa-e?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)," the "Fast Pitch" presentations are a way for ARPA-E's experts to float new ideas, highlight a promising new path of scientific inquiry, or solicit feedback on a new concept from the hundreds of researchers and entrepreneurs in the room. At [this year's summit](https://www.arpae-summit.com/Agenda/2026-Summit-Agenda?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the "Fast Pitch" presentation that had me excitedly scribbling in my notebook was titled "Manufacturing Without Addresses: Factories that Refuse to Sit Still" by [Dr. Cory Phillips](https://arpa-e.energy.gov/about/people/dr-cory-phillips?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a chemical engineer who leads two programs at ARPA-E, including [ROSIE](https://arpa-e.energy.gov/programs-and-initiatives/view-all-programs/rosie?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (Revolutionizing Ore to Steel to Impact Energy), which is focused on decarbonizing the steel industry. There's some irony in the fact that we journalists read all day, all the time hoping we come across something we've never read before. Listening to Phillips, and reading his slides, was such a moment. His epiphany: it's possible to save time, energy, and money – and slash emissions – by using mobile, modular factories to begin processing the 16 billion tons of raw material that's moved around the globe each year *in transit*. "We spend a lot of time, energy, and money moving raw materials on assets that could probably do more, instead of just letting the raw materials sit there and wait idle until it reaches a centralized processing facility," he said during his pitch session. That 16 billion tons of raw material – think coal and biomass, petroleum and metal ore – is transported around the globe on tankers, rail cars, and trucks thanks to an enormous investment in energy and money. According to Phillips, the tally comes to more than 20 quadrillion BTUs of energy and $2.4 trillion dollars a year. With such massive sums, even tweaks on the margins could yield huge savings. "Even if you improve 1%," he said, "you get maybe tens of billions of dollars in cost savings and tens of trillions of BTUs in energy savings, but that's impact by optimization." "What I'm talking about today is impact by transformation." **Sidetracked by Trump's DOE** My interest piqued, I reached out to Phillips and ARPA-E after the summit to request an interview for a [Q&A](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/interviews/). As I've [written previously in this newsletter](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-global-ev-and-heat-pump-sales-surge-people-wont-forget-the-iran-war-disruption-research-roundup-and-more/), the request was sent to DOE headquarters, where, weeks later, staff rejected both my interview request and my request that the agency share Phillips' presentation slides. No reason was given for the denials. Perhaps it had something to do with the column I published – [Why does Chris Wright insist on being so wrong on the energy transition?](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-does-chris-wright-insist-on-being-so-wrong-on-the-energy-transition/) – as I waited to hear if my interview request had been cleared? But we journalists don't give up so easily. It took months of waiting, but ARPA-E recently posted videos from the summit at its [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/arpaegov?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), *including* [Phillips' "Fast Pitch" session](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P0HM211sRs&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (his talk runs from 16:30-25:45). So, thanks to the video workaround, you can now learn about Phillips' pitch, too. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Streamlining a "convoluted and inefficient" journey to market** Raw nickel, a critical material used in lithium-ion batteries, specifically cathode-active materials, must be smelted down into ferro nickel alloys, nickel sulfates, and other precursors as it is iteratively refined down to the product used in batteries. Phillips framed his pitch concept by recounting the example of the months-long journey nickel makes from extraction in a wet clay mine in Indonesia to processing stops spread across Southeast Asia and the Pacific and then on to a fabrication facility in the U.S. It is "quite convoluted and inefficient," said Phillips. "It requires a lot of energy, it requires a lot of costs. In fact, it's probably greater than 80 days on the ocean. Not quite Jules Verne, but half our way around the world." His insight: What if a "sophisticated miniature modular plant" was used to begin converting the nickel ore on the haul truck from the mine and on tankers at sea? He cited ROSIE projects at the DOE's Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois in which researchers put plasma discharges on rotary kilns to convert iron ore to iron. For nickel, "we can have what we call a plasma mechanical chemical device that allows you to do the drying, the sieving, and the grinding simultaneously with plasma smelting." [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) This breakthrough alone would shave 70% off the time for the first leg of the journey to convert nickel into a battery-grade product. The process would continue at sea. A miniature modular plant could be used to convert nickel alloy into nickel sulfate salt, or with high-temperature electrochemical molten electrolysis, reduce iron oxide to iron. At this step, a sulfur source is needed, which could come from the exhaust from the bunker fuel burned to power the tanker. "So, now you do a few things: you're valorizing \[i.e. increasing the beneficial reuse of\] the amount of metals that are available to you on board, but you're also cleaning up the exhaust, and you're also creating other opportunities with metals that exist in the precursors," said Phillips. **The climate payoff** Phillips estimated that introducing raw material processing during transit could reduce the overall mine-to-market trip for nickel from 80 to just 30 days. He also posited that you could apply the same technology to metals other than nickel or iron, to critical minerals, to oil and gas for fuels, or to biomass. Truncate, or even eliminate, some of the steps required to process raw materials for end uses globally and you could significantly reduce emissions from the sector. Freight transport accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. And without aggressive action, the sector's share of global emissions will surge by mid-century. "Growing economies in Asia, Africa and Latin America are expected to triple global demand for freight by 2050, which will double freight’s greenhouse gas emissions," [writes](https://climate.mit.edu/explainers/freight-transportation?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Suzanne Greene, the program manager of the Sustainable Supply Chains initiative at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics. "Even as other energy sectors reduce their fossil fuel use, nearly all freight transportation runs on oil and gas. If we continue with business as usual, freight will become the highest emitting sector by 2050," she adds. ARPA-E was created to accelerate the adoption of energy technologies that disrupt business as usual. Phillips' "manufacturing without address" concept has the potential to upend business as usual in one of the world's biggest industries. It's a shame, then, that the Trump administration didn't want you to know about it. ### What I’m reading: Blue states fight back to save U.S. wind projects, Germany and China notch EV milestones, UK households can soon buy balcony solar, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-blue-states-fight-back-to-save-u-s-wind-projects-germany-and-china-notch-ev-milestones-uk-households-can-soon-buy-balcony-solar-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T18:30:34.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*, or* [*leaving a tip*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. First, a quick favor: I’m always looking for ways to get this newsletter to more readers. What tends to work best? Recommendations from people we trust. If you enjoy and value what you read here and have colleagues, friends, or family who might enjoy this newsletter, too, can you please forward this email to them with a recommendation to give it a try? Thank you! Have a great weekend and thanks, as always, for reading. **Update on Russell Vought’s quest for complete control over federal grantmaking** In the column I [published last Friday](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/russell-vought-wants-complete-control-over-the-1-1-trillion-in-federal-grants-handed-out-each-year/), I wrote that local and state governments, scientists, and research institutions are among the individuals and organizations alarmed by a Trump administration proposal that would give political appointees across federal agencies the power to kill grants – including funding for clean energy. I have an important update to report. Shortly after I published the column, a federal judge declared “that the Trump administration can’t cancel grants based on new rules or goals established after the fact – in a blow to its efforts to terminate billions of dollars already promised,” [reported Politico’s Jennifer Scholtes and Kyle Cheney](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/07/17/congress/judge-knocks-omb-grant-termination-01003836?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Here's more on the ruling from Scholtes and Cheney: > “U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, denied the Trump administration’s request to dismiss a lawsuit brought by 20 states, three governors and the District of Columbia challenging the cancellation of billions of dollars in federal grant awards since President Donald Trump was inaugurated last year.” > “Federal law does not allow the ‘terminations of awards based on new program goals or agency priorities that an agency identifies after granting the award,’ [the court concluded](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.286247/gov.uscourts.mad.286247.122.0%5F1.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com).” > “The ruling comes as lawmakers in both parties, including Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine), urge White House Budget Director Russ Vought to delay plans to overhaul the approval process for federal grants. The Trump administration is proposing a new regulation that would put political appointees in charge of approving or nixing awards for federal dollars.” **Blue states and senators go on offense to counter Trump’s offshore wind blockade** In a [column last month](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/clean-energy-advocates-are-winning-the-legal-fight-against-the-trump-administration/), I argued that clean energy companies and Democratic state attorneys general should continue to press their legal advantage to thwart the Trump administration’s [all-out assault on wind and solar power](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/). That appears to be happening. Last week, California [sent](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2026-07/california-sends-notice-intent-file-second-lawsuit-challenging-trump?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) a [Notice of Intent to Sue](https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/ocsla-notice-letter-final-invenergy-ca.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to the U.S. Department of Interior “regarding its illegal buyout of Invenergy’s offshore wind lease under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.” The notice was the second issued by California officials to the Interior Department in less than a month. On June 23, California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) and California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild had [sent](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2026-06/california-sends-notice-intent-file-suit-challenging-trump-administrations?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) a similar [Notice of Intent to Sue](https://www.oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/california-sends-notice-intent-file-suit-challenging-trump-administration%E2%80%99s?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to Interior to challenge its lease buyout deal with Golden State Wind. Invenergy and Golden State Wind had both previously secured leases to develop wind projects in federal waters offshore California’s Central Coast. On the same day that California notified the Interior Department it planned to sue to block the Invenergy lease buyout, a group of eight New England and Mid-Atlantic states – Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont – sent the Trump administration a joint [Notice of Intent to Sue](https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/ocsla-notice-letter-invenergy-northeast.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to challenge three Invenergy lease buyout deals on the East Coast. Meanwhile, at the U.S. Capitol, a group of Senate Democrats just launched their own investigation into the Trump administration’s lease buyouts. Last Friday, the 14 senators, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, “[sent letters to four companies](https://www.padilla.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Offshore-Energy-Agency-Letters.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that have agreed to terminate their offshore wind leases in exchange for government payouts,” [reports Politico’s Noah Baustin](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-currents/2026/07/17/the-insurance-convert-trying-to-bring-coverage-back-to-fire-country-01003918?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=A.%20Bickel/AP-,BRASS%20TACKS,-%3A%20A%20group). “The lawmakers asked the companies to provide copies of their communications with the Trump administration by Aug. 7.” For now, the letters may serve more as a warning of investigations to come – should Democrats win a Senate majority in the November elections and reclaim control of committees as well as the power to authorize subpoenas. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **As blue states join fight to lift Trump’s onshore wind blockade, German auctions yield record-breaking wind bounty** The Trump administration is trying to kill onshore wind projects, too. Here again, a coalition of (mostly) blue states has stepped in to protect the industry. “A coalition of 18 states and Washington, D.C., has moved to join an industry lawsuit challenging the Department of Defense’s freeze on onshore wind projects in America,” Canary Media’s Dan McCarthy [reported on Monday](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/wind/states-lawsuit-trump-defense-permitting-freeze?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “It’s the latest in a nearly yearlong saga during which the Trump administration has [obstructed more than 155 land-based wind projects](https://cleanpower.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ACP%5FDoD%5FBlockonWindImpact%5F2026Analysis.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) across the country, according to data from the American Clean Power Association.” Meanwhile, Germany is setting records for onshore wind project approvals. “Germany approved onshore wind projects with a combined capacity of around 9 gigawatts (GW) during the first six months of the year, a new record for the period,” [reports Clean Energy Wire’s Carolina Kyllmann](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-continues-record-streak-onshore-wind-power-approvals-first-half-2026?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The capacity volume auctioned in tenders for state support was oversubscribed by a factor of two and a half,” she adds. “Germany had [already approved](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-approves-record-capacity-new-onshore-wind-turbines-2025?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) a record 20.8 GW of onshore wind capacity in 2025.” **Germany and China notch EV milestones, while the lagging U.S. market looks to rebound** Germany celebrated another clean energy milestone this week. According to new data published by the country’s motor transport authority, “electric cars outsold every other fuel type in Europe’s biggest car market for the first time” in June, Inside EVs’ Iulian Dnistran [reported on Monday](https://insideevs.com/news/802162/evs-outsold-gas-hybrid-diesel-germany/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). German drivers registered 84,057 new fully electric cars last month – a 78.2% year-over-year increase and good for a 28.4% market share. In China, the province of Hainan announced it would ban the sale of new combustion cars by 2030, “becoming the first Chinese province to do so,” [reports](https://dialogue.earth/en/digest/south-china-province-to-ban-new-combustion-car-sales-by-2030/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Dialogue Earth’s Xu Na. “As part of the ‘15th Five-Year Plan for the Construction of a Beautiful Hainan’ (2026-2030), published on 13 July, the province seeks to increase the share of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in its vehicle stock from 23.75% in 2025 to 45% by 2030\. This is much higher than the national target of 30% by 2030 set out in the recent [Carbon Peak Action Plan](https://www.mee.gov.cn/zcwj/gwywj/202607/t20260714%5F1161655.shtml?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for the same period,” she adds. In the U.S., the picture is more muddled. EV sales plunged after drivers raced last fall to take advantage of the expiring $7,500 federal tax credit (the tax credit having been killed in the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill). But the market may be stabilizing. Second quarter EV sales [rebounded to their highest level since the federal tax credit expired](https://insideevs.com/news/801289/us-q2-ev-sales-post-tax-credit/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In California, zero-emission vehicles [accounted for 19.1% of new vehicle sales in Q2](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2026-07/ev-sales-rebound-trumps-war-iran-rages?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), up 3.3% over Q1, according to the California Energy Commission. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/Zero-Emission_Vehicle_Sales_in_California.jpg) [Credit](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2026-07/ev-sales-rebound-trumps-war-iran-rages?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): California Energy Commission. And so many U.S. drivers are looking for alternatives to gas-guzzlers that used EV prices are surging. “Used electric vehicles are flying off dealer lots as pinched car buyers hunt for budget-friendly options,” [reports Axios’ Joann Muller](https://www.axios.com/2026/07/22/used-ev-prices-gas-demand?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The soaring demand has led to a rare phenomenon,” she adds, “used EVs rising in value, rather than depreciating, according to [Recurrent](https://www.recurrentauto.com/research/used-electric-vehicle-buying-report?utm%5Fmedium=email&%5Fhsenc=p2ANqtz-8JpNVL5yVknqKJ2iBNFfV79e0STaO9WvbzHf-YxBfop2nMow4x%5F8FLOAGSj2JQd3H8Aj9Ky3iRDX7nxt7hzhxtQzuK2g&%5Fhsmi=429201354&utm%5Fcontent=429201354&utm%5Fsource=hs%5Femail), a research firm specializing in the used EV market.” **Andy Burnham takes over at 10 Downing Street** In a [recent roundup](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-the-uks-greenest-pm-exits-opportunities-to-invest-in-clean-energy-california-challenges-trumps-offshore-wind-deals-and-more/#:~:text=always%2C%20for%20reading.-,The%20UK%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%9Cgreenest%E2%80%9D%20PM%20exits,-On%20Monday%2C%20UK), I mentioned the pending legalization of [balcony solar installations](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/bringing-small-modular-solar-to-the-masses/) as one of the clean energy achievements of the outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Starmer checked that item off his to-do list just before stepping down. “One of Keir Starmer's last acts in Govt is this: Laying legislation that will legalise 'plug-in solar' (aka balcony solar) panels in Britain It means plug-in solar panels do not (legally) have to be wired in by an electrician,” Byline Times’ Josiah Mortimer [reported on Bluesky on Monday](https://bsky.app/profile/josiahmortimer.bsky.social/post/3mr3hak5c7c2q?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), Starmer’s last day in office. So, when can British households buy balcony solar systems? “An industry consultation on the plans concluded last week, paving the way for the government to officially sign a legislative amendment into law that legalises the sale of plug-in solar devices that comply with UK safety specifications,” BusinessGreen’s Michael Holder [reported on Tuesday](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4533176/plug-solar-panels-sale-summer-safety-rules-confirmed?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The amendment is now set to come into force on 27th August, which could allow the first plug-in solar devices to potentially go on sale in shops by the end of next month.” [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) One of the first acts by Keir Starmer’s successor, Andy Burnham, was [fulfilling a pledge to cut energy bills](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/jul/18/andy-burnham-cut-energy-bills-gas-heat-pumps?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Andy Burnham is considering radical plans that could cut household energy bills by £130 a year and make running a heat pump cheaper than a gas boiler,” the Guardian’s Heather Stewart and Jillian Ambrose [reported last Saturday](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/jul/18/andy-burnham-cut-energy-bills-gas-heat-pumps?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), just after Burnham became the new Labour leader. The first step in implementing those “radical plans” was to remove the value-added tax (VAT) from electricity bills. “Government is tackling rising bills with a tax cut to remove VAT from domestic electricity bills from October 1 in time to impact the next Ofgem price cap. … Cutting VAT on electricity bills is expected to take around £45 off the yearly Ofgem price cap in October. This is on top of the £150 removed from bills at the last Budget,” according to a [press release](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-pm-cuts-tax-on-household-electricity-bills-to-give-breathing-space-on-cost-of-living?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the prime minister’s office. 💡 Longtime readers might recall that removing taxes from bills is one of my recommendations to [make electricity more affordable](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/). “The real story isn’t the £45 off bills, it’s the gas-electricity price gap,” Jan Rosenow, professor of energy and climate policy at the University of Oxford, [wrote on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/janrosenow.bsky.social/post/3mr5cxvhpd22u?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “We’ve loaded taxes onto electricity while gas gets off lighter, which discourages heat pumps. Cutting VAT narrows that gap.” Future reforms to reduce energy bills will be taken forward by a new energy secretary. In a Cabinet reshuffle, Burnham promoted Ed Miliband, the erstwhile head of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, to foreign secretary and named Miatta Fahnbulleh as Miliband’s replacement. Fahnbulleh returns to Whitehall with climate and clean energy bona fides. “Fahnbulleh previously served as a junior Minister at the department as it developed its plans to deliver a clean power system by 2030 and before entering Parliament in 2024 she was chief executive at the New Economics Foundation think tank, where she was a strong advocate for bolder action on climate change,” [reports BusinessGreen Editor-in-Chief James Murray](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4533138/cabinet-reshuffle-miatta-fahnbulleh-appointed-energy-security-net-zero-secretary?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). As for Miliband, the former Labour party leader was denied an even bigger promotion after an aggressive lobbying campaign by City of London bankers, the right-wing press, and some trade unions denied him a rumored appointment as chancellor. What so spooked his opponents? Well, the relentless, years-long, scorched-earth campaign by the UK’s right-wing tabloid press to distort his record on climate action certainly didn’t help. “As Ed Miliband leaves his post as energy and net-zero secretary, a final tally: There have been an incredible 251 newspaper editorials attacking him and his approach to net-zero since the start of 2024\. That amounts to two editorials a week, mainly in the Sun, Daily Mail, Times and Daily Telegraph,” Carbon Brief’s Associate Editor Josh Gabbatiss [wrote on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/joshgabbatiss.bsky.social/post/3mr5khg2hhc2x?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/bafkreiggvlvwjqss6m54sob7dzzgxttzpt7obq6gxnifqziue33hgrvgjm.webp) UK newspapers are already using the same playbook on Fahnbulleh. On Wednesday, Carbon Brief [compiled a roundup](https://thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/miatta-fahnbulleh-eco-zealot-north-sea-oil-debate-tnkmlgtmm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of coverage of Fahnbulleh's record on energy and climate issues in which the country's right-wing press brands her an “eco-zealot” who is “even madder than Miliband.” **One more thing: Lee Zeldin says the quiet part out loud** The Trump administration doesn’t bother pretending it’s not doing the bidding of its fossil fuel patrons. Consider EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s recent remarks before the revived National Coal Council. “Many of the items that were on your wish list are now done,’ Zeldin told members of the National Coal Council gathered at the Willard hotel in Washington. ‘Over the course of the coming few months, hopefully \[we get to\] the remainder of those items, although I will not prejudge the outcome of any rulemaking,’” E&E News’ Hannah Northey [reported on Tuesday](https://www.eenews.net/articles/zeldin-vows-to-fulfill-coal-industrys-wish-list/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Zeldin … ticked through a list of regulations that the administration has already rolled back. That included EPA’s move to roll back federal oversight of coal ash, coal wastewater, and moves to repeal the 2024 updates to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards regulation, as well as carbon pollution standards,” she wrote. “Between now and your next meeting, I’m excited to be able to share with great optimism, hope, and enthusiasm that you all, again, not prejudging the outcome of any rulemaking, we’ll have a lot to celebrate the next time you all get together again in January,” said Zeldin. ### Russell Vought wants complete control over the $1.1 trillion in federal grants handed out each year URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/russell-vought-wants-complete-control-over-the-1-1-trillion-in-federal-grants-handed-out-each-year/ Last updated: 2026-07-17T14:30:01.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*, or* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*.* The litany of scandals, the grift and the graft, emanating from the White House each day is so unrelenting it can be hard to calibrate one’s outrage and sense of alarm. Is the latest revelation *really* worthy of your indignation? I’m sorry, but I’m adding to your *Yes, be concerned about this* list. On May 29, [Russell Vought’s Office of Management and Budget](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/congress-rejected-trumps-spending-plans-making-sure-its-own-budget-is-spent-is-the-next-challenge/) (OMB) – the executive branch’s nerve center – [released a sweeping proposal](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/29/2026-10817/regulation-for-federal-financial-assistance?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that would upend the way the federal government administers grants. If the update to the [2013 Uniform Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance](https://www.regulations.gov/document/OMB%5FFRDOC%5F0001-0127?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) is approved as written, political appointees at [more than 40 federal agencies](https://www.sciline.org/learn/omb-federal-science-funding/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=The%20Office%20of%20Management%20and%20Budget%20%28OMB%29%2C%20in%20conjunction%20with%20more%20than%2040%20federal%20agencies%2C%20proposed%20a%20sweeping%20rule%20that%20would%20give%20political%20appointees%20more%20direct%20influence%20in%20deciding%20who%20gets%20grants.) would be empowered to overrule peer review panels to kill grants, and grants could be terminated for running afoul of the administration’s goals or priorities. At stake is the fate of [more than $1.1 trillion](https://www.naco.org/event/understanding-proposed-rewrite-2-cfr-what-omb-uniform-guidance-proposed-rule-means-local?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Federal%20grants%20to%20state%20and%20local%20governments%20totaled%20%241.1%20trillion%20in%20FY%202024%20and%20represented%2017%20percent%20of%20total%20federal%20outlays) – 17% of total federal spending – the federal government sends to local and state governments, tribes, universities, nonprofits, research institutions, and other beneficiaries each year. “Key provisions introduce mandatory pre-issuance reviews of all discretionary awards by political appointees to ensure alignment with administration policy priorities. Additionally, the proposal expands agency discretion to terminate existing awards and restricts funding for collaborations with specific foreign entities,” Christopher Steven Marcum and Abigail Haddad [wrote at Tech Policy Press on July 13](https://www.techpolicy.press/the-public-rejects-ombs-federal-financial-assistance-rule/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Federal grantees are justifiably alarmed by the Trump administration’s incipient power grab. “Make no mistake, this is the most threatening and harmful proposal regarding federal government assistance to cities that we have seen in probably over three decades, or ever. It is that significant in scope,” Dave Gatton, director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Council on Metro Economies and the New American City, said during a June 17 [webinar](https://www.naco.org/event/understanding-proposed-rewrite-2-cfr-what-omb-uniform-guidance-proposed-rule-means-local?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) hosted by the National Association of Counties and other government associations. “The proposed rule would centralize and standardize federal grant processing while giving agencies significantly broader authority to terminate grants mid-award for reasons beyond noncompliance, including political and agency priority misalignment, Matthew Hanson, managing director, government advisory services for the crisis-management firm Witt O’Brien’s, said during the webinar,” [according to Smart Cities Dive’s Vicky Uhland](https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/federal-funding-omb-grant-overhaul-uniform-guidance/824950/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Grantees mobilize against the proposal** Federal grant recipients, including scientists and researchers represented by the [American Physical Society](https://www.aps.org/initiatives/advocate-amplify/policy/federal-grants-rule-change?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [American Geophysical Union](https://agu.quorum.us/campaign/163877/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and [Stand Up for Science](https://www.standupforscience.foundation/policy-and-advocacy/blog-post-title-two-t5my5-k4xmd-4tbkf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), among many other organizations, quickly mobilized against the OMB proposal. Federal grantees did not have much time to prepare comments in response to the more than 400-page proposal. The 45-day comment period expired on July 13. By the deadline, individuals and organizations had [submitted nearly 500,000 comments](https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OMB-2026-0034/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Phase one of our fight against the OMB rule is complete and you all showed up!!! Half a million comments is wild. We absolutely exceeded our goal of 100,000! So, what happens next??? Welcome to phase two: Pressure and preparation!,” Colette Delawalla, Stand Up for Science's Founder and CEO, [wrote on Bluesky on July 14](https://bsky.app/profile/cdelawalla.bsky.social/post/3mqlqbe2pok2t?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Comments overwhelmingly oppose the OMB proposal** An [analysis](https://github.com/jaeyk/OMB%5Fcomment%5Fand%5Fnotice%5Fanalysis/blob/main/docs/CLASSIFICATION%5FRESULTS.md?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in partnership with the newsroom STAT, found that 95% of the comments opposed the new OMB rule; just 1% supported the proposal. The researchers used a large language model by Open AI to classify, and to identify themes mentioned in, the more than 52,000 comments that had been posted online by the July 13 deadline, [according to STAT’s Anil Oza and J. Emory Parker](https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/15/trump-omb-grant-funding-proposal-comments-95-percent-opposed/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-15-103009.png) “Around 60% of commenters of those opposed to the rule directly mentioned political control of grants, while about a third mentioned opposition to peer review no longer being binding,” they write. To get a sense of how the clean energy industry feels about the proposed rule, I used the simple search bar at [Regulations.gov](https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OMB-2026-0034/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to identify commenters from the sector. “I *strongly oppose* the proposed changes to put political appointees in positions of authority over science and research funding. Science and research, and thus the strength of America, thrive when developed and advanced independent of political whims and agendas. History supports this view,” [wrote](https://www.regulations.gov/comment/OMB-2026-0034-47796?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) a commenter representing the [Pacific Marine Energy Center](https://pmec.us/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a research consortium comprising Oregon State University, the University of Washington, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (emphasis in original). [Kurt Zwally](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurt-zwally-aa178099/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the director of commercial development with the solar developer Sustainable Energy Systems, [wrote](https://www.regulations.gov/comment/OMB-2026-0034-4353?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): “For someone in renewable energy, the concrete concern is this: NIH, NSF, DOE, and EPA all fund research on clean energy technology, grid modernization, air quality, climate-related health impacts, and extreme weather – every one of those grant applications must now pass a political screen before it can be awarded, regardless of what peer reviewers say about its scientific merit.” “The grant application process has already gone off the rails, and the scientists I work for are worried about uncertain funding,” [wrote](https://www.regulations.gov/comment/OMB-2026-0034-47881?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [Alex Siemer](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-siemer-69127834a/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a (very brave!) intern with the National Laboratory of the Rockies (the lab formerly known as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory). “Section 200.205 of the rule change would give political appointees way more power to block funding for renewable production projects like the ones my seniors are working on.” “This new regulation would drastically affect my lab's ability to obtain funding, especially now that climate change has been politicized and the current admin has no interest in investing in renewables,” [wrote](https://www.regulations.gov/comment/OMB-2026-0034-17524?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [Alexis Glaudin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-glaudin-319966169/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a Ph.D. candidate in physical chemistry at the University of Washington. “Science is already under-funded, and this will exacerbate the problem,” she added. “New funding proposals should be reviewed by scientists who understand emerging fields and are not motivated to approve/disapprove science projects based on how profitable it would be to the country.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **What’s next** OMB intends to enact the new rule by October 1, the beginning of the federal government’s fiscal year. To meet that deadline, it would have to publish the final rule in the Federal Register by September 1. It’s an exceedingly ambitious deadline – especially if OMB follows the law. “The administration is required to respond to substantive public comments, according to the Administrative Procedures Act. But it does not need to amend the rule based on that feedback,” write STAT’s Oza and Parker. “OMB is legally mandated to review \*and\* respond to EVERY substantive public comment,” (emphasis in original) [Stand Up for Science's Delawalla noted on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/cdelawalla.bsky.social/post/3mqlqbe34es2t?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “This matters for several reasons: OMB said they will enact the rule by 10/1, there are 100’s of thousands of comments that aren’t logged yet, and failure to do this step lets up serious litigation.” As Delawalla suggests, federal grantees are already [preparing to sue the Trump administration](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/us/politics/white-house-federal-grants-political-review.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Some%20opponents%20still%20seemed%20to%20be%20readying%20for%20a%20legal%20battle.) if the final rule looks anything like the proposal released in May. But the force behind the proposal, OMB’s Vought, won’t be persuaded by the commenters near-universal rejection of his power grab. Instead, he’ll view the lopsided result as affirmation, a rebuke engineered by “woke” radicals on the left. The proposal to overhaul federal government grantmaking is just [the latest step in Vought's quest](https://www.propublica.org/article/russ-vought-trump-shadow-president-omb?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to wrest control of spending from Congress and hand it permanently to the president. That’s a potential outcome that should alarm us all. ### What I’m reading: Offshore wind advances in Canada and New Zealand, Desertec 2.0, electrification bills advance in California, Trump's assault on energy efficiency, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-offshore-wind-advances-in-canada-and-new-zealand-desertec-2-0-electrification-bills-advance-in-california-trumps-assault-on-energy-efficiency-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-07-10T19:13:04.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*, or* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. Have a great weekend. And thanks, as always, for reading. **Offshore wind advances in Canada, New Zealand** Donald Trump is doing everything he can to [kill the U.S. offshore wind industry](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/) – despite federal judges [repeatedly ruling to block his administration’s anti-wind campaign](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/clean-energy-advocates-are-winning-the-legal-fight-against-the-trump-administration/). Meanwhile, policymakers are working to stand up offshore wind industries in two new global markets. In Nova Scotia, leaders want to position the province as an offshore wind “[superpower](https://www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025-11-14/trump-shut-down-offshore-wind-in-new-england-nova-scotia-hopes-to-benefit?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)” capable of exporting electricity west to some of Canada’s largest cities and south, across the border, to New England. Under the [Wind West](https://novascotia.ca/wind-west/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) plan, wind farms offshore Nova Scotia could generate enough electricity to meet about a quarter of Canada's power needs. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/Nova-Scotia_Wind-Energy-Areas_Map.png) [Credit](https://novascotia.ca/wind-west/docs/wind-west-strategic-plan-en.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Wind West: A Nation-Building Energy Project, Government of Nova Scotia. In early February, the province signed an [agreement](https://newbedfordlight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Memorandum-of-Understanding-on-Offshore-Wind-Energy-and-Infrastructure-Collaboration-1.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with the U.S. state of Massachusetts [to partner on offshore wind development](https://newbedfordlight.org/massachusetts-nova-scotia-announce-partnership-on-offshore-wind/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The next month, the utility Hydro-Quebec issued a Request for Information [to assess options to connect wind farms offshore Nova Scotia](https://www.offshorewind.biz/2026/03/26/quebecs-power-utility-eyeing-link-to-nova-scotia-offshore-wind-farms/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to its transmission network. Last month, Nova Scotia’s offshore energy regulator [identified the companies that qualified to bid later this year](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/canada-s-offshore-wind-farms-9.7251737?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on seabed licenses to develop projects that could supply as much as 5 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2033\. The qualified bidders include China-based Ming Yang Smart Energy Group, Toronto-based Northland Power, and Ireland-based Simply Blue Energy. Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, last week New Zealand lawmakers passed the [Offshore Renewable Energy Bill](https://www.mbie.govt.nz/building-and-energy/energy-and-natural-resources/energy-generation-and-markets/offshore-renewable-energy/offshore-renewable-energy-bill?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), legislation to support the development of offshore renewable energy projects, including offshore wind farms. “This legislative decision establishes the framework the industry has been waiting for. A clear ‘two-step’ permitting regime gives developers greater confidence to investigate and invest in New Zealand’s exceptional offshore wind energy resources,” said New Zealand Wind Energy Association CEO Kevin Hart in a [press release](https://www.windenergy.org.nz/news/new-zealand-wind-energy-association-welcomes-passing-of-offshore-renewable-energy-bill/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Now that the bill has passed, officials will advise when the first tender round for permits can proceed. I expect this to occur in the coming months,” said Energy Minister Simeon Brown in a [press release](https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/building-future-offshore-renewable-energy?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Desertec 2.0** Remember Desertec? If you’ve been active in the energy space for long, you'll likely remember this [initiative](https://desertec.org/en/about-us/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), launched in 2009, which aimed to export solar power from North Africa via undersea cables to Europe. Desertec 1.0 [ultimately failed](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018LoEnv..23..747S/abstract?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). But might it work today? The European Union is ready to try again. “The European Union is betting that the future of its energy system lies under the North African sun,” [reports Politico’s Elena Giordano](https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-to-invest-e5-billion-in-renewables-in-north-africa-and-middle-east/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Last month, the European Commission [pledged €5 billion](https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip%5F26%5F1301?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) ($5.7 billion) to renewables projects in North Africa and the Middle East, which could export electricity to Europe’s grid, under the new Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy and Clean Tech Cooperation ([T-MED](https://north-africa-middle-east-gulf.ec.europa.eu/what-we-do/trans-mediterranean-renewable-energy-and-clean-tech-cooperation-initiative-t-med%5Fen?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) initiative. “The Commission hopes the EU funding will lure private money to co-invest, mobilizing up to €25 billion of investment in solar, wind, hydrogen, electricity grids and other clean technologies by 2035,” writes Giordano. The Commission believes the T-MED initiative could contribute to the development of up to 15 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity across the Mediterranean by 2035. “The Mediterranean region holds vast untapped renewable potential – 2,300 GW, representing over twice the EU's current capacity – with solar and wind costs 30-40% lower than in Europe. … At a time of geopolitical uncertainty, growing energy demand and increasing climate pressures, unlocking this potential is in the shared interest of both the EU and its southern Mediterranean partners,” said Dubravka Šuica, EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean, in a [press release](https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip%5F26%5F1301?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **EVs are beginning to displace global oil consumption** I’ve written in this newsletter that Donald Trump’s catastrophic war with Iran is prompting political leaders and households around the world to [seek the security and certainty offered by clean energy technologies](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-iran-war-is-driving-politicians-and-consumers-to-embrace-clean-energy/), including electric vehicles. We’re beginning to see how adding EVs to the global vehicle fleet is starting to displace oil demand. “Electric vehicle adoption is beginning to displace a modest but meaningful amount of oil demand, and the effect is expected to grow sharply by the mid-2030s,” writes UK-based energy analyst [John Kemp](https://jkempenergy.com/about-me/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “According to the International Energy Agency, EVs displaced about 1.7 million barrels per day of oil consumption in 2025, up from 0.4 million barrels per day in 2020,” he adds. “By 2035, that displacement is projected to rise more than fivefold, reaching 9 million barrels per day under the agency’s current policies scenario and 10 million barrels per day under its stated policies scenario.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/John-Kemp_July-5_2026.png) \- From John Kemp's July 5, 2026, [newsletter](https://newsletter.jkempenergy.com/gUJLdm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **California lawmakers advance key electrification bills** California lawmakers have voted to advance two bills aimed at making it much easier to [fully electrify buildings](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/) in the state. Last week, legislation from state Senator Scott Wiener (D) to streamline [heat pump](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-to-accelerate-the-u-s-heat-pump-market/) permitting ([SB 222](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billVotesClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260SB222&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)), which already passed out of the Senate, was [voted out of a second policy committee in the Assembly](https://bsky.app/profile/justingerdes.bsky.social/post/3mpzvam3md223?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and is now headed to the Appropriations Committee ahead of a final floor vote. Also last week, a bill authored by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D) that would give homeowners the option to [electrify their homes](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/) with money that would otherwise be spent to upgrade or replace fossil gas service lines ([AB 2313](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billVotesClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260AB2313&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) [passed unanimously out of the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee](https://www.nrdc.org/press-releases/senate-committee-unanimously-approves-home-energy-choice-act?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The legislation, which already passed out of the Assembly, now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/California-State-Capitol_Justin-Gerdes_June-10_2026_II-1.jpg) The California State Capitol. Credit: Justin Gerdes. **The Trump administration wants to make it harder to build and sell more energy efficient buildings and appliances** The Trump administration *really* wants you to pay more to power your home and all the appliances in it. Last month, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) [released an analysis](https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-analysis-finds-proposed-international-building-codes-would-cost?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) finding that nationwide adoption of the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) would increase residential construction costs by more than $9.2 billion annually. According to DOE, “construction costs for a typical single-family home could increase by as much as $14,000” for homes built to the code. “American families should not be forced to pay more for a home because of nonsensical energy-related mandates. For too long, climate activists have pushed regulations that increase housing costs, reduce consumer choice, and make it harder for Americans to build and own a home,” said Energy Secretary [Chris Wright](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-does-chris-wright-insist-on-being-so-wrong-on-the-energy-transition/) in a press release. As I’ve [written in this newsletter](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-chinas-e-truck-boom-uk-to-require-solar-and-heat-pumps-in-new-homes-state-building-energy-codes-threatened-and-more/#:~:text=a%20gas%20boiler.%E2%80%9D-,State%20building%20energy%20codes%20threatened,-Many%20U.S), many U.S. states adopt the IECC as their energy code for small residential buildings, so it would be quite a big deal if the cost of adopting the code was so onerous for homeowners. But the Energy Department under Donald Trump, [including Wright himself](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-does-chris-wright-insist-on-being-so-wrong-on-the-energy-transition/), has a troubling track record of [misleading the public](https://bsky.app/profile/volts.wtf/post/3mq2xc4xcfc2a?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) about the cost and performance of clean energy technologies. And Canary Media’s Alison F. Takemura [calls them out for it](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/energy-efficiency/trump-admin-energy-efficiency-analysis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in her reporting this week on DOE’s 2024 IECC analysis. “Energy-efficiency standards can make it more expensive to construct new buildings, but they save money for residents in the long run. In a new analysis,” she notes, “the Trump administration ignored the second half of that equation – a move that energy experts fear could undermine efficiency efforts nationwide.” The findings in the DOE analysis are “a break with decades of DOE analysis, spanning Republican and Democratic administrations, which has reported significant energy and financial savings under each iteration of the code,” she adds. “The Energy Department is completely contradicting its own findings. The DOE’s new methodology is a deep mystery,” Donna Stanley, vice president of communications at the nonprofit International Code Council, which develops the IECC, told Takemura. Takemura cites a [report](https://www.pnnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical%5Freports/PNNL-35986.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published by DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory last year finding that “the 2024 model code generates an average life-cycle cost savings of [nearly $3,000 per residence](https://www.pnnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical%5Freports/PNNL-35986.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) over the 2021 code … though in specific regions that could rise to almost $9,500.” [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Last week – you might have missed the announcement just before the Fourth of July holiday weekend – DOE [announced](https://www.energy.gov/articles/trump-administration-moves-permanently-end-green-new-scam-appliance-mandates?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) a [proposed rule](https://www.energy.gov/documents/process-rule-nopr?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that would create hurdles to update the efficiency standards for appliances and other equipment. “The proposal will update the Department’s Process Rule used to establish energy conservation standards for household appliances and equipment, including air conditioning units, gas stoves, washing and drying machines, water heaters, refrigerators, and other products Americans rely on every day,” according to DOE. “For too long, the American people paid the price for mandates that restricted consumer choice and drove up costs. President Trump promised to end this nonsense and that is exactly what we are doing. This proposed rule will preserve the American people’s ability to choose home appliances and equipment that actually work – at prices they can afford,” said Wright in a press release. It should not surprise you that energy efficiency advocates contest these claims. “Efficiency standards are a proven policy for lowering Americans’ energy bills, but this would create hurdles designed to make updating them more difficult,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), in a [press release](https://appliance-standards.org/document/doe-proposes-roadblocks-future-efficiency-standards-despite-rising-energy-bills?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “This obstacle course of restrictions would hinder the department from carrying out its congressional mandate to protect consumers. We have products that keep getting more efficient and we need to embrace these technology advances, not reject them, especially as data centers strain our electric grid,” he added A recent [ASAP analysis](https://appliance-standards.org/more-savings-ahead-state-analysis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) estimates that the next scheduled round of updates to federal efficiency standards for appliances and equipment could: > Save U.S. households an average of about $160 annually on their utility bills over two decades (2030–2050); businesses could collectively save almost $15 billion annually. > Save 4.2 trillion gallons of water cumulatively through 2050\. > Reduce summer peak demand by about 34 gigawatts (GW) in 2040 and 56 GW in 2050\. > Cut cumulative carbon dioxide emissions by more than 800 million metric tons through 2050. Because the proposed rule could be reversed under a future Democratic president, as the Biden administration did with similar process changes adopted during the first Trump term, “the industry’s hope is for Congress to amend the underlying Energy Policy and Conservation act to ‘lock these reforms into statute,’” Kelly Mariotti, president and CEO of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, [told](https://heatmap.news/energy/trump-energy-efficiency-standards?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Heatmap’s Emily Pontecorvo. **Bonus: The sky ablaze before the fireworks came** This was the scene at sunset as the crowd waited for the annual July 4th fireworks show to begin in Concord, California, last Saturday. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/IMG_20260704_204554155.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/IMG_20260704_204616231.jpg) ### What I'm reading: Special research roundup edition URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-special-research-roundup-edition/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T14:30:43.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*, or* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*.* 💡 ****Research roundup** It is vacation – and World Cup! – season, so chances are you might have missed some important reports and studies published in recent weeks. To get us all caught up, I've compiled a special roundup of not-to-be-missed research on the energy transition, starting with some big-picture good news on global renewable energy and battery energy storage deployment. **2025 was a record year for solar globally** New data from SolarPower Europe confirms that [2025 was a record-breaking year for new solar installations](https://www.solarpowereurope.org/press-releases/new-report-global-solar-market-hits-new-record-of-664-gw-installation-in-2025-as-global-solar-fleet-passes-3-tw?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) globally. A record 664 gigawatts (GW) of solar PV capacity was installed in 2025, according to the trade association’s [Global Solar Market Outlook 2026-2030](https://www.solarpowereurope.org/insights/outlooks/global-solar-market-outlook-2026-2030?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The group forecasts some near-term headwinds for the industry, however. “After extraordinary growth peaks in recent years, market growth slowed to 12% last year, signalling a shift in market dynamics. As solar continues to expand globally, the report also forecasts a temporary decline in installations in 2026, before growth is expected to resume in 2027.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/SolarPower-Europe_Global-Solar-PV-Deployment-2025_June-2026.png) **Battery energy storage market gaining momentum in Europe** SolarPower Europe also released new data finding [robust battery energy storage deployment in Europe last year](https://www.solarpowereurope.org/press-releases/new-report-european-battery-storage-surges-in-2025-as-utility-scale-drives-next-growth-phase?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Europe’s battery storage market continued its record-breaking trajectory in 2025, with 36 GWh of new installations, marking the twelfth consecutive year of growth,” according to the group’s [European Battery Market Outlook 2026–2030](https://www.solarpowereurope.org/insights/outlooks/european-battery-market-outlook-2026-2030-1?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). New capacity added in 2025 pushed Europe’s total operational battery capacity beyond 100 gigawatt-hours (GWh) for the first time. Going forward, SolarPower Europe expects annual installations to exceed 50 GWh in 2026 and to hit 138 GWh by 2030. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/BESS_2026_Figure_1_276853dd14.png) **Solar overtakes gas power in Asia** In Asia, solar power has overtaken fossil gas power to become the continent’s third-largest source of electricity, [according to new research from Carbon Brief](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-solar-overtakes-gas-power-in-asia-for-first-time-ever/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The rapid expansion of solar power in nations such as China, India and Pakistan has seen its annual output increase nearly fourfold since 2020\. Asia accounts for around 60% of the world’s solar-power growth in this period, putting the continent at the heart of the global solar boom,” write researchers who worked on the study. “Coal and hydropower remain Asia's largest sources of electricity, generating roughly 52% and 12% of the continent’s power each year, respectively.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/image-4.webp) **Cheaper renewables saved countries a half-trillion dollars in 2025** Renewable energy deployment records will continue to fall in the coming years because the technologies are so much cheaper than new fossil fuel projects. “More than 90% of the utility-scale renewable capacity added in 2025 was cheaper than the lowest-cost new fossil alternative,” finds [Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2025](https://www.irena.org/Publications/2026/Jul/Renewable-Power-Generation-Costs-in-2025?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a report released last week by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Renewables are also acting as [a hedge against fossil fuel price volatility](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-iran-war-is-driving-politicians-and-consumers-to-embrace-clean-energy/). “In total,” [finds IRENA](https://www.irena.org/News/pressreleases/2026/Jul/USD-480-Billion-Fossil-Fuel-Costs-Avoided-by-Renewable-Energy-Boom-in-2025?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “installed renewables helped avoid an estimated USD 480 billion in fossil-fuel costs in 2025, turning renewables into a geopolitical shock absorber against fossil-volatile systems in energy crisis.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/1c089540-5a4c-ae7d-155c-ea087fe75c04.jpg) ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **More UK drivers are going electric – and saving big** New research finds continued momentum behind the sale of electric vehicles in the UK and that drivers are reaping big savings by choosing EVs. “For the first time in the UK, more new electric vehicles (EVs) have been sold over a 12-month period than petrol cars,” according to a Carbon Brief [analysis published last month](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-sales-of-electric-vehicles-just-overtook-petrol-cars-for-the-first-time/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “In the 12 months to May 2026, UK consumers bought 516,490 new BEVs, against only 504,010 new petrol cars.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/UK_sales_of_electric_vehicles-2048x1130.png) The week before, Carbon Brief published an [analysis](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uks-ev-drivers-are-now-saving-1100-each-a-year-and-3bn-in-total/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) finding that the nation’s EV drivers are saving more than £1,100 \[$1,460\] annually – and around £3bn total – in avoided fuel costs. “In addition, these EVs are avoiding the need for nearly 2.5bn litres of fuel and cutting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by nearly 7m tonnes each year,” according to the analysis. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/UKs-EV-drivers-are-now-saving-1100-a-year-----and-3bn-in-total.webp) **Zero-emission truck sales pick up speed in the U.S.** U.S. sales of zero-emission trucks picked up over the course of 2025, according to new [data](https://calstart.org/june-2026-zeroing-in-on-zets-report-releases/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from CALSTART, a national nonprofit focused on accelerating clean transportation. “After a slower first half of 2025, zero-emission truck deployment in the US gained momentum in the second half of the year, with ZETs representing 4.14% of all truck deployments from July through December 2025, up from 1.32% in the first half of the year,” finds the analysis. “The market, even absent tax credits, has shown positive growth. The data points to a strong zero-emission future as operational cost advantages continue to accelerate over fossil fuels, capital costs continue declining, and operator acceptance trends in a positive direction. This report continues to play a vital role in mapping the trajectory and consequences of ZET adoption across the country,” said Jared Schnader, CALSTART’s executive vice president of initiatives, in a press release. **The many benefits of economywide electrification** The benefits of electrification extend well beyond the transportation sector, of course. An electric [heat pump](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-to-accelerate-the-u-s-heat-pump-market/) installed in your home, for example, not only delivers high efficiency heating and cooling throughout the year, but it also boosts the value of the home if you choose to sell, according to a study Canary Media’s Alison F. Takemura [reported on last month](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/heat-pumps/heat-pump-home-value?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “By analyzing more than half a million sales of U.S. homes with ducted heat pumps from 2024 to 2025, the authors found that those with real estate listings mentioning the heat pump typically enjoyed a sales price boost of 0.6% to 1% over homes that didn’t advertise their efficient appliance. This modest lift translates to $2,300 to $3,900 per home, given a median sales price of $399,000,” she writes. Electrification of U.S. industrial sites would strengthen the manufacturing sector, boost economic growth and jobs, and reduce manufacturers’ exposure to volatile fossil fuel costs, finds a [report](https://www.renewablethermal.org/powering-american-industry/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published last month by the Renewable Thermal Collaborative and the Industrial Heat Pump Alliance. According to the report, “over the next decade, scaling industrial electrification could support: $254 billion in investment across deployment and manufacturing; $471 billion in total economic output; $185 billion in GDP growth; and 1.66 million jobs.” [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Scaling the benefits of electrification economywide, “is critical to UK prosperity, jobs and energy security,” according to a [report](https://www.cisl.cam.ac.uk/news-and-resources/publications/new-modelling-electrification-key-uk-economy-security?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published last month by [Corporate Leaders Group UK](https://www.corporateleadersgroup.com/corporate-leaders-group-uk?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which is convened by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. “Taken together, the evidence presented in this report suggests that electrification is not only essential for meeting climate targets – it is a strategic economic choice. A faster and more co-ordinated transition to electrification can deliver stronger growth, greater resilience and improved energy security for the UK,” the authors find. Compared to the “mixed technologies” and “fossil fuel-led” alternatives scenarios, the report finds that electrification: > Drives higher GDP growth, boosts productivity, and supports sustained investment in domestic infrastructure and clean technologies. By 2050, the UK GDP would be over one percentage point larger in the electrification-led scenario than if we continue current policies. > Brings significant employment benefits, creating around 250,000 more jobs than current policies by 2050 in sectors including construction, manufacturing and services. > Improves the UK’s energy security, by reducing dependence on imported oil and gas and lowering exposure to volatile global markets and price shocks. **Harvesting waste heat could save Manchester, UK, billions each year** “Waste heat from industrial sites could be used to heat 85 per cent of homes in Manchester through a large scale heat network, saving an estimated £9bn for the city's residents over 20 years,” [reports](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4532020/study-manchester-heat-highway-save-billpayers-9bn?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) BusinessGreen’s Amber Rolt. She writes that a new [study](https://www.energiraven.com/manchester-heat-highway/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published by UK-based energy management company EnergiRaven and supported by Danish consultancy Viegand Maagøe, “uses data from Ordnance Survey (OS) to calculate how heat wasted by data centres, power plants, water treatment facilities, breweries, and other industrial sites across the region could be used to heat homes across Manchester through a large scale 'Heat Highway' district heating system.” “A regional approach to heat infrastructure could help reduce household bills across Greater Manchester,” finds EnergiRaven. “By recovering and sharing surplus heat through the Manchester Heat Highway, the average cost of heat could fall from 8.7p/kWh to 5.4p/kWh – a reduction of around 38% compared with what Mancunians are paying today.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/260609-Manchester-HH_1920x1080_V11-1-1536x864.webp) From [Britain’s Hidden Energy Infrastructure](https://www.energiraven.com/britains-hidden-energy-infrastructure/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)****.** Credit: EnergiRaven. **U.S. energy affordability policy action tracker** The NC Clean Energy Technology Center [just released the first installment](https://nccleantech.ncsu.edu/2026/06/29/nc-clean-energy-technology-center-launches-policy-tracker-to-help-states-improve-energy-affordability/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of a [new quarterly report](https://www.dsireinsight.com/publications?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that “will provide updates on state and utility actions to address rising electricity costs, including utility business model reforms, utility oversight and cost recovery, infrastructure planning and procurement processes, customer cost allocation, and customer programs.” This inaugural report finds that 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico took a total of 362 actions to address energy affordability this year, through June 2026. According to the report, the largest number of actions related to large load cost-shift prevention (including large load tariffs); customer bill assistance programs; incentive programs for low- and moderate-income customers; and performance incentive mechanisms. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-06-30-103813.png) [Credit](https://www.dsireinsight.com/publications?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): 50 States of Energy Affordability, NC Clean Energy Technology Center. **Clean energy = the cheapest way to meet rising electricity demand** A new [report](https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Clean-Energy-Is-The-Cheapest-Way-To-Meet-Rising-Demand.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the Energy Innovation think tank finds that [clean energy is the cheapest way to meet rising U.S. electricity demand](https://energyinnovation.org/report/let-the-sun-in-clean-energy-is-the-cheapest-way-to-meet-rising-demand/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Modeling shows meeting forecasted electricity demand growth with fossil fuels will add $29.7 billion annually to customer bills by 2030\. But clean energy can reliably meet load growth and save $5 billion per year – keeping the lights on and AI growing for less money,” write the report authors. “An electricity grid that meets growing demand with clean energy functions like an insurance policy for consumers – the more fuel prices surge, the greater the savings,” [writes Energy Innovation’s Director of Electricity Brendan Pierpont](https://thepowerline.substack.com/p/clean-energy-is-the-cheapest-way). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/07/EI_ElectricityDemandReportGraphics_FINAL062326-01-scaled.png) [Credit](https://energyinnovation.org/report/let-the-sun-in-clean-energy-is-the-cheapest-way-to-meet-rising-demand/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Energy Innovation. **The “hidden costs” of fossil gas power** Clean energy is even more competitive against fossil fuels when the “hidden costs” of supporting infrastructure are included, finds a new [report](https://gridlab.org/hidden-cost-of-gas/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “While utilities often seek approval for new gas plants based solely on their upfront construction costs, a new analysis by Current Energy Group and GridLab reveals these ‘sticker prices’ omit a slew of hidden infrastructure costs, including mandatory, long-term contracts for firm pipeline transportation, gas storage and gas processing equipment,” [writes GridLab’s Cassady Craighill](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/sticker-shock-gas-power-plants-pipeline-gridlab/824061/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Accounting for these fixed, decades-long fuel liabilities routinely inflates a project’s true cost to consumers by roughly 30%, significantly altering its economic competitiveness against cleaner energy resources,” she adds. “That’s like budgeting for the price of a new house and a new car next year, but failing to account for the closing costs and realtor fees, utility bills, moving expenses, insurance, taxes, gas and maintenance.” ### What I’m reading: The UK’s “greenest” PM exits, opportunities to invest in clean energy, California challenges Trump's offshore wind deals, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-the-uks-greenest-pm-exits-opportunities-to-invest-in-clean-energy-california-challenges-trumps-offshore-wind-deals-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-06-26T18:43:21.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*, or* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. **A reminder:** You still have time to take advantage of the special offer to get [25% off an annual subscription to this newsletter](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/mid-year-special-offer). If you've thought about becoming a paid subscriber, or gifting a paid subscription to a friend or colleague, now is the perfect time to do so. Subscribe [here](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/mid-year-special-offer), before the end of the month, to receive the special offer. Thank you for your support. Have a great weekend and thanks, as always, for reading. **The UK’s “greenest” PM exits** On Monday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation. He will step down after the Labour Party elects its new leader – and the country’s next prime minister – in the coming weeks, with former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham tipped to take over at 10 Downing Street. The resignation prompted one of Britain’s most insightful observers of the country’s energy transition, BusinessGreen Editor-in-Chief James Murray, to reflect on Starmer’s achievements – and failures – in office. “You can make a case that over the past two years Starmer has been the greenest prime minister in British history,” he [writes](https://www.businessgreen.com/blog-post/4531603/keir-starmer-forgot-dna?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Indeed, at the one-year mark of Starmer’s government, last July, I had [checked in on its clean energy achievements to date](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-californias-cleaner-grid-uk-and-poland-energy-transitions-research-roundup-and-more/#:~:text=After%20Labour%E2%80%99s%20first%20year%2C%20checking%20in%20on%20the%20UK%E2%80%99s%20energy%20transition) in this newsletter. From there, Murray gets us caught up on Starmer’s many achievements at the time of his resignation: > His government lifted the ban on onshore wind farms, delivered a record breaking clean energy auction and project pipeline, overhauled the grid development regime, eased planning barriers for low carbon infrastructure, re-introduced grants for electric vehicles and turbocharged demand for zero emission vehicles, increased grants for heat pumps, launched GB Energy and Great British Railway, green lit Sizewell C and advanced small modular reactors, delivered new green building standards for renters and new builds, strengthened water regulations, boosted funding for climate resilience and sustainable farming, and topped it all off by confirming a world leading target to cut emissions by 87 per cent against 1990 levels by 2040\. Last year, he even declared that net zero and climate action was in his government's 'DNA'. And yet, much like Joe Biden’s inability to sell his own government’s considerable clean energy achievements here in the U.S., Starmer failed to promote or defend these wins to voters. Murray calls it “one of the flaws that defined his premiership – a refusal to promote the bold climate policies his government has enacted.” Climate change was missing from Starmer’s [resignation speech](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c621nnq4pm7o?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), too. “In his short list of achievements yesterday morning,” writes Murray, “Starmer did not see fit to mention climate change once. He made no claim to the agenda that has arguably been one of the few unalloyed successes of his government and which poll after poll shows plays well with Labour's base and the voters it is losing to the Greens and Lib Dems.” “Starmer deserves more credit than he gets,” he concludes. “But he has been the architect of his own political demise and it will now fall to his successor to build on the progress made over the past two years, while providing a much more full-throated defence of a decarbonisation strategy that is critical to the UK's future prosperity and security.” The same holds true in the U.S. At a time when even blue state governors are [weakening climate mandates](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/emissions-reduction/new-york-gives-up-ambitious-climate-targets?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [scapegoating energy efficiency](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/energy-efficiency/why-are-blue-states-scapegoating-energy-efficiency?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), ostensibly to address affordability concerns, we need politicians who are willing to offer a full-throated defense of climate action on moral *and* economic grounds. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Policymakers should make it easier to invest in clean energy** One of the key insights I gleaned from my time [living in and reporting from Denmark](https://www.amazon.com/Quitting-Carbon-Denmark-Transition-Low-Carbon-ebook/dp/B01F0LRKWY?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) is that lawmakers everywhere should make it much easier for their constituents to invest in clean energy. Danish policymakers realized relatively early in the country’s energy transition that local wind energy projects would face less opposition if they required developers to sell shares of the project to nearby residents. Several of my Danish colleagues, for example, were investors in the cooperative that owns 50% of the [Middelgrunden](https://stateofgreen.com/en/solutions/middelgrunden-wind-turbine-co-operative-middelgrunden-vindmollelaug/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) offshore wind farm, located just outside Copenhagen Harbor. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/2014-10-22-09.42.42.jpg) The Middelgrunden offshore wind farm, Copenhagen, Denmark. Credit: Justin Gerdes. A project in the UK just demonstrated how much demand exists for these kinds of local clean energy investment opportunities. Earlier this month, the British energy giant Octopus Energy offered a wind turbine investment opportunity that sold out in “record time,” [reports BusinessGreen’s Amber Rolt](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4531054/record-octopus-energy-wind-turbine-investment-opportunity-sells-hour?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The opportunity to invest in a [repowered wind turbine](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/a-repowered-california-wind-farm-rises-in-a-birthplace-of-the-industry/) in North Cornwall was marketed through Octopus Energy’s [Collective platform](https://www.octopusenergycollective.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which enables investors to back renewable energy projects, with investments starting from just £25 \[$33\]. The project “raised £550,000 in just over an hour, attracting 180 bids as over half the backers invested £1,000 or less in the project,” writes Rolt. Octopus Energy’s Collective platform, which launched last year, was the “UK's first Financial Conduct Authority (FAC)-regulated investment platform operated by an energy company.” “People don't just want cleaner, cheaper energy – they want to benefit from the energy revolution. The fact this latest project sold out in a little over an hour shows how strong the demand is,” Zoisa North-Bond, CEO at Octopus Energy Collective, told Rolt. **California goes to court to block the Trump administration’s offshore wind deals** In my column last week on the Trump administration’s [recent string of legal setbacks on clean energy development](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/clean-energy-advocates-are-winning-the-legal-fight-against-the-trump-administration/), I mentioned a suit was likely coming any day from California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) to challenge a deal between the administration and Golden State Wind LLC under which the developer abandoned a lease to develop wind power offshore the Central California coast. On Tuesday, the [notice of that suit arrived](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2026-06/california-sends-notice-intent-file-suit-challenging-trump-administrations?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), with California stating it intended to sue the Department of the Interior “regarding its illegal buyout of the Golden State Wind LLC offshore wind lease under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.” “At a time when the country needs more reliable and sustainable power supply, the Trump Administration is busy using taxpayer money to strike backroom buyouts that make clean-energy projects disappear,” said Bonta in a [press release](https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/california-sends-notice-intent-file-suit-challenging-trump-administration%E2%80%99s?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). California’s standing to sue is based on the more than $100 million it has invested in ports, transmission, and the supply chain to support offshore wind development in the state – “investments which may be lost if the Trump administration succeeds in halting offshore wind development.” California’s action on Tuesday initiates a 60-day window for the Interior Department and Golden State Wind “to cure the OCSLA violations before California files suit to put a stop to this unlawful buyout.” [25% off one year of Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/mid-year-special-offer) Last week, the Trump administration [agreed to a deal](https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-announces-new-energy-agreement-strengthen-american-energy-security-and-lower?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with the offshore wind developer Invenergy to abandon a lease for a second wind energy zone offshore California’s Central Coast. California appears poised to challenge that deal in court as well. The California Energy Commission (CEC) issued an administrative [investigative subpoena to Invenergy](https://www.energy.ca.gov/media/13001?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on June 23. “That subpoena demands a copy of the settlement agreement – which DOI has not made public – and information concerning its basis, negotiation, and impact,” according to the CEC. The offshore wind industry’s trade association in California welcomed the moves to challenge the lease termination deals. “We support California’s efforts to investigate and challenge these latest attempts by the Trump Administration to delay needed U.S. offshore wind power,” Adam Stern, executive director of Offshore Wind California, [said in a statement](https://www.offshorewindca.org/s/OWC-Statement-supporting-CA-efforts-to-challenge-latest-attempts-by-federal-administration-to-obstru.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **France launches massive offshore wind tender** France is looking to join Denmark, Germany, and the UK in the ranks of Europe’s largest markets for offshore wind power. “The French government published [a call for tenders notice in the Official Journal of the European Union](https://ted.europa.eu/en/notice/-/detail/402287-2026?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on 11 June 2026, launching the process to award development rights for eleven offshore wind projects, seven floating and four fixed-bottom, totalling a little over 10 GW \[gigawatts\],” [reports offshoreWIND.biz’s Adrijana Buljan](https://www.offshorewind.biz/2026/06/12/france-launches-massive-tender-for-seven-floating-four-fixed-bottom-offshore-wind-farms/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Projects are planned for waters off the coasts of Normandy and Brittany as well as in the South Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Particularly notable to me are the sizes of the largest of the floating projects. Floating offshore wind has been transitioning from the pilot to commercialization stage of development. The largest of the proposed floating projects in this tender, Bretagne Nord Ouest and Golfe du Lion Centre 2, would both exceed the gigawatt scale at 1.2 GW and 1.1 GW, respectively. The deadline for developers to submit applications for the tender is October 12. **Bonus: Scenes from Portland, Oregon** Portland, Oregon, is my favorite U.S. city for many reasons, including the food, the craft beer, and the neighborhoods. And also because – by American standards – it's so easily explored on foot. Walk a city and you're more likely to make discoveries, be it a lovely mural, public art in a park, or the perfect shot of the emerging moon at dusk – as I did in Portland last weekend. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/IMG_20260619_195911136_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/IMG_20260619_195333846_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/IMG_20260620_213508992.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/IMG_20260618_203503944.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/IMG_20260619_201919428_HDR.jpg) Credit: Justin Gerdes. ### Mid-year special offer: Get one year of Quitting Carbon at a 25% discount URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/mid-year-special-offer-get-one-year-of-quitting-carbon-at-a-25-discount/ Last updated: 2026-06-18T14:30:52.000Z Dear readers, I launched Quitting Carbon with a simple goal: provide context on the projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. This newsletter isn't the place to come for the third or fourth write-up you've seen that day for a given breaking news story. Instead, pretty much anything you read here will be a one-of-a-kind look at a story that really matters. My original [reporting](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/reporting/), [commentary](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/commentary/), [Q&As](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/interviews/), and [roundups of highlights from what I've been reading](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/what-im-reading/) are all my way of saying, *Pay attention to this*. Finding journalism like this you can *trust*, researched and written by a journalist with decades of experience on his or her beat, is rare. When it comes to the world of energy, mine is a voice you can trust. I’ve [reported on and analyzed the energy transition for more than 20 years](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/about/). If you enjoy and value Quitting Carbon, I hope you'll agree that its worth paying for. Don't just take my word for it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-12-204240.png) **Journalism worth paying for** In talking with fellow newsletter publishers, I've heard that the most we can hope for is that 10% of our readers will pay to subscribe. So, here's a thought for you. A restaurant owner would have to shut her doors if nine of 10 diners walked out without paying after finishing a meal. Likewise, newsletters like this one won't survive unless more of you are as willing to pay for what you read as what you eat. So, if independent journalism – journalism that's not afraid to call out [stenography from White House political reporters](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/the-trump-administration-just-laundered-its-bogus-energy-affordability-talking-points-through-politicos-white-house-team/) and [lies from Trump's Cabinet](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-does-chris-wright-insist-on-being-so-wrong-on-the-energy-transition/) alike – matters to you, I hope you will consider [becoming a paid subscriber](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/mid-year-special-offer). For those of you who can afford it, think of it as a gift to fellow energy nerds to make sure these stories remain free for all to read. [25% off one year of Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/mid-year-special-offer) As an additional incentive, for the rest of the month, you can [**get one year of Quitting Carbon at a 25% discount**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/mid-year-special-offer). **The 25% off special offer** **is good through the end of June**. And if a [**paid subscription**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/mid-year-special-offer) is too much for you right now, consider [**making a one-time donation instead**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support). With gratitude, Justin ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/Justin-at-Lover-s-Point-in-Monterey.jpg) Quitting Carbon founder Justin Gerdes at Lovers Point Park, Pacific Grove, California. ### Clean energy advocates are winning the legal fight against the Trump administration URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/clean-energy-advocates-are-winning-the-legal-fight-against-the-trump-administration/ Last updated: 2026-06-16T17:43:08.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*, or* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*.* The legal offensive against the Trump administration is succeeding in chipping away at the White House’s efforts to reverse Biden administration clean energy initiatives and stymie wind and solar development. Consider the setbacks the administration has suffered in recent weeks. On June 6, a federal judge [vacated guidance issued by the Treasury Department in August 2025](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/judge-restores-5-safe-harbor-rule-for-wind-and-solar/822313/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that had ended renewable energy project developers’ ability to prove their eligibility for federal tax credits by demonstrating they had already spent at least 5% of the total project cost. Last week, the Justice Department [gave up on defending President Trump’s wind permitting moratorium](https://heatmap.news/sparks/trump-offshore-wind-appeal?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The door to federal permitting is now unlocked again and each developer will be able to make the case for permitting their individual project based on the facts and the law,” Kit Kennedy, the managing director for power, climate, and energy at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told Heatmap’s Emily Pontecorvo. This comes after federal judges this winter [struck down all five stop-work orders](https://www.offshorewindca.org/maps?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) issued by the Interior Department in December 2025 to block construction of East Coast offshore wind farms. For clean energy companies, and their putative allies in Democratic state attorneys general offices, the message is clear: stay on offense. **Keep fighting** Last week, a federal judge [restored 11 clean energy grants](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/06/12/energy-dept-head-says-agency-didnt-punish-blue-states-his-lawyers-admit-it-did/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that had been [canceled by the Department of Energy (DOE) in October 2025](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/10/02/clean-energy-grants-canceled/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Federal government attorneys representing Energy Secretary [Chris Wright](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-does-chris-wright-insist-on-being-so-wrong-on-the-energy-transition/) “agreed that ‘a primary reason for the termination decisions at issue is because of location in blue states,’” reported the Washington Post’s Evan Halper. “They agreed to the stipulation,” he added, “under the condition that it would allow Wright and other Trump officials to avoid a trial and a potentially lengthy and embarrassing discovery process, in which private communications around how the projects were targeted would be made public.” One of the restored grants in the case was awarded to a company called [Sperra](https://sperra.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (formerly RCAM Technologies), a San Pedro, California-based 3D concrete printing manufacturer. Sperra was [awarded](https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-announces-72-million-innovate-manufacturing-and-accelerate?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) $2.5 million by DOE during the Biden administration to design “a 3D-printed concrete suction anchor for use in a variety of offshore energy applications.” In an email, [Jason Cotrell](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-cotrell?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), Sperra’s founder and CEO, told me: "I hope that ruling inspires other terminated awardees and other awardees to keep fighting.” “It wasn’t an easy decision to join this suit because I fear being blacklisted from future DOE support, but it worked out very well so far,” he added. “This is an important award for us." ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Keep up the pressure** Other clean energy companies, and Democratic state attorneys general, should heed Cotrell’s call to action. Forced onto the ropes by the string of losses in federal courts, the Trump administration is on its back foot. The administration’s opponents need to stay on the attack and go for the knockout. They are up against a weakened opponent. More than 10,000 lawyers have left the federal government since the beginning of 2025, the New York Times’ Eileen Sullivan and Andrea Fuller [reported last month](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/31/us/politics/trump-administration-exodus-of-lawyers.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.mlA.5233.Hoo5AZX1tMdc&smid=url-share&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In all, according to the Times, one in five lawyers who worked in the federal government at the end of 2024 had left by March 2026. It’s a “striking loss of legal talent that has left some agencies pushing to find attorneys to carry out his agenda,” write Sullivan and Fuller. And the legal challenges against the administration keep coming. Earlier this month, a group of Northeast state attorneys general, led by New York’s Letitia James (D), [sued the Trump administration](https://heatmap.news/energy/totalenergies-new-york-lawsuit?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to challenge the Department of Interior’s nearly $1 billion deal to pay TotalEnergies to abandon its U.S. offshore wind leases on the East Coast. A suit is likely [coming soon from California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D)](https://www.kcra.com/article/california-investigates-trump-administrations-deal-to-end-an-offshore-wind-project/71209391?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to challenge a similar deal between the Trump administration and Golden State Wind LLC under which the developer abandoned a lease to develop wind power offshore the Central California coast. Also, this month, a coalition of renewable energy groups [sued the Defense Department](https://www.eenews.net/articles/renewable-energy-groups-sue-defense-department-over-stalled-wind-reviews/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), asking a federal court to force the Pentagon to resume reviews of onshore wind projects that have been stalled for nearly a year. Last Friday, the groups [filed a new motion](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/climate/wind-power-lawsuit-pentagon-trump.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) asking a federal court for a preliminary injunction that would compel the Defense Department to resume wind project reviews while the case continues to be litigated. **In the wake of the lawyer exodus, stay on offense** Not only are many of the federal government’s best lawyers no longer around to help implement policy or defend the government, but a good number of the departed lawyers have switched sides and are now arguing cases *against* the administration. The administration, meanwhile, is [struggling to attract enough lawyers to replace those it lost](https://www.americanbar.org/advocacy/governmental%5Flegislative%5Fwork/publications/washingtonletter/november-25-wl/outside-the-gao-1125wl/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). With some of the nation’s brightest legal minds now working for Democratic state attorneys general or advocacy groups to bring suits against the administration, Trump’s courtroom losses should continue. Which means if you're active in the clean energy economy and the administration has canceled your funding or is blocking your project, it’s an easy decision: Go to court to fight for your interests. ### What I’m reading: Denmark's "greenest government," longer duty for lithium-ion grid batteries, research roundup, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-denmarks-greenest-government-longer-duty-for-lithium-ion-grid-batteries-research-roundup-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-06-12T18:32:07.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*, or* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. Have a great weekend and thanks, as always, for reading. **Denmark’s “greenest government yet”** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/2014-10-22-11.16.40.jpg) Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark. Credit: Justin Gerdes. Longtime readers will know that the name for this newsletter, [Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/), was inspired by the [e-book](https://www.amazon.com/Quitting-Carbon-Denmark-Transition-Low-Carbon-ebook/dp/B01F0LRKWY?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of the same name I published on Denmark’s clean energy transition a decade ago. Over the intervening years, Denmark has maintained its leadership position in the global energy transition. But now, a new government aims to shift its ambition to an even higher gear. Last week, after [weeks of negotiations](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/world/europe/denmark-mette-frederiksen.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen presented a new center-left coalition government to King Frederik X that promises to be “the greenest government” in Danish history. “The new government has already raised the stakes on green ambitions,” [writes](https://stateofgreen-25585037.hs-sites-eu1.com/the-greenest-government-yet-heres-denmarks-green-ambitions?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) State of Green’s Joel Matias Jonsson. “The [coalition agreement](https://stm.dk/statsministeriet/publikationer/det-politiske-grundlag-for-firkloeverregeringen/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) places the green transition, clean drinking water and energy security at the centre of the government's agenda.” “Building on Denmark's existing climate ambitions,” he writes, “the new government has raised several key targets.” The targets include: > A minimum 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, up from the previous target of 82%. > Climate neutrality by 2045, five years earlier than the previous 2050 target. > Net-negative emissions equivalent to a 110% greenhouse gas reduction by 2050. Recent offshore wind deployment milestones should make it much more likely Denmark achieves those long-term climate targets. In January, the Danish Energy Agency [granted approval](https://stateofgreen.com/en/news/denmarks-largest-offshore-wind-farm-gets-green-light-to-deliver-power/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for the country’s largest offshore wind farm, [Thor](https://dk.rwe.com/en/projects-and-locations/thor-offshore-wind-farm/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), to deliver power to the grid. The [first turbine was installed in March](https://www.rwe.com/en/press/rwe-offshore-wind-gmbh/2026-03-04-first-turbine-up-at-denmarks-largest-offshore-wind-farm/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The 1.1-gigawatt project, which is led by the German energy giant RWE, is expected to be fully online by the end of 2027\. The project, which will increase Denmark’s offshore wind capacity to 3.7 GW, will deliver electricity to one million Danish households. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/2026-03-04-first-turbine-up-at-denmarks-largest-offshore-wind-farm.jpg) The first turbine installed at the Thor offshore wind farm in the Danish North Sea. [Credit](https://rwe.canto.global/b/TO7VV?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): RWE/Niklas Marc Heinecke. Last month, the Danish Energy Agency [received bids](https://renewablesnow.com/news/denmarks-renewed-attempt-to-tender-offshore-wind-lures-bidders-1295127/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for both the North Sea Mid and Hesselo wind energy zones to develop at least 1.8 GW of new offshore wind capacity. The agency's evaluation of the bids is expected to be completed by January 2027. **Lithium-ion batteries: Not just for four hours of duty anymore** Conventional wisdom has held that lithium-ion grid batteries are best suited to discharge for up to four hours before recharging. But that practice was dictated more by economics than by technology. But as lithium-ion batteries continue to get cheaper, however, project developers are beginning to push beyond four hours. The state of South Australia, for example, recently awarded agreements to six battery energy storage projects under its first [Firm Energy Reliability Mechanism](https://energymining.sa.gov.au/industry/firm-energy-reliability-mechanism-ferm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) tender. “The tender, which closed for bids in November 2025, sought long-duration dispatchable capacity across three delivery horizons to underpin grid reliability as South Australia progresses toward its target of net 100% renewable energy by 2027,” [reports](https://www.energy-storage.news/south-australia-awards-1-3gw-of-battery-storage-in-first-firm-energy-reliability-mechanism-tender/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Energy Storage News’ George Heynes. “Each project must be able to dispatch continuously for at least 8-hours during Forecast Lack of Reserve events, totalling 517MW and 4,136MWh,” he adds. “It was fully expected that gas would fill some of that capacity, given it was one of the only tenders in Australia that didn’t specifically exclude the fossil fuel,” [writes](https://reneweconomy.com.au/whats-the-difference-between-a-four-hour-battery-and-an-eight-hour-battery-not-a-lot-it-turns-out/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Renew Economy’s Giles Parkinson. Nope. “One of the big surprises about the latest tender for long-duration firm capacity in Australia’s most advanced renewable energy grid was the fact that none of the six battery project winners were long-duration set-ups, at least at face value,” he adds. “As the tender manager ASL describes it, the four-hour batteries can operate for eight-hour periods simply by dialling down the rate of their output.” In California, where utility-scale batteries are pushing fossil gas-fired power plants off the grid (more on this in the “Research roundup” below), lithium-ion batteries are likewise beginning to operate for up to eight hours. “On June 1, the Tumbleweed project in California’s Kern County became the first major battery installation in the U.S. that can discharge power for up to eight hours at a time — twice as long as typical energy-storage facilities,” Canary Media’s Julian Spector [reported last week](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/long-duration-energy-storage/pioneering-grid-battery-california?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. 💡 ****Research roundup** Here’s another roundup of noteworthy reports and studies you might have missed: **Almost one-in-three new cars sold in 2026 will be an EV** The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) latest annual [Global EV Outlook](https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2026?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) report finds that nearly one-third of the new cars sold worldwide this year will be electric. “Global electric vehicle (EV) sales are expected to accelerate to around 23 million units, accounting for close to 30 per cent of all cars sold worldwide this year, as motorists respond to the ‘largest oil supply shock in history,’” [reports](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4529970/major-shift-cars-sold-worldwide-2026-electric-iea-forecasts?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) BusinessGreen’s Stuart Stone. “Electric car sales set new records in close to 100 countries last year. … Looking ahead, the falls we have seen in battery prices and the potential policy responses to the current global energy crisis are set to provide further momentum in EV markets,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol in a [press release](https://www.iea.org/news/close-to-30-of-cars-sold-this-year-are-set-to-be-electric-as-countries-and-consumers-respond-to-energy-crisis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **A flurry of global wind and solar milestones** Notable firsts have been recorded for grids around the globe already this spring, according to research from the energy think tank Ember. First, on May 21, the group published [data](https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/for-the-first-time-wind-and-solar-generated-more-electricity-than-gas-worldwide-in-april-2026/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) finding that wind and solar (22%) generated more electricity than fossil gas (20%) globally for the first time in April. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/Ember_Wind-and-Solar-Generate-More-Electricity-Than-Gas_May-2026.png) Jump to this week, and Ember [announced](https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/gas-share-in-global-power-mix-has-declined-for-a-fifth-consecutive-year/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the share of fossil gas in the global power mix declined for the fifth consecutive year in 2025, “despite a small rise in absolute gas generation.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/bafkreibhiewg2qpmboy2a6o2tglm4nae5gruzvfotjwivvuog6ey5qqksi.webp) And also this week, the group published [data](https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/solar-overtakes-coal-in-us-electricity-for-the-first-month-on-record/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) finding that solar (12.8%) overtook coal (12.2%) in the U.S. electricity mix for the first time in May. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-11-225956.png) **Renewables and batteries are pushing fossil gas power off California’s grid** Dennis Wamsted and Seth Feaster at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) shared U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data last week finding that [California’s fossil gas use for power hit a record low](https://ieefa.org/resources/californias-gas-use-power-falls-record-low?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on May 16. Wamsted and Feaster note that EIA’s latest short-term energy outlook “projects that solar generation in California will top gas generation for the first time this year, with the gap widening in 2027.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-11-234919.png) [Credit](https://ieefa.org/resources/californias-gas-use-power-falls-record-low?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): IEEFA. “The investments in solar, battery storage, and transmission for out-of-state wind are now cutting sharply into demand for gas, and the state’s long-term goal of exiting fossil fuels appears closer than ever,” they conclude. Here's what California's grid transformation looks like across power generation sources. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/bafkreidbyt554q6qxfv62hojq3b777exs26aamax3mxy4jajgmkgwjud6u.webp) “No fanfare but, at some point in the last 4 years, California stopped being a grid that occasionally beat fossil fuels and became one that does it on a daily basis,” John Bistline, a researcher with the advisory firm Watershed, [wrote Wednesday on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/bistline.bsky.social/post/3mnxgfe7co72j?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **The ripple effects of the Iran war’s fossil fuel crisis** More than four months into the Israel-U.S. war against Iran, more evidence is emerging that countries are [turning to clean energy](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-iran-war-is-driving-politicians-and-consumers-to-embrace-clean-energy/) in response to global fossil fuel scarcity and price volatility. Researchers at Zero Carbon Analytics recently published a [factsheet](https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/energy/factsheet-ripple-effects-100-days-into-the-iran-energy-crisis/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) tracking this shift across the globe. In response to the global fossil fuel crisis, Amy Kong, Nick Hedley, and Yusun Chin find that: > [54 countries](https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/2026-energy-crisis-policy-response-tracker?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Overview%20of%20selected%20emergency%20measures%20by%20governments%20following%20the%20Middle%20East%20conflict) have introduced measures to conserve energy and shield consumers, according to the IEA. > [25 countries, plus the EU](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1m-ij9V9xjJQibpXk6BZPqpM2UN0W3UeQgyK1YSaQBSg/edit?pli=1&gid=412892591&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#gid=412892591), have announced a wide range of clean energy and electrification policies, investments and initiatives, according to the Global Energy Crisis Policy Monitor. These span all regions of the world, including North and South America, Europe and Asia. And nowhere is this shift more pronounced than in Asia. “Asia stands out globally as the region most vulnerable to constrained supply and rising energy prices caused by the war – but also as the region that has been most aggressive in rolling out clean energy measures,” write Kong, Hedley, and Chin. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) “Out of all regions,” the add, “Asia has enacted the most clean energy measures since the war. 14 Asian countries have made announcements.” Here are some notable examples they cite from across Asia: > On 30 March, the Philippine government reported the activation of [250 MW of solar capacity](https://pia.gov.ph/press-release/250-mw-solar-450-mwh-battery-storage-boosts-power-supply-strengthens-energy-independence/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and 450 megawatt-hour (MWh) of battery storage. > On 11 April, the Thai government approved a [THB 5 billion loan scheme](https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3235389/cabinet-approves-b77billion-relief-package?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Recipients%20in%20turn%20will%20lend%20the%20funds%20to%20support%20public%20access%20to%20financing%20for%20energy%20transition%20measures%2C%20such%20as%20purchasing%20electric%20vehicles%20%28EVs%29%20or%20installing%20solar%20panels%2C%20with%20a%20lending%20cap%20of%202%20million%20baht%20per%20borrower%20over%20five%20years.%20Applications%20will%20be%20open%20until%20March%2031%2C%202027.) to support the public’s energy transition efforts, such as rooftop solar installations and EV purchases. > On 13 April, Indonesia’s state-owned electricity company, PLN, shared plans to replace more than 2,000 diesel-powered plants (with a total capacity of 1.07 GW) with [new renewable energy-based power plants](https://hijau.bisnis.com/read/20260413/652/1966236/pln-siap-pensiunkan-2396-pltd-genjot-transisi-ke-ebt?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#goog%5Frewarded), citing the need to reduce reliance on expensive imported fuels. Earlier in March, President Prabowo also announced the country would build [100 GW of solar](https://setkab.go.id/en/president-prabowo-accelerates-energy-transition-aims-to-build-100-gigawatts-of-solar-panels-optimizes-geothermal-energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIn%20efforts%20to%20optimize%20renewable%20energy%20from%20solar%20source%2C%20we%20will%20build%20100%20gigawatts%20of%20solar%20panels%20as%20quickly%20as%20possible.%20That%20is%20my%20directive%20and%20my%20decision%2C%20and%20we%20will%20prove%20to%20the%20world%20that%20we%20can%20move%20faster%20and%20more%20effectively%20in%20this%20matter%2C%E2%80%9D%20stated%20the%20Head%20of%20State.) as quickly as possible. **Bonus: Some scenes from Sacramento** I was in Sacramento on Wednesday for an all-day [Electrification Summit](https://www.energy.ca.gov/event/workshop/2026-06/2026-cecepri-electrification-summit?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) hosted by the California Energy Commission and the Electric Power Research Institute. Watch for stories based on leads from the summit in the coming weeks. Here are some photos from the walk to and from the event. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/California-State-Capitol_Justin-Gerdes_June-10_2026.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/Bonus_California-Natural-Resources-Agency_Lobby-Mural-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/IMG_20260610_164945495_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/06/California-State-Capitol_Justin-Gerdes_June-10_2026_II-1.jpg) From left/top: Morning view of the California State Capitol; mural in the lobby of the California Natural Resources Agency headquarters; the historic Heilbron House, built in 1881; and afternoon view of the capitol. Credit: Justin Gerdes. ### California is investing a half-billion dollars to decarbonize homes for low-income households URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-is-investing-a-half-billion-dollars-to-decarbonize-homes-for-low-income-households/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T14:30:40.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*, or* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*.* Low-income households across California will soon have electric heat pumps, induction cooktops, and other energy upgrades installed in their homes for free thanks to a program funded by the Golden State's carbon market. State officials recently [celebrated](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2026-05/southern-california-celebrates-first-equitable-building-decarbonization-project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the first retrofit project completed under the program at McKinney Manor, a low-income senior housing complex in San Diego, California. Under the [Equitable Building Decarbonization Program](https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/equitable-building-decarbonization-program?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), California will spend close to a half-billion dollars to swap fossil fuel-burning appliances for electric models, and to install energy-savings upgrades, in single-family, muti-family, and manufactured homes. “The Equitable Building Decarbonization Program demonstrates that climate action and affordability can go hand in hand. By replacing outdated, polluting appliances with modern electric technologies at no cost to residents, California is advancing its climate goals while ensuring healthier, safer, and more comfortable homes for communities that have too often been left behind,” said California Energy Commissioner [Andrew McAllister](https://www.energy.ca.gov/about/commissioners/j-andrew-mcallister-phd?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in a [press release](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2026-05/southern-california-celebrates-first-equitable-building-decarbonization-project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). I recently spoke with McAllister, who leads the California Energy Commission's (CEC) work on energy efficiency and building decarbonization, and his colleague, [Diana Maneta](https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-maneta-9b6628257/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the CEC's equitable building decarbonization lead, to learn more about the program. **Ending onsite fossil fuel combustion** California will not achieve its 2045 carbon neutrality target without eliminating onsite combustion of fossil fuels in buildings. [Nearly 90% of residences](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1320628/share-of-us-homes-using-natural-gas/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and almost all commercial buildings, have fossil gas connections in California. “Buildings account for about 25% of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, so decarbonizing buildings – by replacing gas appliances with efficient electric appliances – is a key part of California’s climate strategy,” [according to the CEC](https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/equitable-building-decarbonization-program/ebd-statewide-direct?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Half of those emissions come from burning fossil fuels in buildings, and the other half come from the electricity used by buildings. Just two end uses – space and water heating – account for about 80% of onsite building emissions in California. And so, in 2022, California lawmakers passed and Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation ([AB 209](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202120220AB209&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) establishing the Equitable Building Decarbonization Program. The program is run by the CEC and is funded largely with revenue from the [Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/california-climate-investments/california-climate-investments-funded-programs?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the repository for the proceeds from California's cap-and-invest system. California has budgeted $432.5 million for the Equitable Building Decarbonization program. Nearly $340 million of that total supports the Statewide Direct Install Program, the retrofit projects like the one at McKinney Manor that will install energy- and carbon-saving upgrades in homes at no cost to residents. Add to this $154.25 million in supplemental funding from the federal [Home Efficiency Rebates (HOMES) Program](https://www.energystar.gov/partner-resources/state-and-tribal-rebate-programs/homes-program?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and the expected budget for the direct install program is $493.5 million. The direct install program for [California's tribal communities](https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/equitable-building-decarbonization-program/ebd-tribal-direct-install?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) should be up and running by the middle of next year. “The motivation was to ask the energy commission to give the state some additional tools and resources to figure out how we were going to taper those emissions. [Electrification](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/) is the path that's really the backbone of how we're going to decarbonize our building sector,” says McAllister. “This program, or another like it,” he says, “needs to be with us for the next at least two decades in order to get to the buildings that don't have \[owners with\] the disposable income or the savings to pay for these retrofits.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **The first “rapid start” projects** Three regional administrators – Los Angeles County in Southern California, the Center for Sustainable Energy in Central California, and the Association for Energy Affordability in Northern California – were selected to administer the direct install program and are charged with reaching out to potential participants. “In this first phase,” says McAllister, “we just want to really focus on places where delivery is going to be efficient, the savings would be clear, and the buildings are really ripe for these upgrades.” McKinney Manor in San Diego was one of three so-called “rapid start” retrofit projects identified by the CEC and its partners. For these low-hanging-fruit retrofit opportunities, the regional administrators and their local partners focused on projects that were already in the pipeline of similar programs. For example, McKinney Manor was in the pipeline of the [SoCalREN multi-family program](https://socalren.org/multifamily?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which is also administered by Los Angeles County. And in Northern California, “rapid start” projects in the cities of Gilroy and Morgan Hill were in the pipeline for Silicon Valley Clean Energy's [multi-family retrofits program](https://svcleanenergy.org/multifamily-retrofits/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “So, in both cases, it was a great fit for the Equitable Building Decarbonization Program,” says Diana Maneta. **The retrofits pipeline** Community-based organizations will lead the outreach to potential participants in the initial focus areas identified by the CEC. The three regional administrators will have information on their websites for interested households to check their eligibility. And households that live within the initial focus areas can put themselves forward as candidates for retrofits. But much of the outreach work will be done by local organizations with deep roots in the focus communities. For example, near my home in Concord is a focus area called the Contra Costa Refinery Corridor. A local organization, [Spark Point Contra Costa](https://rcfconnects.org/initiative/sparkpoint-contra-costa/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), is one of the partner organizations that will help with outreach for the Association for Energy Affordability. “From there,” says Maneta, “there's a process of matching up the participants with a contractor, and scoping them, coming up with the right package of measures.” “If the household is interested, and if they're income-eligible,” she goes on, "they'll receive a home assessment to identify the measures that are the best fit for the household.” [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) In addition to the income-eligibility criteria, participating homes must use gas, propane, or another fossil fuel as the primary fuel for space or water heating. According to the CEC, “all homes served receive a heat pump for space heating and cooling, or a [heat pump water heater](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/taking-the-emergency-out-of-water-heater-replacement-and-slashing-emissions/), or both.” Energy upgrades can also include induction stoves and electric clothes dryers as well as energy-saving improvements such as duct sealing, a smart thermostat, insulation, and LED lighting. “Energy modeling is done to evaluate the likely energy savings and bill impacts associated with that, so that the potential participant can make an informed decision about moving forward with the project, and then contractors are brought in to actually perform the retrofit,” says Maneta. “At the conclusion of the retrofit, at least two of the following four end uses must be electric: space heating, water heating, cooking, and clothes drying,” according to the CEC. **The path to 2045** “We have a near-term trajectory that has solid funding, and then the idea is to show success and continue a dialog with the governor and Legislature through time to keep the program funded and tailor it to the current needs at each juncture,” says McAllister. The CEC estimates that 12,000 to 15,000 low-income households could receive no-cost energy upgrades under the Equitable Building Decarbonization Program. But a lot depends on what happens with the costs for equipment and labor. “We are in a high cost period,” says McAllister. “Things have really gone up the last few years.” [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) “Hopefully we can create some economies and some synergies and work with the contractors to get ever-improved pricing,” he adds. After conversations with the Legislature, the CEC and lawmakers landed on not putting a finite timeline on the program. “Everybody acknowledged it would depend on continual allocations of funds if it was going to be a long-term program,” McAllister says. “We have a half-billion dollars. It sounds like a lot of money, in historical terms, for a program like this,” he goes on. “But if you do the math of how much investment is needed in buildings that are going to need some kind of help to do these retrofits ... the numbers are a couple orders of magnitude bigger than that.” “We had to figure out how to channel these resources to places where they could make the most difference.” ### What I’m reading: California bolsters its grid and advances a plug-in solar bill, checking in on Australia's energy transition, the “Great Clean Energy Acceleration 2.0,” and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-california-bolsters-its-grid-more-energy-i-text-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-09-16T06:12:42.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*, or* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. First, a few quick asks. If you enjoy and value what you read here at Quitting Carbon, consider sharing this newsletter with someone in your life who might enjoy it, too. The developers at [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) just made it very easy to [gift a paid subscription](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift) to newsletters like this one. You can gift a paid subscription to Quitting Carbon [here](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift). 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Have a great weekend and thanks, as always, for reading. **California bolsters its grid to boost renewables** California continues to make grid investments that will enable the Golden State to meet its long-term climate and energy targets. Last week, the board of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which manages most of the state’s grid, [approved](https://www.caiso.com/about/news/news-releases/iso-board-of-governors-approves-2025-2026-transmission-plan?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) a [transmission plan](https://stakeholdercenter.caiso.com/InitiativeDocuments/Revised-Draft-2025-2026-Transmission-Plan.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) comprising more than three-dozen projects needed to meet rising electricity demand and to support renewables growth. The 38 transmission projects costing an estimated $6.7 billion will enable the state’s grid to accommodate 45 gigawatts (GW) of new solar, including more than 20 GW from the massive [Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-from-crops-to-solar-germanys-heating-transition-an-innovative-climate-solution-for-renters-and-more/#:~:text=From%20crops%20to%20solar%20in%20California%E2%80%99s%20Central%20Valley), and 8 GW of in-state wind generation capacity. In addition to new transmission lines, the plan also included upgrades to get more out of the transmission corridors that already exist. “This year’s plan includes 12 reconductoring projects that increase transmission capacity without having to build new transmission from scratch,” said CAISO in a [press release](https://www.caiso.com/about/news/news-releases/iso-board-of-governors-approves-2025-2026-transmission-plan?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Three of these will employ advanced conductors, which are one of a suite of grid-enhancing-technologies, or GETs, that the ISO routinely considers in its planning efforts.” [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) More headroom could be created on California’s grid if electricity-using appliances such as heat pumps, pool pumps, and EV chargers responded to dynamic prices. “A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory [study](https://emp.lbl.gov/publications/california-price-response-potential?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) has estimated that six types of electricity-using equipment responding to dynamic electricity rates could reduce peak electricity demand in California by up to 8.75 GW by 2030,” [writes PV Magazine’s Wiliam Driscoll](https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2026/05/26/solar-friendly-dynamic-pricing-of-electricity-could-cut-californias-peak-demand-by-several-gw/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “This study offers a first comprehensive analysis of the technical potential and cost effectiveness of customer response to hourly dynamic prices across key sectors and end uses in California,” [write the study authors](https://emp.lbl.gov/publications/california-price-response-potential?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **California plug-in solar bill advances** Californians eager for access to more affordable solar power are much closer to being able to install [portable solar generation devices](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/bringing-small-modular-solar-to-the-masses/) at home. State Senator Scott Wiener’s (D) bill to [streamline approvals for plug-in solar systems](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-chinas-ev-dominance-fast-tracking-heat-pumps-and-plug-in-solar-in-california-research-roundup-and-more/#:~:text=California%20lawmaker%20wants%20to%20fast%2Dtrack%20approvals%20for%20heat%20pumps%20and%20plug%2Din%20solar) ([SB 868](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260SB868&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) [passed out of the Senate by a 35-1 vote](https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2026/05/20/california-senate-passes-plug-in-solar-bill/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on May 19\. The bill now awaits a floor vote in the Assembly. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Checking in on Australia’s energy transition** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/IMG_20150517_082409405_HDR.jpg) The Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Credit: Justin Gerdes. Longtime readers know one of my favorite energy transition stories is unfolding in Australia. Let’s check in on some of the important milestones you might have missed since my [last roundup of energy innovation developments from Down Under](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-energy-innovation-down-under-offshore-wind-updates-find-an-electrification-contractor-and-more/). Australia, like California, Texas, and other high-penetration renewables grids around the world, is benefiting from the plunging costs for batteries. “Brookfield Renewables, the owner of Australia’s most successful developer of large-scale battery projects, says that costs continue to fall and have now plunged between 65 and 70% over the last two years,” Renew Economy’s Giles Parkinson [reported on May 10](https://reneweconomy.com.au/they-solve-the-problem-leading-storage-developer-says-battery-costs-have-plunged-70-pct-in-two-years/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Cheap batteries are finding their way into hundreds of thousands of Australian homes, too. “Australia has surpassed 400,000 home battery storage installations under the federal government’s [Cheaper Home Batteries Program](https://www.dcceew.gov.au/energy/programs/cheaper-home-batteries?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), reaching 11.2GWh of cumulative storage capacity in less than a year since the scheme launched,” Energy Storage News’ George Heynes [reported on May 18](https://www.energy-storage.news/australia-hits-400000-home-battery-installations-with-11-2gwh-capacity-in-under-a-year/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen announced the milestone on 16 May, noting that installations are proceeding at approximately 2,000 batteries per day,” he added. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) The surge of solar, wind, and batteries coming online in Australia is also pushing electricity prices downward – even amid the global fossil fuel crisis. “Electricity costs will fall for households and businesses on most parts of Australia’s main grid, as wind, solar and battery storage combine to push down wholesale electricity prices and to insulate the local market from the global volatility being created by conflict in the Middle East,” Parkinson’s colleague Sophie Vorrath [reported on Tuesday](https://reneweconomy.com.au/solar-wind-and-batteries-push-down-electricity-bills-for-homes-and-business-despite-global-fuel-crisis/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). For example, she writes, in Victoria “the state’s regulator confirmed the cost of electricity will fall in all five of the state’s electricity distribution zones, cutting household energy bills by an average of $84 in the coming financial year and by an average of $241 a year for small businesses.” And on the horizon, large-scale offshore wind production is coming into view, as Australia’s first offshore wind farm just cleared a key environmental review hurdle. “The 2.2-gigawatt [Star of the South project](https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/environmental-assessments/browse-projects/star-of-the-south-offshore-wind-farm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) proposed for construction off the coast of Gippsland in Victoria has officially launched its bid for environmental approval, marking a major new milestone for Australia’s fledgling offshore wind industry,” [writes Vorrath](https://reneweconomy.com.au/star-of-the-south-launches-bid-to-achieve-australias-first-offshore-wind-farm-environmental-approval/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Victoria plans to [hold Australia’s first offshore wind auction](https://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-first-offshore-wind-auction-set-for-august-after-nearly-one-year-delay/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in August, with a target of 2 gigawatts of capacity in the water by 2032 and 9 GW by 2040\. The state’s Labor government [pledged earlier this month](https://reneweconomy.com.au/state-labor-pledges-124-million-for-offshore-wind-hub-ahead-of-november-election/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to invest $124 million ($89 million USD) in the proposed [Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal](https://renewableenergyterminal.com.au/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). [Share Quitting Carbon with a friend or colleague](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) One of Australia’s most promising clean energy exports are battery powered ships that are – for now – the world’s largest electric ferries. Tasmanian shipbuilder Incat powered up the 130-meter (426-foot), battery electric ferry, the China Zorrilla, [for the first time](https://thedriven.io/2025/12/15/remarkable-worlds-largest-battery-electric-ship-powered-up-for-first-time-in-australia/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at its shipyards north of Hobart last December. The ship is destined for service on a route connecting Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Uruguay. The shipbuilder also has orders to supply three large battery electric ferries to Danish ferry operator Molslinjen as part of the “[world’s largest electrification project at sea](https://thedriven.io/2025/12/08/australian-shipbuilder-gets-order-for-third-large-battery-electric-ferry-for-denmark/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com).” The China Zorrilla’s 40 megawatt-hour battery system comprises more than 5,000 lithium-ion battery modules that together weigh 260 tons. “The energy storage system is four times larger than any current installation,” Incat’s manager of public relations and corporate affairs, Tom Cooper, [told The Driven’s Anne Delaney](https://thedriven.io/2026/05/27/inside-the-giant-battery-system-powering-the-worlds-biggest-electric-ship/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). But for now, the ship that is a harbinger of a fossil-free maritime future is [stuck at anchor in Hobart](https://reneweconomy.com.au/from-fast-ferries-to-electric-ships-how-a-tasmanian-company-is-helping-reshape-global-shipping/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The heavy lift transport ship that was to carry the China Zorrilla to its port of duty in South America is stuck in the Persian Gulf, unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, because of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. **The “Great Clean Energy Acceleration 2.0”** Michael Liebreich, the founder of New Energy Finance (now BloombergNEF) and now the chairman and CEO of Liebreich Associates, is out with a new [essay](https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-energy/liebreich-the-great-clean-energy-acceleration-2-0/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) analyzing what the U.S.-Israel war against Iran portends for global energy markets and the clean energy transition. “We are about to see the Great Clean Energy Acceleration 2.0,” he writes, “a discontinuity in energy markets as profound as the oil shocks of the 1970s, and one that could bring forward the peak in fossil fuel use and emissions to this side of 2030.” The disruption to global energy markets caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine “will prove to be just a foretaste of what we are about to see.” Why? Asia didn't feel the full brunt of the economic disruption from that war: > During the Great Clean Energy Acceleration 1.0, Asia was insulated from the worst economic impact of the Russia-Ukraine war. Indeed, China and India were able to buy sanctioned oil, gas and related commodities at discounted prices. This time, Asia is directly affected, being the destination for over 80% of the oil and gas that normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Can we imagine any world in which India, China and Asian nations do not dramatically accelerate their efforts to reduce that painful vulnerability? The U.S.-Israel war against Iran “is going to make it impossible to obscure the immediate externality costs of commodity price volatility.” So, what comes next? Here's Liebreich's view of the future: > Where the first Great Clean Energy Acceleration took renewables to the point where they were absorbing all growth in *electricity* demand globally, the Great Clean Energy Acceleration 2.0 is set to take renewable energy (with a tiny bit of help from nuclear power) to the point where it absorbs all growth in *energy* demand. > We should now see peak fossil fuels and emissions this side of 2030. > **The Accidental Climate President?** > By attacking Iran, the US unwittingly unleashed another round of acceleration in the world’s long-term shift to clean energy. Indeed, this may well have set in motion a chain of events that pushes the fossil fuel industry into retreat in the next few years, after nearly three centuries of consistent growth that has defined the modern era and triggered the Anthropocene. ### Backed by the law and voters, the offshore wind industry must go on offense to secure its future URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/backed-by-the-law-and-voters-the-offshore-wind-industry-must-go-on-offense-to-secure-its-future/ Last updated: 2026-05-26T14:30:21.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup)*,* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*, or* [*gifting a paid subscription*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/gift)*.* From day one of Donald Trump's second term, his administration has [waged a relentless campaign](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/) to kill the offshore wind industry. The administration's anti-offshore wind playbook has included a permitting freeze, construction stop work-orders, bureaucratic obstacles, and, most recently, lease buy-backs. Most of these measures have been rebuffed by federal courts. The day one executive order freezing offshore wind permitting was [thrown out](https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-12-08/federal-judge-strikes-down-trumps-order-blocking-development-of-wind-energy?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Judges [overturned all the stop-work orders](https://stateline.org/2026/02/19/offshore-wind-triumphs-over-trump-in-court-but-future-projects-face-delays/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to halt construction of five East Coast offshore wind projects. The lease buy-backs – agreements under which the federal government reimburses developers' bids to secure leases in return for their pledges to invest in fossil fuel infrastructure and exit offshore wind development in the U.S. – have yet to be tested in court. But in pursuing a buy-back with a developer holding a lease for an area offshore California, the Trump administration set in motion a showdown with the state, including Attorney General Rob Bonta (D). On May 4, the California Energy Commission [issued](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2026-05/california-energy-commission-issues-subpoena-golden-state-wind?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) an [administrative investigative subpoena](https://www.energy.ca.gov/media/12809?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to Golden State Wind LLC, which had held a lease to deploy floating wind turbines in a zone offshore California's Central Coast, “seeking documents and information related to the company’s recent agreement with the U.S. Department of the Interior to accept a payout in exchange for voluntarily abandoning its offshore wind lease.” The threat to the industry posed by the Golden State Wind lease buy-back agreement loomed over last week's [Pacific Offshore Wind Summit](https://pacificoffshorewindsummit.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in Long Beach, California. The deal dominated my informal, off-the-record conversations with attendees during the summit. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) The deal is likewise top of mind for the head of the industry's California trade organization. “These latest attempts to obstruct offshore wind are almost certainly unlawful and will likely be overturned either by the courts, Congress, or the next federal administration. The lease buy-back agreements also represent an unprecedented abuse of taxpayer dollars,” Offshore Wind California Executive Director Adam Stern said in opening remarks at the summit. Offshore Wind California, he added, “fully supports the [investigation California has launched](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2026-05/california-energy-commission-issues-subpoena-golden-state-wind?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) into the Trump administration's lease buy-back agreements that attempt to delay much needed U.S. offshore wind power.” That the summit would be held at all this year was not a given. The American Clean Power Association, after all, cancelled its annual offshore wind conference last year. But for Offshore Wind California, and its members, convening the summit sent the message that the industry is determined to stay the course. Throughout the two days of the summit, speakers affirmed that message and urged the industry to go on offense, supported by the knowledge that the law and public opinion was on its side. **Most voters – including Republicans – support offshore wind** For example, according to recent polling, voters across the ideological spectrum increasingly support offshore wind. At the summit, [Erin McLean](https://turnforward.org/erin-mclean/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the communications director for Turn Forward, an independent nonprofit working to advance the U.S. offshore wind industry, presented new data on California voters' support for offshore wind development. “Seventy-six percent of California voters favor offshore wind construction off their state's coast – a 12-point gain over 14 months, during a period in which the industry faced significant attacks from the executive branch,” according to a Turn Forward brief on the new poll. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-21-162615.png) The public opinion [survey](https://turnforward.org/new-poll-republican-support-for-offshore-wind-surges-31-points-in-14-months/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) was prepared for Turn Forward by The Tarrance Group, a Republican strategic research and polling firm. It turns out that Republican voters don't share Donald Trump's antipathy for offshore wind power. In fact, the most remarkable finding in McLean's presentation was the shift in support among Republicans *for* offshore wind, even as the Trump administration escalated its attacks against the industry. Republicans support for offshore wind in California has increased from 41% in January 2025 to 69% in March 2026. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-21-162449.png) And more voters, including Republicans, say they are more likely to vote for a pro-offshore wind candidate. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-24-164618.png) At a time when energy affordability is among voters' top concerns, the offshore wind industry should be able to sell its potential to [lower costs for households and businesses](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-claims-offshore-wind-is-worthless-this-project-proves-the-opposite-is-true/). “Voters recognize offshore wind as a way to deliver affordable energy, with 47% citing lower energy prices as one of offshore wind’s biggest benefits. They also aren’t buying attacks on offshore wind, with 64% rejecting the claim that offshore wind would drive up energy prices,” said Turn Forward in a [press release](https://turnforward.org/new-poll-republican-support-for-offshore-wind-surges-31-points-in-14-months/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Go on offense** Another clear message from the summit: the courts, permitting reform, and political power are critical to the industry's future. Being willing to go to court to defend your interests is the mark of a mature industry, [Josh Kaplowitz](https://www.troutman.com/professionals/josh-kaplowitz/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), an attorney with Troutman Pepper Locke based in Washington, D.C., argued during a summit panel focused on lessons learned from the legal battles the industry waged to protect the U.S. East Coast offshore wind projects during 2025. He noted that fossil fuel companies don't hesitate to go to court to protect their interests. The U.S. offshore wind industry will have six gigawatts of capacity online by the end of next year. The industry would not have hit that milestone without lawsuits, said Kaplowitz. Winning lawsuits, he added, helps to reassure investors and restore investor confidence. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) [Brian Krevor](https://cleanpower.org/about/team/brian-krevor/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), senior director, offshore permitting and environmental policy, American Clean Power Association, argued that the industry needs to pursue aggressive permitting reform. More U.S. offshore wind projects would already be in the water, he said, if the permitting process had been faster. There are ways to accelerate permitting under existing laws, he added, but even more critical is permitting reform that makes permits durable, and not susceptible to political interference once issued. [Jim Lanard](https://www.magellanwind.com/jim-lanard-bio?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), CEO of Magellan Wind, said the industry needs to "go from CPR to bypass surgery” to set up its next phase of growth beginning in January 2029, when a new presidential administration takes office. European investors and developers won't recommit to the U.S. offshore wind market, he argued, until the bypass surgery occurs. Leasing, financing, and permitting reform all must be on the agenda in the runup to 2029 and beyond. To that end, he said, he was working to build a political network comprising labor, banks, tribes, developers, investors, and other stakeholders to determine what should be on the 2029 reform agenda for the industry. ### What I’m reading: Global EV and heat pump sales surge, people won't forget the Iran war disruption, research roundup, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-global-ev-and-heat-pump-sales-surge-people-wont-forget-the-iran-war-disruption-research-roundup-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-05-15T18:30:47.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% reader-supported publication. Support independent energy journalism by* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another roundup of highlights from what I’ve been reading. A quick update on what’s coming up – and a story delayed, for now – here at Quitting Carbon. I’ll be in Long Beach, California, early next week for Offshore Wind California's [Pacific Offshore Wind Summit](https://pacificoffshorewindsummit.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Quitting Carbon is excited to be a media partner for this year's summit. If you'll be there, too, find me to say hello or grab coffee. I had planned by now to have written more about the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit I attended recently in San Diego. I left the summit with one story at the top of my to-do list: a Q&A with [Dr. Cory Phillips](https://arpa-e.energy.gov/about/people/dr-cory-phillips?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a program director at ARPA-E, about the topic of his fast-pitch session titled “Manufacturing without Addresses: Factories that Refuse to Sit Still.” I had thought my interview request would be a formality. Instead, an ARPA-E press contact said it would have to cleared at the Department of Energy (DOE) headquarters, and asked if I could share questions in advance. I asked, in the meantime, if ARPA-E would share Phillips’ presentation slides – slides for a public talk, based on taxpayer-funded research, already presented to a crowd of hundreds at the summit – to help me prepare for the interview. No, the slides couldn't be shared without clearance from DOE HQ, I was told. Two weeks after my initial interview request, I got my answer: “I’m afraid the request was denied, and we can’t share the slides.” No reason was given for the denials. Might the denials have something to do with the column I published – [Why does Chris Wright insist on being so wrong on the energy transition?](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-does-chris-wright-insist-on-being-so-wrong-on-the-energy-transition/) – as I waited to hear about my interview request from DOE HQ? I'll try to find another way to bring you that story! Now, on to this week's roundup. And thanks, as always, for reading. **With oil and gas markets constrained, EV and heat pump sales are surging** Oil and gas prices are unlikely to return to pre-Iran war levels until next year – even if Israel, the U.S., and Iran agreed to a permanent ceasefire tomorrow. With so much lingering uncertainty, consumers in much of the world are avoiding fossil-fueled models when shopping for cars and for systems to heat and cool their homes. “Electric vehicle sales in Latin America, Africa and much of Asia – a grouping that includes billions of people but that analysts often refer to as ‘rest of world’ – soared 79% in March compared with a year earlier, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a research firm. For all of 2025, sales of electric cars in these countries jumped 48%,” [writes the New York Times’ Jack Ewing](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/business/electric-vehicles-costa-rica.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.f1A.f4GC.2MjiSI58mF2A&smid=url-share&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Those “rest of world” markets are increasingly served by China’s dominant EV industry. China’s car industry hit a milestone last month by exporting more EVs than conventional gas or diesel cars for the first time. “China exported 769,000 automobiles in April, with new-energy vehicles accounting for 52.7% of total exports,” [reports The Wall Street Journal’s Jiahui Huang](https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/china-exports-more-evs-than-traditional-cars-for-first-time-in-april-e43cccbb?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In Australia, EV sales accounted for a record 16.46% share of new vehicle sales in April, The Driven’s Riz Akhtar [reported last week](https://thedriven.io/2026/05/05/australia-ev-sales-surge-to-record-16-46-pct-share-as-byd-takes-lead-followed-by-geely-and-zeekr/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In Europe, EV sales in April increased by 27% compared to the same month last year, the Times' Ewing [reported this week](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/business/iran-gas-prices-electric-vehicles.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). As for electric [heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-to-accelerate-the-u-s-heat-pump-market/), “Over the first three months of the year, about 575,000 heat pumps were sold in 11 large European countries, up 17 percent from a year earlier, the European Heat Pump Association said. The increases were particularly large in France, Germany and Poland,” [reports the Times’ Eshe Nelson](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/business/europe-solar-panels-iran-war.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.hFA.zW-O.8RBVpPXhW10L&smid=url-share&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Households are now seeing that they are only one Trump-ignited war away from very expensive tank refueling or heating bills,” Elisabetta Cornago, an energy and climate policy expert at the Center for European Reform, told Nelson. **Trump’s Iran war: “We have passed the point of people forgetting”** Regular readers of this newsletter know, as the section above demonstrates, I’m firmly in the camp of those advocating that [the world will never be the same](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-iran-war-is-driving-politicians-and-consumers-to-embrace-clean-energy/) in the wake of the Israeli-U.S. war against Iran. Renewables are just too competitive. Countries and households can [choose zero-carbon options without hesitation or regret](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-iran-war-is-driving-politicians-and-consumers-to-embrace-clean-energy/). As Jigar Shah, the director of the Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office during the Biden administration, argued on the [April 30 episode](https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-circuit-as-oil-rationing-spreads-what-comes-next-plus-fermi-americas-collapse/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of the “Open Circuit” podcast (lightly edited for clarity): > “We have passed the point of people forgetting. People will never forget. I mean, to the extent that things get rebuilt in the Middle East, there will be a premium for that forever. People will be suggesting a security premium for the rest of time. And I think that that is important because the single biggest problem that clean energy has had is not the lack of McKinsey cost curves or NDC \[Nationally Determined Contributions\] reports or net-zero reports. It has been inertia. People have said, We get it, we see the analysis, but we are used to doing things this way. We need a lot of pushing to think about doing things in a new way. And I think that the amount of pushing here is not a two-year thing.” > “The amount of time it’s going to take to get any sort of normalcy out of the supply chain will be much longer than two years. And in that time period, I think the amount of inertia is going to go down by so much that you will see countries out competing each other around how to localize their supply chains and to achieve energy sovereignty. No one wants to import molecules ever again. They’re forced to, don’t get me wrong, we will have a robust LNG trade and oil trade, but every single day, the energy minister in that country is going to be like, ‘How do I make that number smaller?’ And that will be persistent for the next 20 years.” Enjoying Quitting Carbon? The best way to support this newsletter is with a paid subscription. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon ](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) 💡 ****Research roundup** Here’s another roundup of noteworthy reports and studies you might have missed: **Record-breaking global wind power deployment in 2025** The Trump administration is [doing everything it can to snuff out the U.S. wind industry](https://heatmap.news/plus/the-fight/spotlight/trump-federal-aviation-administration-wind-farms?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), but globally the industry is still setting deployment records. The global wind industry installed a record-breaking 165 gigawatts (GW) of new wind capacity in 2025 – up 40% on the previous year, according to new [data](https://www.gwec.net/news/global-wind-installations-rise-record-40-as-industry-charts-way-out-of-energy-crisis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/GWEC_Global-Wind-Report-2026_April-2026.png)](https://www.gwec.net/news/global-wind-installations-rise-record-40-as-industry-charts-way-out-of-energy-crisis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [Credit](https://www.gwec.net/news/global-wind-installations-rise-record-40-as-industry-charts-way-out-of-energy-crisis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Global Wind Energy Council. The trade association believes the industry is [capable of even faster growth](https://www.gwec.net/news/gwec-launches-wind-action-plan-to-break-the-cycle-of-energy-crises?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Even as the wind industry growth is accelerating, there is no escaping that global growth remains uneven, and the world is still not on track to triple renewables by 2030,” Ben Backwell, CEO of GWEC, said in a statement. “Bureaucratic red tape and slow roll-out of grids is stopping badly needed projects from being built in many areas of the world. However, by [acting decisively to address the blockages](https://www.gwec.net/news/gwec-launches-wind-action-plan-to-break-the-cycle-of-energy-crises?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), policymakers can quickly access a huge pipeline of ready to invest projects.” An easy way for the industry to get more capacity out of the sites it has already developed, as I wrote here last week, is to [repower existing wind farms](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/a-repowered-california-wind-farm-rises-in-a-birthplace-of-the-industry/). **Why is rooftop solar so cheap Down Under?** Why is rooftop solar so much more expensive in the U.S. than in Australia? A new [report](https://chargedinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/CHARGED-Australia-Study-Tour-Lessons.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from GridLab, Advanced Energy United, and RMI puts forward some definitive answers. Based on a study trip to Australia by U.S. state utility regulators, the report finds that “Australia’s approach to permitting and installation are key to rooftop solar’s low costs,” [writes PV Magazine’s William Driscoll](https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2026/05/06/lessons-from-australia-for-scaling-rooftop-solar-and-home-batteries/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Take just one example. “In the state of South Australia,” writes Driscoll, “residential customers may install a large rooftop solar system with no need for interconnection approval, in exchange for accepting flexible export limits, which modeling has shown would allow export of full generation more than 98% of the time in most areas.” “That approach has helped rooftop solar and other renewables to now provide close to 75% of South Australia’s electricity consumed, said Bryn Williams, principal at Energy Horizons, on a[webinar](https://advancedenergyunited.org/webinars/from-ders-to-cers-what-australias-energy-transition-means-for-u-s-regulators?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) accompanying the report.” According to Driscoll, the Australia study tour participants brought home four lessons: “Act and react: an action-first, adaptive culture; get the ‘plumbing’ right: standards first, solutions follow; consumer energy resources: put customers front and center; and regulator be nimble: high-level incentives create room to move.” **Yes, industry can electrify, too** “​There is still a perception that industry is too hard to abate, so we can worry about it later,” Oxford University’s Jan Rosenow [told Canary Media’s Alison F. Takemura](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-industry/industry-fuel-shocks-electrifying?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Not so, according to a new [report](https://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2026-04/ECI%5FHigh%5FVoltage%5FIndustrial%5FElectrification%5FApril%5F2026.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published by Rosenow and Oxford colleague Cassandra Etter-Wenzel. Rosenow and Etter-Wenzel analyzed detailed technical studies as well as more than 1,600 global decarbonization scenarios to determine how much industrial energy demand could be electrified. “Both datasets led to the same conclusion: Roughly 85% of industrial energy demand could be electrified by 2050 – and upwards of 90% in the long term – with existing and emerging electric tech,” writes Takemura. “Near complete electrification is technically possible,” said Rosenow. **“Homegrown energy” could lower costs for nearly all U.S. households** Rewiring America published a [report](https://www.rewiringamerica.org/research/homegrown-energy-report-policy-affordable-household-upgrades?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) last week “outlining how states can lower energy costs, meet rising electricity demand, and deliver direct benefits to households by investing in American homes.” “With the right policies, [whole-home electrification](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/), rooftop solar, and battery storage could become affordable for 96 percent of eligible US households, up from roughly 9 percent today, delivering about $26,000 in lifetime savings per home and $1.5 trillion in total savings nationwide,” according to a [press release](https://www.rewiringamerica.org/newsroom/press-releases/rewiring-america-releases-homegrown-energy-blueprint-to-lower-costs-for-96-percent-of-eligible-us-households?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The policy blueprint identifies “six interlocking policies that align energy system investment with household savings”: reducing permitting and soft costs; requiring large new energy users to invest in distributed resources; [scaling virtual power plants](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-california-electricity-provider-is-all-in-on-virtual-power-plants/); enabling inclusive utility investment; [modernizing electric rate design](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/budgets-not-utility-bills-should-be-how-we-fund-critical-clean-energy-programs/); and [redirecting gas infrastructure investment](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-start-pruning-its-fossil-gas-network/). **Wind and solar are pushing fossil gas off the UK grid, lowering the country’s gas imports bill** The UK has added so much wind and solar power it was able to eliminate coal-fired power from its grid. Now, plentiful wind and solar are pushing fossil gas power off the grid, too. “The UK came within a whisker of operating a fully zero carbon grid on Wednesday afternoon, as gas power generation hit a record low and solar output surged to a record high,” BusinessGreen’s James Murray [reported on April 24](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4528787/hitting-records-left-centre-gas-generation-hits-record-low-cent-share-grid?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The National Energy System Operator provided more details on the record yesterday, confirming a record low grid share for gas of 2% that was set in the morning then fell further during Wednesday afternoon, hitting 1.2% between 3.30pm and 4pm. The result meant zero carbon generation provided 98.8% of the UK's power, surpassing the previous record of 97.7% that was set on 1 April,” he added. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Record wind and solar production is also trimming the country’s gas imports bill. “The UK has avoided the need for gas imports worth £1.7bn \[$2.26bn\] since the start of the Iran war, as a result of record electricity generation from wind and solar,” [finds a Carbon Brief analysis published on May 7](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-wind-and-solar-have-saved-uk-from-gas-imports-worth-1-7bn-since-iran-war-began/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The surge in wind and solar output is cutting the need for gas-fired generation, which has been nearly a third lower than last year and fell to record lows in both March and April 2026,” write the authors of the analysis. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/Carbon-Brief_UK-wind_and_solar-2026.webp) And when wind and solar power reduce the need for gas-fired generation, it pushes down wholesale power prices, finds a new [study](https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/british-power-prices-are-increasingly-independent-from-gas/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the think tank Ember. The analysis “shows how as more renewables comes online gas' influence as a price setter for the wholesale power market falls. It reveals how during hours last year when gas was below 20 per cent of Britain's electricity mix wholesale power prices averaged £60/MWh \[$80/MWh\], compared to £130/MWh during hours where gas generated more than half of power,” [writes Murray](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4529591/study-clean-power-bringing-wholesale-prices-gas-influence-wanes?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/Ember_Renewables-Gas-and-Wholesale-Prices_May-13_2026.png) **Bonus: Dams are coming down on U.S. rivers** More good news to close us out. “Last year, more sections of the country’s rivers were reconnected thanks to dam removals than at any other time in history, according to the nonprofit group American Rivers. In 2025, more than 100 dams were dismantled in 30 states, reconnecting around 4,900 miles of waterways,” [reports the New York Times’ Cara Buckley](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/climate/america-the-undammed.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.hVA.aDvO.a8aUufEBG%5FoV&smid=url-share&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The resulting free-flowing waterways are healthier, cooler and less prone to algal blooms, and serve as vital habitat for migratory fish and other aquatic life,” she writes. Some might worry about the loss of hydropower as dams that generate electricity shut down, but Buckley notes that hydropower dams become increasingly expensive to operate with age. “Hydropower dams have been a source of inexpensive energy, but the cost of repairs and relicensing can outstrip the benefits, said Desiree Tullos, a professor in biological and ecological engineering at Oregon State University. And fewer than 3 percent of the country’s dams generate power.” ### A repowered California wind farm rises in a birthplace of the industry URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/a-repowered-california-wind-farm-rises-in-a-birthplace-of-the-industry/ Last updated: 2026-05-11T14:30:39.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% reader-supported publication. Support independent energy journalism by* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* The Altamont Pass has hosted some of the world's oldest wind farms. Turbines started spinning to provide electricity in the area beginning in the early 1980s. But what came to be known as the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (APWRA) developed into an ungainly thicket of turbines that at one time was the world's largest wind farm. Some 6,700 wind turbines sprawled across the rolling hills that straddle both sides of I-580 near Livermore, California. But in recent years, much like how a crowded tangle of trees in a young forest is thinned by fire or blade to leave only the healthiest trees standing, the Altamont Pass' turbine thicket is being replaced by larger, more powerful turbines, standing far from their neighbors. The area is now one of the best places in the world to witness the benefits of what the wind industry calls "[repowering](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/is-it-time-to-repower-the-first-wave-of-large-solar-projects/)." Repowering can comprise replacing individual turbine components – such as the gearbox or blades – to extend the life of an existing wind farm. Or, as is the case in the Altamont Pass, removing obsolete turbines and replacing them with new, more powerful turbines. Repowering often enables a project owner to maintain, or even increase, power production on the same footprint with a fraction of the turbines. Last week, on a tour organized by the regional electricity provider \*[MCE](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-california-electricity-provider-is-all-in-on-virtual-power-plants/) and hosted by Brookfield Renewable U.S., I visited the Mulqueeney Ranch wind project to see what repowering in the Altamont Pass looks like first hand. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-10-231105.png) Example of older generation, lattice tower wind turbines in the Altamont Pass, Northern California. Source: California Energy Commission. [Credit](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-05-906.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): U.S. Government Accountability Office. **The potential for wind repowering in the U.S.** Aging wind farms across the U.S. are ripe for repowering. "By replacing aging turbines with modern technology at existing sites, the United States could more than double its current onshore wind capacity and electricity generation without requiring new land," write the authors of a Stanford University [study](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2521050123?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published in March. The study finds that repowering could increase the U.S.' onshore wind nameplate generating capacity from 153 gigawatts (GW) (as of 2024) to 314 GW at existing wind farms. "Repowering is a key, yet overlooked, strategy to accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy future in the United States," the authors conclude. Data from the energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie confirms the near-term repowering opportunity in the U.S. "The repowering market remains strong, as Wood Mackenzie projects that 18 projects will drive 2.5 GW of capacity additions in the next three years," according to a December 2025 WoodMac [press release](https://www.woodmac.com/press-releases/us-expected-to-install-over-7-gw-of-wind-capacity-in-2025-36-more-than-2024/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Mulqueeney Ranch wind farm** Not far from the massive Pacific Gas and Electric Tesla Substation, construction crews are assembling turbines for Brookfield Renewable U.S.' Mulqueeney Ranch wind farm. On the day of my visit, crews had already assembled 10 of the 19 turbines approved for the project. Construction is expected to be completed later this year. Weather permitting, turbines can be installed in as little as two days, according to Brookfield's [Jared Cooley](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-cooley-b0907a1ba?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), director of construction for the project. The 19 new turbines – each a 4.5-megawatt model from Danish manufacturer Vestas – will supply as much electricity, 80 megawatts, as the *400* turbines that had previously stood at the project site. Similarly, the Stanford study cites a recent repowering project in the Altamont Pass that replaced 569 100-kilowatt turbines (56.9 MW) with just 23 new turbines with a combined capacity of 57.5 MW. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/IMG_20260506_112035395.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/IMG_20260506_115122886.jpg) The nacelle, generator, gearbox, and hub staged for assembly (left/top). A tower awaits installation of the nacelle and rotor (right/bottom). Credit: Justin Gerdes. MCE, which provides electricity to 1.8 million residents and businesses across Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano counties in Northern California, is the primary offtaker for the Mulqueeney Ranch project. The not-for-profit public agency signed a 20-year agreement with Brookfield subsidiary Mulqueeney Wind Energy LLC to purchase 75% of the power generated by the project, Brookfield Renewable U.S. VP for Commercial Development [Steven Eckert](https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-eckert-69103213/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) told me. He added that the offtaker for the final 25% has not been made public, and that the project will qualify for federal tax credits. The project is expected to supply electricity when MCE needs it most, including on summer evenings, after California's solar power plant fleet stops producing power. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) "The project provides generation in hours beneficial to shaping MCE’s supply curve to align with its load profile," according to a September 2025 MCE staff report. "Energy and RA \[resource adequacy\] capacity produced by the facility will complement MCE's existing portfolio of resources. ... The project would provide certainty through fixed-priced renewable energy and RA mitigating MCE's long-term market risk," the report states. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/IMG_20260506_123006404.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/IMG_20260506_123227859.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/IMG_20260506_123313346_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/IMG_20260506_124649381.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/05/IMG_20260506_124732432.jpg) On the day of my visit, a crew was installing components at the point where the Mulqueeney Ranch wind project's underground electrical utility collection and distribution connection lines meet PG&E's Tesla Substation. Credit: Justin Gerdes. **Mitigating impacts to birds** The early haphazard clustering of turbines in the Altamont Pass wasn't just a visual blight, it proved deadly for migrating birds, too. "Historically, the APWRA caused significant avian and bird fatalities," write the Stanford researchers. "The APWRA is habitat to raptors and early wind turbine installations caused significant fatalities before the highest risk turbines were permanently decommissioned." Fewer turbines, spaced further apart, and equipped with modern bird-detection technology such as [IndentiFlight](https://www.identiflight.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), should reduce bird mortality in the Altamont Pass going forward. "Brookfield Renewables has designed the \[Mulqueeney Ranch\] site and implemented state of the art technology to mitigate impacts to local and migratory avian species," according to the MCE staff report. "Turbines will be equipped with individual AI paired cameras to detect the presence of avian species which would trigger feathering/shut-off of specific turbines." [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) A generation from now, bird-detection technology will be better still. Brookfield's Cooley noted that his company has operating wind projects that came online as far back as 2005\. The repowered Mulqueeney Ranch wind project should operate for at least 25 to 30 years, he added. And then it will be time once again to continue the cycle of wind power innovation and renewal in the Altamont Pass. *\*Disclosure: MCE provided my transportation to and from the Mulqueeney Ranch wind project site from Livermore, as well as lunch after the tour. Thank you,* [*Jackie Nuñez*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-nu%C3%B1ez-a89485b0/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) *and* [*Jenna Tenney*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennamtenney?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)*, for the invitation to join the tour!* ### What I’m reading: Energy transition milestones in China, global EVs sales surge, Trump 2.0 and climate tech startups, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-energy-transition-milestones-in-china-global-evs-sales-surge-trump-2-0-and-climate-tech-startups-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-05-01T18:30:01.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% reader-supported publication. Support independent energy journalism by* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another roundup of highlights from what I’ve been reading. I'll be back in your inbox next week. Thanks, as always, for reading. **Energy transition milestones in China** It can be hard to wrap one’s mind around the speed and scale of energy innovation in China. Consider Sam Parkinson’s recent dispatch from the Beijing Auto Show. “I just spent two days at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show (Auto China 2026), and I need to tell you something: the future of the auto industry is electric and Chinese. I’m not being dramatic. Just realistic,” he [writes](https://electrek.co/2026/04/26/beijing-auto-show-2026-insane-glimpse-future-auto-industry/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at The Driven. “In a single hall at the show,” he adds, “there were more EV models on display than there are available ones in the entire United States. There are 17 halls at this show. Seventeen. And they all have more EVs than the US market.” At the same show, Parkinson visited the booth for a hybrid driverless electric truck solution called “Kargo One” developed by KargoBot. “One human-driven ‘pilot’ truck leads a convoy of 2 to 6 fully automated L4 trucks,” he writes. “The idea is that the human lead handles the most complex ‘long-tail’ manoeuvres (like navigating a chaotic toll booth or a messy construction site), while the autonomous followers mimic the lead’s path. KargoBot says this reduces labour costs by up to 80%, and cuts energy consumption by 5-10% due to reduced wind resistance.” And then there are the seemingly never-ending series of “world’s biggest” or “world’s first” announcements coming out of China. “The world’s largest purely electric container ship has officially begun commercial operations in China,” [reports](https://thedriven.io/2026/04/21/worlds-largest-fully-electric-container-ship-begins-commercial-operations/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Parkinson’s colleague Joshua S. Hill. “China’s state news agency Xinhua [reported last week](https://english.news.cn/20260415/f1c3930baf274a33891566df283dc86e/c.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the Ning Yuan Dian Kun, built by Jiangxi Jiangxin Shipbuilding, began commercial operations with an inaugural run between the Ningbo-Zhoushan and Jiaxing ports in China’s eastern Zhejiang Province,” he adds. Last week, Chinese battery maker CATL unveiled a new battery promising a staggering 932 miles (1,500 kilometers) of range. “If true, the vast distance is another data point that underscores China's strength in EV tech — and EVs' growing capacity to offer conveniences of gas-powered cars,” [writes Axios’ Ben Geman](https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-future-of-energy-aa335880-3d91-11f1-9a64-8b8b2f041163.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “On that note, CATL also reportedly unveiled a separate battery, an update of its Shenxing battery that can charge in six minutes, per reports from its presentation.” [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) China also just set a new record for solar panels sent overseas. “According to new analysis from Ember, based on data from the Chinese customs authority, solar exports equivalent to Spain’s entire installed capacity were dispatched from China over the month of March, surpassing the previous record set in August 2025 by 49%,” [writes Renew Economy’s Sophie Vorrath](https://reneweconomy.com.au/solar-surge-china-smashes-pv-export-records-as-energy-crisis-fast-tracks-fossil-fuel-exodus/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). And lest there be doubt about China’s commitment to meet its climate and clean energy targets, the country’s leadership just announced a new initiative that ties local officials' promotions to action on climate. “China will begin a major campaign aimed at accelerating climate action by local authorities, warning regional officials that they will be held accountable for failing to make progress toward President Xi Jinping’s green targets,” [writes Bloomberg’s Lili Pike](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2026/04/27/fail-on-climate-action-and-miss-out-on-promotion-china-warns-00890818?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Starting this year, provinces will be graded on efforts to ensure China’s [carbon dioxide emissions peak before 2030](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-11-22/cop29-are-china-s-enormous-carbon-emissions-really-peaking?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and on objectives to lift clean energy consumption and to limit the use of coal and oil, according to an official [document](https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202604/content%5F7066694.htm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published Thursday by the Xinhua News Agency.” **With the Strait of Hormuz closed, EV sales surge across the globe** We’ll soon have data for April, but it’s clear based on data through March that more car buyers are opting for electric vehicles in response to the soaring fuel prices and uncertainty triggered by Donald Trump’s war in Iran. “New data from New Automotive and E-Mobility Europe released today shows the number of EV registrations across 15 key EU and EFTA markets rose 51 per cent year-on-year during March to over 224,000 electric passenger cars,” [BusinessGreen’s James Murray reported last week](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4528540/step-change-european-ev-sales-jump-cent-march?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). On Tuesday, Bloomberg’s Kyle Stock and Lili Pike [reported on the global EV buying spree](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-28/ev-sales-jump-in-march-in-response-to-soaring-gas-prices?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): > “The war in Iran and the turmoil it has set off in global oil markets is fueling a surge in electric car sales in much of the world. In March, the first four weeks since the bombing began, consumers in France, Germany and the UK drove off in 206,200 EVs, a 44% increase over the year-earlier period. In South Korea, electric car transactions more than doubled. In Italy, where the path to electrification has been slow, 16,000 battery-powered vehicles left dealerships last month, a 67% increase.” In the U.S., too, surging gas prices have drivers eyeing EVs and hybrids. “A Cars.com in-market shopper survey found that more than half of car shoppers – 52% – said rising gas prices have led them to consider a full EV or plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV). Breaking it down further, 33% said they are more likely to consider a PHEV, while 19% are more inclined to look at a fully battery-electric vehicle,” [reports](https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/article/surging-gas-prices-have-more-than-half-of-car-buyers-eyeing-evs-and-hybrids-140000205.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Yahoo Finance’s Pras Subramanian. Demand for used EVs might even be outpacing that for new models. “Octopus Electric Vehicles has reported a huge surge in demand for second-hand electric cars through its leasing service,” BusinessGreen’s Stuart Stone [reported last week](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4528727/ev-demand-boom-octopus-ev-reports-surge-leases-electric-cars?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The UK car leasing company said demand for leasing its used EVs increased by 177% in March compared to the same month last year. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **France publishes a fossil fuel exit plan** This week, nearly 60 countries gathered in Santa Marta, Colombia, for the inaugural [Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels](https://transitionawayconference.com/home?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Countries attending a first-of-its-kind summit have walked away with plans to develop national roadmaps away from fossil fuels, along with new tools to address harmful subsidies and carbon-intensive trade,” writes Carbon Brief’s Daisy Dunne in a [briefing on the key takeaways from the summit](https://www.carbonbrief.org/santa-marta-key-outcomes-from-first-summit-on-transitioning-away-from-fossil-fuels/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). One concrete takeaway was a [roadmap](https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/documents/202604%5FFrance%27s%5Froadmap%5Fto%5Ftransitionning%5Faway%5Ffrom%5FFossil%5FFuel%5FEN.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published by France for transitioning away from fossil fuels. The plan “sets end-of-consumption targets for coal by 2030, oil by 2045 and fossil gas by 2050 for energy purposes.” Tuvalu and Ireland will co-host the second Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Tuvalu next year. **“The vase is broken”** Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, is a circumspect operator, so I took notice when reading his analysis of the fallout of Donald Trump's war in Iran in a remarkable [interview published by the Guardian last Friday](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/24/global-oil-crisis-changed-fossil-fuel-industry-for-ever-iea-chief-fatih-birol?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Speaking exclusively to the Guardian," writes Fiona Harvey, “Birol said a key effect of the US-Israel war on Iran was that countries would lose trust in fossil fuels and demand for them would reduce.” Birol told Harvey: > “Their perception of risk and reliability will change. Governments will review their energy strategies. There will be a significant boost to renewables and nuclear power and a further shift towards a more electrified future. And this will cut into the main markets for oil.” > “The vase is broken, the damage is done – it will be very difficult to put the pieces back together. This will have permanent consequences for the global energy markets for years to come.” **Trump 2.0 alters plans for climate tech startups** How disruptive has the Trump administration’s campaign to kill what it calls the “Green New Scam” been for startups? Last week, during a San Francisco Climate Week [panel](https://vimeo.com/1187066419?fl=ip&fe=ec&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) hosted by [Heatmap News](https://info.heatmap.news/heatmap-house-sf-climate-week-2026?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [Mitch Rubin](https://elementalimpact.com/team/mitch-rubin/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a managing director at Elemental Impact, talked about how the new administration’s priorities are impacting emerging companies. Elemental is a nonprofit investor in climate tech companies. Every year, Elemental evaluates the health of its portfolio companies by conducting a 75-question survey that analyzes “how climate companies are adjusting to changes in the policy, environment, and market dynamics,” Corina Standiford, Elemental’s chief communications officer, told me in an email. More than one year into the second Trump administration, Elemental’s 160 portfolio companies are feeling the whiplash of changing policy. “90% reported altering expansion plans, fundraising, or operations due to the evolving federal landscape,” said Standiford. The companies also reported a total of $659 million in government grants, financing, or incentives that were rescinded, cancelled, or paused. “It’s real. It’s very real,” said Rubin during the panel. “There are companies that sit at this nexus of priorities for the existing administration around AI, energy infrastructure, critical minerals. And we’re seeing some accelerate through the public funding,” he added. “There are so many amazing technologies and businesses that are going to be forced to go into hibernation mode. Some might shut down altogether, which is an absolute shame because we need these moonshots to be developed as a society.” **Bonus: SF Climate Week on the historic Klamath ferry** It will be hard to top the venue for the Heatmap News event I attended last week. Heatmap [hosted an afternoon of panels](https://info.heatmap.news/heatmap-house-sf-climate-week-2026?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for San Francisco Climate Week in a conference room aboard the [Klamath](https://www.bayareacouncil.org/policy/the-klamath/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a ferry that plied San Francisco Bay in the first half of the 20th Century. Now permanently docked at Pier 9 just off the Embarcadero in San Francisco, the Klamath affords stunning views of San Francisco Bay, the western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and the Financial District skyline. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/IMG_20260423_121457008.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/IMG_20260423_190221499.jpg) The historic Klamath ferry docked at Pier 9 and the Financial District, San Francisco, California. Credit: Justin Gerdes. ### Why does Chris Wright insist on being so wrong on the energy transition? URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-does-chris-wright-insist-on-being-so-wrong-on-the-energy-transition/ Last updated: 2026-04-29T18:30:25.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* If you care about facts and are clear-eyed about the true state of the global energy transition, it can be surreal to listen to Chris Wright speak for the U.S. government at an energy conference. Earlier this month, I listened as Wright, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, addressed a crowd of hundreds of researchers and entrepreneurs at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) annual [Energy Innovation Summit](https://www.arpae-summit.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in San Diego. Among those in the audience were scientists at the nation’s top research universities and the Energy Department’s own national laboratories, as well as leaders from many of the country’s most important energy companies. In other words, people who know what is actually going in global energy markets and policy. And yet, Wright filled his [keynote address](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0P8GT9PVvI&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with easily debunked statements. “Energy, the last five or 10 years, got way off track,” he said. “Energy got politicized. It got swept up in climate alarmism. That we need to change the global energy system immediately. In fact, we need to reduce global energy consumption as soon as possible. This is alarmism.” First, “energy got politicized” is a bit much coming from the man whose orders that uneconomic coal-fired power plants operate past their scheduled retirements – against the wishes of their owners and absent requests from grid operators – have already [cost ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-202c-cost-235m-coal-sierra-club/815045/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). And surely Wright knows that most activists are pushing to reduce global *fossil* energy consumption as soon as possible, not trying to deny people access to energy. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) For Wright, energy abundance is paramount. “Energy is life,” he said. “The absence of energy is poverty, despair, reduced opportunities, and ultimately death. Energy is the most important industry in the world – ever. And it will always be because energy is foundational.” By Wright’s reckoning, coal, oil, fossil gas, and nuclear can be relied upon to support life. Most renewables, especially wind and solar, cannot. “The result has been 10 or 20 years of just massive investment in energy that wasn’t helpful in better energizing the world. It wasn’t helpful in lifting people out of poverty. It wasn’t helpful in expanding access to energy. In fact, I believe it will go down as the greatest malinvestment in history,” he said. “We’ve spent $10 trillion dollars, where we’ve taken dollars and turned them into quarters or dimes or nickels – and in some cases, negative value. We can’t do that as a society. That’s not the way forward.” Under Wright’s way forward, fossil fuels, including coal, are predominant. Speaking before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week, Wright [said](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mjzccxzelc2t?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “I'm pretty confident coal will lead the world in global electricity production when I die.” But renewables already overtook coal as the globe’s largest source of electricity last year, according to [research](https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/global-electricity-review-2026/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the think tank Ember. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/Ember_Renewables-Surpass-Coal_Global-Electricity-Review_April-2026.png) And as Carbon Brief’s Simon Evans [notes](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7452670866775130112/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “solar is set to overtake coal in the early 2030s – and wind soon after,” according to the International Energy Agency. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/1776855192429.jpg) Wright is 61 years old. He might want to reconsider his prediction. **Hypocrisy on the national labs** The perplexing thing about all this is there are plenty of experts working for Wright who could set him straight. He oversees one of the world’s leading [sources of energy information](https://www.eia.gov/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) as well as the globe’s [preeminent network of national energy R&D laboratories](https://www.energy.gov/national-laboratories?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). At the ARPA-E summit, Wright even said he supported the labs. “Most innovation, and certainly commercial application of innovation, is driven by business. It’s not driven by government – although our national labs are true gems and massive, massive players in scientific innovation and AI innovation,” he said during a conversation with AMD Chair and CEO Lisa Su and ARPA-E Director Conner Prochaska. “One of my proudest titles,” he added, “is to be the lead cheerleader for our 17 national labs that have just been massive drivers of innovation.” But actions speak louder than words. And it should not surprise you to learn that the lab most adversely affected by decisions made by Wright and White House budget director Russell Vought is the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. Wright purged “renewable” from the facility’s name by rechristening it the “National Laboratory of the Rockies.” It gets worse. There have been [two rounds of layoffs at the lab](https://www.cpr.org/2026/02/09/nrel-layoffs-2026/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) during Trump 2.0, with nearly 250 researchers and scientists losing their jobs. The lab is also [planning to remove wind turbines installed at its Flatiron Campus](https://www.cpr.org/2026/04/15/national-lab-of-the-rockies-nrel-wind-turbines-removed/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) testing facility, Colorado Public Radio’s Sam Brasch reported earlier this month. And then there are the budget cuts proposed by Vought. The Trump administration wants “[sweeping cuts](https://www.pv-tech.org/us-doe-proposes-52-cut-to-national-laboratory-of-the-rockies-funding/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)” at the national labs, PV Tech’s Will Norman reported on April 13. “The DOE issued its [Budget Justification](https://www.energy.gov/cfo/articles/fy-2027-budget-justification?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) proposal for the financial year (FY) 2027 last week, which included a roughly $264 million cut to the National Laboratory of the Rockies’ budget, representing a 52% reduction in its overall funding. It also proposed cuts to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of roughly 20%, and similar cuts to the Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest and Argonne National Laboratories,” he writes. Across Wright’s department,“The portion of the budget not related to defense would be reduced 16.5 percent, to $12.5 billion, with major cuts to funding for renewable energy research,” [writes](https://insideclimatenews.org/news/23042026/energy-department-budget-renewable-energy-cuts/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Inside Climate News’ Gabriel Matias Castilho. Why does Chris Wright insist on being so wrong about the energy transition? Why is he allowing his department, including the “true gems,” the national labs, to [be dismantled before his eyes](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/chris-wright-is-allowing-the-department-of-energy-to-be-dismantled-before-his-eyes/)? Why is he and the rest of the Trump administration [waging a war against wind and solar power](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/)? Perhaps it's as simple as Wright showing loyalty to the oil and gas industry he worked in for decades and the administration doing the bidding of some of its biggest fossil fuel donors. Whatever the reason, at a time when [Trump's Iran war is driving politicians and consumers to embrace clean energy](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-iran-war-is-driving-politicians-and-consumers-to-embrace-clean-energy/), the U.S. has never seemed so isolated and adrift. Wright thinks the clean energy transition is the “the greatest malinvestment in history.” The rest of the world is coming to see it as the future. ### Share Quitting Carbon stories - and suggest your own URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/share-quitting-carbon-stories-and-suggest-your-own/ Last updated: 2026-04-23T15:30:49.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% reader-supported publication. Support independent energy journalism by* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* I have a jam-packed schedule this week – including attending events for [San Francisco Climate Week](https://info.heatmap.news/heatmap-house-sf-climate-week-2026?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – so there's no new story today. I'll be back in your inbox next week with more reporting and analysis on the energy transition. Instead, I have a quick update on how to spread the word about Quitting Carbon's journalism, and a request for you to help shape what you read here going forward. **It's easier to share Quitting Carbon stories** The developers at [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the platform that hosts this newsletter and website, just made it *much* easier to share what you read here. If you read Quitting Carbon stories at the [website](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/), just look for the "Share" button at the top of each post: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/Quitting-Carbon_share-button-1.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/Quitting-Carbon_share-button_pop-up-window.png) Inside the newsletter, just look for the "Share" icon below each story: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/Quitting-Carbon_share-button_newsletter.png) 💡 ****Is there a story you'd like to see at Quitting Carbon?** Many of you who [subscribe to this newsletter](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) work on energy or climate issues for companies and nonprofit organizations or in government or academia. I have much to learn from all of you. If there are topics you'd like to see covered at Quitting Carbon, let me know. And if you have an idea for a story you'd love to see in print, please get in touch. Send suggestions, story ideas, or feedback to: justingerdes@gmail.com or on Signal: JustinGerdes.85\. I can't wait to hear from you. Thank you! **Bonus: Earth Day** > A rainbow on display in my neighborhood in Concord, California, last night ... #EarthDay > > — [Justin Gerdes (@justingerdes.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dw4r3ezs6vu7wkfqo2lczddn?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [2026-04-22T16:30:06.893Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dw4r3ezs6vu7wkfqo2lczddn/post/3mk3w7r4bhk2w?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) With gratitude, Justin ### What I’m reading: Trump's Iran war and the energy transition, getting more out of the existing grid, research roundup, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-trumps-iran-war-and-the-energy-transition-getting-more-out-of-the-existing-grid-research-roundup-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-04-17T18:30:12.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% reader-supported publication. Support independent energy journalism by* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* **Trump’s Iran war and the clean energy transition** In the column I published last week, I [wrote](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-iran-war-is-driving-politicians-and-consumers-to-embrace-clean-energy/): “The irony will be lost on Donald Trump, but the fallout from his calamitous war of choice in Iran could be what pushes many world leaders and households to turn against fossil fuels for good.” Let’s check in on how that prediction looks. Australia [set an electric vehicles sales record in March](https://thedriven.io/2026/04/07/ev-sales-hit-record-high-in-march-amid-fuel-price-hikes-byd-overtakes-tesla-again/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [as did the UK](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4527980/uk-electric-car-sales-surge-best-march?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In Germany, [EVs overtook petrol models in new car registrations](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/electric-car-registrations-ahead-petrol-models-germany?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) last month. The EV sales surge is set to continue. In Australia, evidence of momentum building includes “a more than doubling in interest in online searches, a doubling in queries about leasing and insurance, a surge in second hand sales, and what appears to be a record backlog of EV orders,” [writes Renew Economy’s Giles Parkinson](https://thedriven.io/2026/04/08/is-australias-ev-sales-surge-a-one-off-or-a-structural-shift-the-clue-is-in-the-order-backlog/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Back in Europe, “the rapid increase in fossil fuel prices in Germany and many other countries due to the war against Iran has pushed the cost advantage of driving electric vehicles over combustion engine cars to a record high,” [writes Clean Energy Wire’s Benjamin Wehrmann](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/oil-price-hike-gives-evs-biggest-ever-cost-advantage-over-petrol-diesel-cars-analysis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In response to rising energy prices, “a majority of Germans want the country to accelerate a path that makes it less dependent on energy imports and supports the expansion of renewables as a crucial measure, several surveys from the energy industry have shown,” [reports Wehrmann’s colleague Julian Wettengel](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germans-want-energy-independence-see-energy-transition-solution-surveys?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Such a path is exactly what French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu outlined in a national electrification plan announced last week. “The plan centres on expanding domestic electricity use, drawing on France’s nuclear fleet and scaling up renewables,” [reports Euractiv’s Florent Servia](https://www.euractiv.com/news/france-unveils-electrification-plan-to-cut-fossil-fuel-dependence/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Housing is a central pillar of the plan,” he adds. “A ban on gas boilers in new buildings will take effect at the end of 2026, as the government pushes to make electric heating the default.” “As economies in Asia and Europe reel, leaders make plans to replace imported oil and gas with homegrown energy,” the Washington Post’s Evan Halper [reported last week](https://wapo.st/47WumfN?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Such plans are music to the ears of China’s leaders. “The ongoing global energy crisis has highlighted the risks of heavy dependence on fossil fuel imports, prompting an urgent need for countries to rethink their energy security strategies and accelerate the transition to renewable energy,” Liu Zhenmin, China's special envoy for climate change, [said during a recent interview with Xinhua](https://english.news.cn/20260412/c1d5574d20d54219ac3ab46a9e43e5cd/c.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the country’s state news agency. As the world’s dominant supplier of solar panels, EVs, and batteries, China happens to be ideally positioned to meet other countries’ demand for clean energy technologies. In the wake of Trump’s war in Iran, its [battery exports are soaring](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-14/china-s-battery-exports-surge-as-war-drives-energy-supply-crunch?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). As the author and activist Bill McKibben [put it](https://billmckibben.substack.com/p/oil-and-gasperil-and-poverty-solar): “Donald Trump has managed to break the two-century-old grip of fossil fuel on the human imagination.” **Getting more out of the existing grid** Virginia Democrats were primed to pass legislation to advance their energy and climate priorities once the party won control of the General Assembly and the governor’s mansion in the November 2025 election. The state’s Democratic trifecta has led to the passage of a [flurry of such bills](https://www.aceee.org/blog-post/2026/04/virginia-ramps-efficiency-efforts-address-energy-affordability-challenges?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), including a “[first-in-the nation](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/transmission/virginia-to-utilities-do-more-existing-power-grid?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)” law ([HB 434](https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB434?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) that will require the state’s investor-owned utilities to take steps to get more out of the existing power grid. The so-called “grid utilization” law “will require the state’s two major vertically integrated utilities to provide detailed distribution grid utilization data to state regulators this year and propose initiatives to use more existing capacity,” [reports Utility Dive’s Brian Martucci](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/virginia-grid-utilization-bill-dominion/816888/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Colorado lawmakers [sent a similar piece of legislation](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/colorado-advanced-transmission-technology-gets-bill/817545/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) ([HB 26-1081](https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/HB26-1081?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) to the desk of Governor Jared Polis (D) on Tuesday. According to Martucci’s colleague, Ethan Howland, “As of March 3, 16 states had some form of [advanced transmission technology requirements](http://www.climatepolicydashboard.org/policies/electricity/transmission-atts-gets?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and two were considering them.” “Improving grid utilization to get more out of the grid we already have is a low-cost, near-term way to expand available supply, meet growing demand, spread fixed costs across more electricity sales, and put downward pressure on bills for households and businesses,” [said](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/virginia-grid-utilization-bill-dominion/816888/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=households%20and%20businesses%2C%E2%80%9D-,Dennis%20said,-.) Jeff Dennis, executive director of the Electricity Customer Alliance, in a statement. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. 💡 ****Research roundup** Here’s another roundup of noteworthy reports and studies you might have missed: **“The new twin fossil shock”** How does the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, as triggered by the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, compare with the oil shocks of the 1970s? And will these more recent oil shocks permanently alter the trajectory of the global energy transition? “The parallels with the 1970s oil shocks are striking. But so too is the difference,” write researchers from the energy think tank Ember in a [report](https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-new-twin-fossil-shock/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published Tuesday. “For the first time, there are scalable, cost-competitive alternatives. Solar, wind, batteries, EVs and other electrotech offer a permanent route out of fossil dependence,” they add. “The shock has jolted the electric age forward. But the response is a choice: lean into local, electric security, or reach back to the old fossil playbook.” **Solar and wind growth prevent a surge in fossil power generation post-Hormuz closure** Contrary to much speculation by energy industry analysts, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has not yet caused a surge in global fossil fuel power generation, according to [research](https://energyandcleanair.org/fossil-power-fell-in-march-after-hormuz-blockade/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published Tuesday by Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. “Global power generation from fossil fuels fell in the first month since the start of the Hormuz closure, with the fall in gas-fired generation offset by large increases in solar and wind power, rather than coal,” he writes. “Total power generation from fossil fuels in countries with near-real-time data fell 1% year-on-year, with coal-fired generation flat and gas-fired generation falling 4%.” “The largest and most direct impact of the high fossil fuel prices will be [accelerated sales](https://www.euronews.com/2026/03/31/iran-war-sparks-renewables-boom-as-europeans-rush-to-buy-solar-heat-pumps-and-evs%5C?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of clean energy technologies such as solar, EVs, and heat pumps directly to consumers, bypassing slower-moving government and utility decision-making,” concludes Myllyvirta. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/CREA_image-33_April-2026.png) **Solar power is slashing Europe’s gas imports bill** The solar deployed in Europe is already saving the continent more than €110 million ($129.7 million) daily in avoided fossil gas imports during the war in Iran, according to SolarPower Europe. “The EU saved 111.7 million EUR every day in the first 17 days of the Middle East conflict,” according to [research](https://www.solarpowereurope.org/press-releases/new-research-solar-power-saving-europe-more-than-110-million-a-day-since-middle-east-conflict-began?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published by the trade association on April 1\. “In the same period, solar has reduced the overall gas import bill by 32%.” SolarPower Europe finds the total savings from solar in March came to €3.77 billion and could reach nearly €67 billion for the year if gas prices surge. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-02-114132.png) **Grid bottlenecks threaten renewables growth in Europe** The next wave of solar and wind deployment in Europe could be at risk, however, unless grid constraints are cleared, finds a new Ember [report](https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/europe-risks-leaving-more-than-120-gw-of-planned-renewables-stranded-grid-capacity-data-reveals/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Grid bottlenecks put at risk over 120 GW of anticipated renewables across 20 EU countries,” according to the think tank. “As Europe faces its second fossil price shock in four years, barriers to rapid renewable rollout are a matter of urgency. One in every two grid operators has insufficient grid capacity to connect planned new wind and solar.” “Grids will determine the success of Europe’s mission to wean itself off imported fuels and expand its industrial base. Grid readiness is now an indicator of economic readiness, not a technical afterthought. Ambitions alone cannot move electrons,” [says](https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/crossed-wires-grid-capacity-could-block-eu-energy-security/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Elisabeth Cremona, senior energy analyst, Europe, Ember. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-15-151943.png) **Heat pumps provide big savings for electric-resistance homes** Tens of millions of U.S. households still heat their homes or water with electric resistance technologies when much more efficient [heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/) could do the job better at lower cost. “Today’s modern heat pumps for space and water heating are roughly three times more efficient than resistance heating, delivering immediate bill savings for households while reducing peak demand on the grid and cutting carbon pollution,” [write](https://rmi.org/lower-bills-better-grids-heat-pump-benefits-for-electric-resistance-heated-homes/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Ryan Shea and Rachel Golden, researchers with the Carbon-Free Buildings team at the RMI think tank. “Using RMI’s [Green Upgrade Calculator](https://greenup.rmi.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com),” they write, “we found that single-family electric resistance households in the United States could save an average of $1,530 per year – and nearly $23,000 over the equipment’s fifteen year lifetime – by upgrading to heat pumps for space and water heating.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/RMI_heat-pump-annual-energy-bill-savings-for-electric-resistance-single-unit-households.png) **Gas utility bills are rising faster than electric bills** The impact of [surging electricity rates on bills](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/) garners significantly more media coverage but a new [report](https://buildingdecarb.org/bdc-report-gas-utility-bills-rose-4x-faster-than-inflation-in-2025?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) finds that fossil gas utility bills are rising even faster and “are a hidden driver behind America’s energy affordability crisis.” The Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC) report finds that: - In 2025, gas bills rose 60% faster than electric bills and four times faster than inflation. - About two-thirds of a typical household’s gas bill now goes toward pipeline replacements and other distribution infrastructure investments, rather than the gas itself. - Gas utility spending on distribution infrastructure has more than tripled since 2010, and if utilities had not accelerated this spending, their customers would have saved $130 billion ($1,723 per gas household). - Each year of accelerated gas utility spending adds at least $40 billion in excess lifetime costs for ratepayers. “The tens of billions of dollars that utilities spend each year on gas pipeline replacements and other infrastructure investments, not volatile gas prices, are the main reason why gas utility bills rose much faster than inflation in 2025,” said Kristin George Bagdanov, associate director of research at BDC, in a statement. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/BDC_CPI-12-Month-Dec-2025-Grey-Background-Padded_April-2026.png) **Utilities plan to spend $1.4 trillion on the grid through 2030** As I’ve written here at Quitting Carbon, [soaring electricity rates threaten climate action](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/). Households may balk at joining the energy transition unless policymakers act to rein in electricity rate increases. Under current trends, households won’t find relief anytime soon. In a [report](https://powerlines.org/utilities-are-planning-to-spend-1-4-trillion-on-capital-expenditures-through-2030-as-utility-bills-rise-study-finds/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published Tuesday, PowerLines, a nonpartisan consumer education nonprofit organization, “found that investor-owned utilities are planning to spend at least $1.4 trillion over the next five years through 2030 on capital expenditures (CapEx) – a more than 21% increase over the $1.1 trillion over a five-year period outlined last year.” “Investor-owned utilities are signaling a record-breaking wave of capital spending, and history shows that those plans are often a leading indicator of future utility rate increase requests,” said Charles Hua, founder and executive director, PowerLines, said in a statement. “Our century-old utility regulatory system has accelerated the size of the pie of utility capital spending, even when more cost-effective solutions that could lower consumers’ utility bills are available yet underdeployed.” **Bonus: Watching my Padres at Petco Park** In [my last roundup](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-chinas-e-truck-boom-uk-to-require-solar-and-heat-pumps-in-new-homes-state-building-energy-codes-threatened-and-more/), I mentioned I would be flying down to San Diego to attend the [ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit](https://www.arpae-summit.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – watch for coverage of the conference in the coming weeks. After the summit concluded, I stayed on for a few days to watch my beloved Padres play at Petco Park – and was rewarded with back-to-back walk-off victories! Petco is not the most beautiful ballpark in Major League Baseball – that honor goes to PNC Park in Pittsburgh – but it is close. Embedded in a walkable downtown neighborhood, surrounded by great restaurants and breweries (don't miss [East Village Brewing](https://eastvillagebrew.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)!), you can't beat the setting. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/Petco-Park_Field-view.jpg) Petco Park, East Village, San Diego, California. Credit: Justin Gerdes. Whenever I visit Petco, I always take a moment to pay tribute to the franchise's all-time great, the Hall of Famer and my favorite baseball player, the late Tony Gwynn. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/Petco-Park_Tony-Gwynn-statue.jpg) A special place for every Padres fan, the statue honoring Tony Gwynn, located just beyond the center field wall in Gallagher Square, Petco Park. Credit: Justin Gerdes. ### Trump’s Iran war is driving politicians and consumers to embrace clean energy URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-iran-war-is-driving-politicians-and-consumers-to-embrace-clean-energy/ Last updated: 2026-04-07T15:00:31.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* The irony will be lost on Donald Trump, but the fallout from his calamitous war of choice in Iran could be what pushes many world leaders and households to turn against fossil fuels for good. Consumers are already [feeling the pinch](https://unctad.org/news/hormuz-disruption-deepens-global-economic-strain-across-trade-prices-and-finance?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) because of Trump’s “excursion” in Iran. Soaring oil and fossil gas prices [cost households and businesses worldwide an additional $104.2 to $111.6bn](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4527688/study-iran-war-energy-crisis-loads-usd100bn-additional-costs-households-businesses?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) over the war’s first month, according to research published last week by the campaign group 350.org. Consumers shouldn’t expect relief anytime soon. “The sharp end of the spear for the global economy is the spike in the cost of jet fuel, which has more than doubled in the month since the war began to [more than $195 a barrel](https://www.iata.org/en/publications/economics/fuel-monitor/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) as a global average,” Foreign Policy’s Keith Johnson [wrote last Friday](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/03/jet-fuel-prices-energy-crisis-iran-war-oil-trump/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). That spike is showing up not just in [higher fares](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/airlines-begin-hike-fares-due-higher-fuel-prices-shares-stabilise-2026-03-10/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [checked bag fees](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/travel/jetblue-checked-bag-fees.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for commercial flights but will soon be reflected in the prices of goods carried in the cargo holds of those flights, too. [Soaring prices and fuel shortages](https://www.iea.org/topics/the-middle-east-and-global-energy-markets?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [have spooked politicians](https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/2026-energy-crisis-policy-response-tracker?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), especially leaders whose economies are overly dependent on imported fossil fuels. “Right now, there is chaos worldwide due to energy issues. Frankly, the situation is so serious that I cannot sleep. South Korea must swiftly transition to renewable energy,” South Korean President Lee Jae Myung [said at a town hall](https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/03/31/Q2VWXIACIVBRZA27NBTDY3DQQY/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on a university campus on March 30. He added, “Relying on fossil energy is extremely dangerous for the future. We do not produce these resources ourselves, and chasing imports has led to the current crisis.” His remedies for Trump’s energy crisis? Homegrown clean energy and climate solutions. “We should quickly transition to electric vehicles, switch heating to heat pumps, and accelerate the use of abundant wind energy,” he said. **Consumers are ditching fossil fuels** Indeed, amid the fallout of Trump’s energy shock, the ground is already shifting under our feet. Last week, the German Heat Pump Association projected that heat pump sales in the country would increase 10% this year to reach 330,000 units, with similar growth expected in the coming years, [Clean Energy Wire reported](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/heat-pump-sector-dampens-expectations-market-development-despite-10-growth?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The association has seen considerable interest in heat pumps among homeowners, but [said it expected](https://www.waermepumpe.de/fileadmin/user%5Fupload/2026-03-30%5FBWP-Branchenstudie%5F2026%5Ffinal.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) demand to fall short of the actual potential, as debate surrounding Germany's plans for the future of clean heating generate significant uncertainty,” writes Edgar Meza. But because of Trump’s war in Iran, those projections are likely already out of date. Consumer sentiment is simply moving too fast. Consider the UK, where electricity provider [Octopus Energy](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-chinas-e-truck-boom-uk-to-require-solar-and-heat-pumps-in-new-homes-state-building-energy-codes-threatened-and-more/#:~:text=Data%20from%20electricity%20supplier%20Octopus%20Energy%20backs%20Rosenow%27s%20position.) reports that its customers are scrambling to buy products that don’t burn fossil fuels. “People in Britain want energy security that doesn't depend on what's happening thousands of miles away,” the company [posted](https://bsky.app/profile/octopus.energy/post/3migg3rp3gk2k?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on Bluesky on April 1. “As the Middle East conflict continues to shake the world – people are asking us about solar, heat pumps and electric cars in record numbers. Solar sales up 54%. Heat pumps up 51%. EV leasing up 36%. Battery installations nearly doubled,” it [added](https://bsky.app/profile/octopus.energy/post/3migg3tf3x22k?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Clean energy and electric tech are becoming the obvious choice for Britain: not just because it's the right thing for the planet. Because it makes financial sense, and the product is simply better,” the company [concluded](https://bsky.app/profile/octopus.energy/post/3migg3tf4wc2k?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Referencing how consumer preferences changed as a result of the oil crises of the 1970s, the company [said](https://bsky.app/profile/octopus.energy/post/3migg3tf5vk2k?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): “The Financial Times likened it this week to Americans swapping their Cadillacs for Fords in 1973 – and despite everything going on in the world right now, the point stands: people make smarter choices when the old ones stop making sense.” [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) The last anecdote is especially apt as sticker shock at the pump has households everywhere looking to [ditch their gas-guzzlers for EVs](https://thedriven.io/2026/04/07/ev-sales-hit-record-high-in-march-amid-fuel-price-hikes-byd-overtakes-tesla-again/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In the U.S., where Republicans terminated the federal tax credit for EVs last year, consumers “are finding that used EVs are more attractively priced than ever – and are snapping the cars up as a result,” Canary Media’s Jeff St. John [reported last week](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/electric-vehicles/used-evs-are-bargain-buyers-noticing?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). It’s a similar story in Europe, reports Jaap Burger of the Regulatory Assistance Project. “Interest in second-hand electric cars is growing in many markets, including Romania, Portugal and other countries,” he [wrote at Bluesky last week](https://bsky.app/profile/jaapburger.eu/post/3mikzsaskik2j?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Used EV sales in March were [up 48% in the Netherlands](https://bsky.app/profile/jaapburger.eu/post/3mikztxxb722j?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [47% in France](https://bsky.app/profile/jaapburger.eu/post/3mikzv6zg3c2j?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and [51% in Sweden](https://bsky.app/profile/jaapburger.eu/post/3mikzwcudas2j?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Used car sales are going up faster because they are available immediately, unlike new cars which can have lead times of around three months,” [Burger said](https://bsky.app/profile/jaapburger.eu/post/3mil235xglk2j?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Drivers of cheaper, used cars are also more sensitive to price surges at the pump.” “Many Europeans were slowly warming up to the idea of an EV as the car to buy in five to ten years, but the current energy shock is turning that into the car to buy next month,” [he concluded](https://bsky.app/profile/jaapburger.eu/post/3mil24adsis2j?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Quitting carbon for good** Even if the Trump administration and the Iranian regime announced a deal to end the war today, it won’t be possible to return to the world as it existed before the first U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on February 28. Nor should we want to. That world, we see all too clearly now, was fragile, vulnerable, and still far too reliant on dirty and expensive imported fossil fuels. But unlike during the oil shocks of the 1970s, energy users today can free themselves from that dependence. How fitting that a president who so slavishly does the bidding of the oil and gas industry launched a war of choice that is prompting consumers around the world to abandon his benefactors’ products. ### What I’m reading: China's e-truck boom, UK to require solar and heat pumps in new homes, state building energy codes threatened, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-chinas-e-truck-boom-uk-to-require-solar-and-heat-pumps-in-new-homes-state-building-energy-codes-threatened-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T18:35:14.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% reader-supported publication. Support independent energy journalism by* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another roundup of highlights from what I’ve been reading. I’ll be in San Diego next week for ARPA-E's [Energy Innovation Summit](https://www.arpae-summit.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). If you'll be there, too, find me to say hello or grab coffee. Thanks, as always, for reading. **China’s e-truck boom** In a recent roundup, I wrote about the “[tectonic shift underway](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-chinas-ev-dominance-fast-tracking-heat-pumps-and-plug-in-solar-in-california-research-roundup-and-more/#:~:text=always%2C%20for%20reading.-,China%27s%20EV%20dominance,-Just%20how%20completely)” because of China’s EV initiative. Most coverage of China’s electric vehicles boom focuses on passenger cars. For good reason, EVs now comprise half the new vehicle market in China and [exports](https://www.reuters.com/markets/china-tightens-clean-tech-grip-with-growing-ev-export-reach-2026-02-06/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to Southeast Asia, [Latin America](https://insideevs.com/news/783051/chinese-ev-export-numbers-2025/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [Australia](https://thedriven.io/2026/04/02/tipping-point-tesla-sales-surge-ev-registrations-up-sharply-as-australian-drivers-go-electric/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [Africa](https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/markets/chinese-carmaker-targets-south-african-market-with-new-ev-facility-by-end-of-2027/fmkgv5d?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and [Europe](https://rhg.com/research/dont-stop-me-now-chinese-cars-are-having-a-good-time-in-europe/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) are [surging](https://www.scmp.com/business/china-evs/article/3348561/middle-east-oil-shock-jolts-ev-demand-putting-chinese-exports-fast-lane?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). But equally remarkable is the J-shaped rollout of electric heavy-duty trucks in the country. “Almost 30% of new heavy trucks sold in China last year were new-energy models, compared to Europe’s 4%, while sales in California – the leading US e-truck market – remains in the hundreds, according to Rystad Energy,” [writes Semafor’s Xiaoying You](https://www.semafor.com/newsletter/03/31/2026/semafor-energy-new-lng-frontiers?utm%5Fsource=nowshare&utm%5Fmedium=net+zero&utm%5Fcampaign=flagshipnumbered5#h). China’s rapid adoption of e-trucks “leaves the rest of the world in the dust,” Pei Zhao, a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, [told You](https://www.semafor.com/article/03/31/2026/chinas-next-ev-boom-trucks?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Truck makers, benefiting from a huge domestic market and tight-knit supply chains, are expanding as far afield as South Africa and Europe. This shift has far-reaching consequences for China, the world’s biggest fossil fuel importer: By 2030, the rollout of e-trucks is projected to lead to a 20% drop in Chinese diesel demand,” she writes. **Renewable energy is a competitive advantage – part II** In a [roundup published last summer](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-socal-regulators-vote-on-landmark-zero-emission-appliance-rules-renewable-energy-is-a-competitive-advantage-offshore-winds-added-value-and-more/#:~:text=spam.%20Unsubscribe%20anytime.-,Renewable%20energy%20is%20a%20competitive%20advantage,-For%20more%20than), I wrote about how the availability of cheap, plentiful renewable electricity was sparking a rebirth of industry in South Australia, [one of the world’s leading clean energy economies](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-energy-innovation-down-under-offshore-wind-updates-find-an-electrification-contractor-and-more/#:~:text=Long%2Dduration%20storage), as large energy users flocked to the state. Wind and solar projects supply about 75% of the annual electricity demand in South Australia, which is on pace to meet its [target of 100% net renewables by the end of next year](https://premier.sa.gov.au/media-releases/news-archive/new-target-for-renewables?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). A new [report](https://electranet.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Electranet-2026-TAPR.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the state transmission company ElectraNet documents how this clean energy boom is building momentum for more renewables deployment and economic growth. “Peak demand in South Australia is expected to double over the next 15 years as industry flocks to the state, attracted by its high level of renewables and its unique status as the world’s first gigawatt-scale grid to reach 100 per cent net renewables,” [writes](https://reneweconomy.com.au/peak-load-is-expected-to-double-as-industries-flock-to-australias-world-first-100-pct-renewables-grid/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Giles Parkinson at Renew Economy. ElectraNet says the state “is on the verge of a ‘once-in-a-generation’ economic growth opportunity, underpinned by low cost, reliable and green grid,” he adds. “South Australia is facing a jobs boom as industries seek to access the state’s unique combination of valuable minerals and world-class wind and solar renewable energy. As industries such as mining, steelmaking, defence and AI expand, the demand for electricity in the state is set to grow significantly,” ElectraNet CEO Simon Emms [said in a statement](https://electranet.com.au/news/sas-electricity-demand-to-double-driven-by-once-in-a-generation-economic-opportunity/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **UK to require solar, heat pumps in most new homes** In my last roundup, I mentioned that the UK's Labour government [would soon unveil its long-awaited plan to decarbonize new homes](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-why-we-need-offshore-wind-cubas-solar-revolution-research-roundup-and-more/#:~:text=On%20Tuesday%2C%20Politico%E2%80%99s%20Charlie%20Cooper%20reported%20that%20the%20Labour%20government%20%E2%80%9Cis%20expected%20to%20publish%20a%20long%2Dawaited%20plan%20to%20decarbonize%20new%20homes%20%5Bthe%20Future%20Homes%20Standard%5D%20next%20week%2C%20with%20ministers%20set%20to%20mandate%20low%2Dcarbon%20heating%20for%20all%20new%2Dbuilds%20and%20solar%20panels%20on%20the%20vast%20majority.%E2%80%9D). That plan, the [Future Homes and Buildings Standard](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-future-homes-and-buildings-standards-building-circular-012026/the-future-homes-and-buildings-standards-building-circular-012026-letter?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), was released last Tuesday. Under the regulations, “most newly built homes will come equipped with solar panels and heat pumps from March 2028,” [reports](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/24/ministers-delay-new-rules-for-low-carbon-housing-in-england?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the Guardian’s Fiona Harvey. “Homes built from 2028 will produce 75% less greenhouse gas emissions than those built according to existing 2013 standards.” Harvey notes, however, that the new rules were expected to take effect next year. University of Oxford energy expert Jan Rosenow blasted the delay. “It is outrageous that people will be buying homes that are expensively heated with gas when we have perfectly good technology – heat pumps – that can be installed instead,” he told Harvey. “Another two years of this really should not be happening. We are in a war, and a most severe energy crisis, and it would be perfectly easy to ensure all new homes have heat pumps now.” [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Data from electricity supplier Octopus Energy backs Rosenow's position. “Octopus Energy has launched a new [website](https://octopus.energy/cosy-heat-pump-performance/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) displaying both the current and year-long data from every one of its Cosy heat pumps, in what the UK's largest energy provider by customer numbers has touted as a direct challenge to those who are sceptical about the efficacy of green heating technologies,” BusinessGreen's Stuart Stone [reported last month](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4527203/heat-pumps-cost-run-octopus-launches-dashboard-track-installed-heat-pumps?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The most recent data at the [Cosy Heat Pump Fleet Performance Dashboard](https://octopus.energy/cosy-heat-pump-performance/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “shows that at April 2026 tariff rates, 92% of Cosy heat pump customers can heat their home cheaper than with a gas boiler,” according to Octopus Energy. The company says that heat pump customers “on our Cosy Octopus tariff saved on average £213 \[$282\] per year vs a gas boiler.” **State building energy codes threatened** Many U.S. states [peg their building energy codes](https://database.aceee.org/state/buildings-summary?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to versions of the model codes developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (for commercial and large multi-family residential buildings) and the International Energy Conservation Code (for small residential buildings). The codes [establish minimum standards](https://www.aceee.org/topic/building-policies?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which are generally strengthened every three years. I say generally because the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a nonprofit research organization, warns that a new proposal from International Codes Council, the body that develops the IECC, threatens to weaken state and local building energy codes going forward. “The organization’s [draft scope and intent (S&I)](https://2023701800.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/ICC-CS%5FAETECHNICALSERVICESGROUP/IQCX3BTGrQ00Q6sxQe-PiBEgAWTuEkewh8P6G9vgKRBfsew?xsdata=MDV8MDJ8bnJvcGVyQGFjZWVlLm9yZ3w3NjliMTNkMDI0ODY0NzcwNWE4NTA4ZGU4ZjVkNzkzZXxkMzE3Y2VmMTIzZDU0NzJiYjhkMjE0NDc4ZjhiZGYyN3wwfDB8NjM5MTA1ODI4ODEyODI2MzAyfFVua25vd258VFdGcGJHWnNiM2Q4ZXlKRmJYQjBlVTFoY0draU9uUnlkV1VzSWxZaU9pSXdMakF1TURBd01DSXNJbEFpT2lKWGFXNHpNaUlzSWtGT0lqb2lUV0ZwYkNJc0lsZFVJam95ZlE9PXwwfHx8&sdata=Smdub3RrRS9POGR5Skp6bE9wQjY3VWdaUytrQXlTUktSSTRBT2x4N1BCQT0%3d&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) document for the 2030 IECC would allow efficiency requirements to stagnate – or even weaken – raising long-term energy costs for families and businesses, increasing vulnerability to future energy price volatility, and setting a precedent for future cycles,” [writes](https://www.aceee.org/blog-post/2026/03/building-energy-codes-could-weaken-under-new-plan-raising-bills?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Skye Gruen, ACEEE’s senior manager, buildings program and director of the National Energy Codes Collaborative. “Buildings built under these codes will be occupied for decades,” she adds, “so decisions made in this cycle will shape energy costs for the people who live and work in them for years to come.” ACEEE [cites](https://www.aceee.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/building%5Fenergy%5Fcodes%5Fmake%5Fhomes%5Fmore%5Faffordable%5F0.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) federal research finding that “a typical household would save a net of $15,000 from a house built to the 2021 IECC compared to one built to the 2009 code.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/04/ACEEE_Costs-and-Benefits-for-2021-IECC-vs-2009-IECC_PNNL.png) [Credit](https://www.aceee.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/building%5Fenergy%5Fcodes%5Fmake%5Fhomes%5Fmore%5Faffordable%5F0.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): ACEEE. Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP), a Massachusetts-based non-profit, is likewise concerned about the changes proposed for the 2030 IECC. Specifically, NEEP cautions against the floated two-track framework: one code would focus on minimum requirements, the other on advanced measures such as electric-ready and net-zero provisions. “A divided structure introduces additional complexity, creates uncertainty for state and local adoption, and makes it harder to ensure that forward‑looking measures remain accessible and consistently applied,” [writes](https://neep.org/blog/ieccs-future-and-its-impact-affordability?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) NEEP's Dragana Thibault. “A cohesive code also supports the long-standing expectation that each new edition of the IECC represents steady progress in building performance and affordability. States, agencies, and practitioners rely on this continuity to conduct cost-benefit analysis, plan implementation, and maintain alignment across jurisdictions." [Chip in to support Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support) **Bonus: Drink beer, capture carbon** It’s not often that two of my passions – climate protection and craft beer – come together in the same story. Almanac Beer Company recently launched Flow – Clean Air Edition, a West Coast Pale Ale, a brew it [says](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aircapture-and-almanac-beer-co-launch-worlds-first-commercial-beer-carbonated-with-co-captured-from-the-atmosphere-with-direct-air-capture-302722380.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) is “the world's first beer carbonated using CO₂ captured from the atmosphere through onsite Direct Air Capture.” “We’re literally taking carbon out of the environment. It’s pretty surreal and amazing,” Damian Fagan, the head of the Almanac Beer Company, [told The New York Times’ Rachel Nuwer](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/climate/beer-carbon-capture.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Almanac installed a modular DAC unit from the startup [Aircapture](https://aircapture.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at its brewery in Alameda, California, located not far from where I live in Concord, to pull carbon dioxide from ambient air for use in the brewing process. Aircapture’s DAC units, which capture 100 to 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, aren’t just a more reliable onsite source of CO2, they will save breweries money. “Liquid carbon dioxide purchased through Aircapture is 15 to 20 percent cheaper than conventional commercial products. That adds up to tens of thousands of dollars in savings over the year,” Fagan told Nuwer. “We’re a small local business, and this is already making a real impact.” “The fact that this is better for the environment is a great side benefit,” he said. ### This California electricity provider is all-in on virtual power plants URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-california-electricity-provider-is-all-in-on-virtual-power-plants/ Last updated: 2026-03-30T21:11:07.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% reader-supported publication. Support independent energy journalism by* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Virtual power plants continue to be one of the buzziest energy industry obsessions. For good reason. It can take many months or years to build one-off utility-scale power plants at a central location such as a nuclear reactor, solar farm, or offshore wind project. Virtual power plants (VPPs), on the other hand, can replicate the scale of these projects much faster by aggregating energy technologies connected virtually and operating in many homes or businesses. Controlled by software, solar panels, EV chargers, battery energy storage systems, heat pumps, smart thermostats, and other distributed energy technologies can be synced up to send power to, or reduce demand on, the grid as needed. CPower, Sunrun, Uplight, and Voltus are among the many companies jockeying to operate virtual power plants in the U.S. But public sector players see a role for themselves in the space, too. It turns out that one of the leading public sector VPP operators is in my own backyard. MCE (formerly Marin Clean Energy) is a not-for-profit public agency that provides electricity to 1.8 million residents and businesses across Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano counties in Northern California. MCE is what we call a "[community choice aggregator](https://cal-cca.org/powered/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)" (CCA) here in California. The lingo can be confusing but it's really quite simple – using my own experience as an example. I live in Contra Costa County and am a customer of both Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and MCE. PG&E operates the poles and wires and sends me a monthly bill; MCE procures, or builds projects to supply, the electricity my home draws from the grid. MCE will soon launch an expanded virtual power plant program across its service territory called [VPP-FLEX](https://www.grants.ca.gov/grants/gfo-23-309-virtual-power-plant-approaches-for-demand-flexibility-vpp-flex/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). This comes after it [initiated a successful VPP pilot](https://mcecleanenergy.org/mce-unveils-plans-for-virtual-power-plant-to-benefit-disadvantaged-richmond-residents-and-businesses/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) encompassing more than 100 homes and businesses in Richmond, California. I [wrote about that project](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-what-it-will-take-to-unlock-the-potential-of-advanced-energy-communities/), and the three others supported by grants from the California Energy Commission's Advanced Energy Community program, last month. I recently spoke with [Sam Irvine](https://www.linkedin.com/in/irvinesamuel?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a senior strategic initiatives manager with MCE, to learn more about why the agency is so eager to scale up VPPs in the communities it serves. The creation of virtual power plants "gives us the opportunity to generate new revenues, create savings, and really treat these distributed assets like power plants, so that they are seen on equal footing with other power purchasing options that exist in the market," he says. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/03/Staff2024_Sam-Irvine-1.jpg) Sam Irvine, MCE. Credit: MCE. **Most people don't know what the term “virtual power plant” means. How do you describe VPPs to friends, neighbors, or family? And how do you explain their benefits?** It is a challenge to try to make that concept more accessible. It's definitely super wonky. The way I like to think about it is that there's all sorts of devices out there in our homes and businesses that have become electrified as a result of California working on its climate and energy goals. A virtual power plant aims to take those devices and sync them up so that they're working together in an optimized way. The reason the word “power plant” is in there is the idea is that these devices would become part of our generation energy mix, where they actually bring pockets of energy that are out there and untapped up into the energy markets. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/03/MCE_VPP-visual.png) [Credit](https://mcecleanenergy.org/virtual-power-plant/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): MCE. At MCE, when we [think about a virtual power plant](https://mcecleanenergy.org/what-is-a-virtual-power-plant/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), we think about one that is linked, where those devices are viewed the same way as we're buying power from things like large-scale solar or a big wind energy system. They are a local option for our power resources team. The VPP aspect is we're virtually stitching those devices together to get this meaningful amount of power that can shape and shift and behave differently than it is now. **An early proof of concept for MCE was a** [**VPP pilot project in Richmond, California**](https://mcecleanenergy.org/virtual-power-plant/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)**. How was that program designed and implemented? And what did you learn?** It's a really exciting but long road. The concepts came out of California Energy Commission grants over about a decade ago. There was a planning phase where the concept was researched, and the question at the time was: How can communities [advance local energy solutions](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-what-it-will-take-to-unlock-the-potential-of-advanced-energy-communities/) that promote equity, environmental, social, and economic benefit for participants? Richmond was a participant in that program because it has been disproportionately impacted by environmental issues. It's also within census tracts that are priority populations that normally are overlooked in the energy transition. One really big success of the program was our partnership with RCF Connects (formerly the Richmond Community Foundation). They [leveraged a unique funding mechanism](https://rcfconnects.org/richmond-housing-renovation-program/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that enabled them to acquire abandoned and blighted homes in the city of Richmond. These homes were often complete tear downs to their foundations. They used a revolving [social impact bond](https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-08/case-study-social-impact-bonds-for-housing-revitalization-richmond-california-2021-08-23.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to buy the home, renovate it, and then place it with a first-time, income-qualified homeowner. Several homes were purchased and renovated, and then the grant came in to provide the equipment, the installation, and this software layer, the virtual power plant, to [make those homes all-electric](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/). Not only was the homeowner [getting a renovated home](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/), but one that, over its life, is more affordable to own and operate than if they had natural gas or another sort of energy system. Homes had solar and storage, [EV chargers](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/the-next-frontier-for-an-energy-transition-pioneer-bidirectional-ev-charging/), [heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-to-accelerate-the-u-s-heat-pump-market/), mini-splits, and induction stoves. They were linked to MCE’s virtual power plant platform and our software that lets us talk to those devices and get those devices to behave differently. The customer, in exchange, receives an on-bill credit for every type of device they had connected to that virtual power plant. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) The other side of the project was we worked on deploying brand new non-residential equipment that would be integrated into the virtual power plant – things like solar, storage, EV chargers. There's a lot of energy improvements that can help small businesses and multi-family properties. They can stand on their own and create savings, but again, by bringing them into the virtual power plant, they can be further optimized. We did things like add storage and EV chargers to a multi-family site that had too much solar. It was being sold back into the grid at a less than optimum value for the site because they were producing more than can be consumed in the facility. The solution there was: Let's put that extra solar into a battery and then sell it to public EV charging. We learned a lot of lessons along the way. It's really challenging to do new deployments of equipment. There's long timelines. Interconnection takes a while getting batteries up and running. It can take years while you're waiting for PG&E approval and other required permits. On the residential side, we really leaned into multi-language outreach and engagement. We worked with our Spanish-speaking staff, did multi-translations of our materials, to help residents understand what was in their homes with this equipment that they were getting. There's this gap between the technology and how people can access it and understand it can improve their lives. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **In your presentation at The Climate Center's recent** [**Advanced Energy Communities Symposium**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-what-it-will-take-to-unlock-the-potential-of-advanced-energy-communities/)**, you compared the suite of technologies available in a home to instruments in an orchestra and said there was a need for MCE, or CCAs in general, to act as a conductor for these technologies. What does that look like?** There's all sorts of devices. They don't all speak the same language. To use the metaphor, they're out of tune with each other. They're not in sync. That may be because you have a thermostat from one manufacturer, you have a heat pump from another. Getting them to become interoperable with each other is a lift that requires code standards and a common framework. CCAs are well positioned to play this role in our virtual power plant. We're leveraging communication protocols that are open source, so we use open, automated demand response as a standardized way of sending a signal to these devices, and they receive it, change behavior, and then modify their load and give capacity back to the virtual power plant. The more interesting story is how CCAs are positioned to play this function as the conductor of this aggregation of devices, and that is because of our nonprofit model. There is a lot of activity currently in the space to stitch these distributed systems together and change how they're behaving to generate revenue, and there are [a lot of private sector stakeholders](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/virtual-power-plants-california-wood-mackenzie/646503/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) who do that role of being the conductor of the band. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) But when a CCA does it, we are able to accrue the benefits and the savings back to the participants in a different way than those private sector stakeholders are, and that is predominantly because we have an existing billing relationship with the customer. We can use bill credits. If we save costs for one participant, because we're buying power for them and all their neighbors, when we lower costs for one, or we get dispatch power from a customer who's participating with VPP, they're able to share it throughout their whole community. And those savings accrue through our whole rate book because we're able to buy power locally at a lower cost than we would have from the wholesale market when there's a lot of demand for things like wind and solar and storage. It lets us keep costs low for everybody. Put differently, the money is not flowing to a private stakeholder or a venture capital group. It goes back into the community through our rate-making authority. **MCE has said that VPPs’ bidirectional flow capabilities gives them a unique ability to participate in the California grid operator’s day-ahead and real-time energy markets. What does that mean for how a CCA, like MCE, can participate in those markets and share the rewards with its customers?** All CCAs are scheduling coordinators, so we are able to participate in the California Independent System Operator's markets. You can both buy and place power into those markets. We are able, through our scheduling coordinator status, to do what's called “aggregation,” which is stitching these devices together, taking their flexible load and then bidding them into different markets. One of those is day-ahead. There's also proxy demand response, there's frequency – there's all sorts. What's new is a CCA, in our case, MCE, working to leverage our existing status to be the aggregator, rather than relying on a third-party aggregator to do so. That does a couple of things. It makes it so that we can treat these pockets of distributed load like we would a power contract, which we are in the business of every day, of balancing the task of supply and demand of power across our whole service area. This gives us another tool in the toolbox to help keep costs low and generate revenue. We take that revenue and those savings, and we accrue it back to the participating customer through our bill credits. Something we're developing right now are also value-sharing agreements and pay-for-performance-based contracts that say, “Hey, if you are a vendor or a provider who brings us this capacity, you helped us get this power into the market, that's worth something.” But we do it based on measured savings. Rather than paying upfront for capacity, we are compensating participants based on what we measure they did to help the grid and help the community and help MCE access this new opportunity that is participating in the wholesale market. **At the AEC Symposium, you described your theory of change: “All roads can lead to VPPs” and “procurement is the end game.” Explain what you mean.** MCE has a long history of existing programs. We've done all sorts of different [electrification programs](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/taking-the-emergency-out-of-water-heater-replacement-and-slashing-emissions/), EV programs, small- and medium-size business programs, and so as a result, a lot of devices have been deployed, often using funding from California Public Utility Commission funds. And those devices are serving their primary function of saving energy for the customer or whoever received them, but they are not part yet of this virtual power plant ecosystem. By making them Internet of Things-enabled, making them able to communicate in open standards and receive a signal, means that those existing collaborative efforts can support the future optimization of these devices. So that's building the team, if you will, building the band. The procurement part of is we go to the market and we participate and that gives us the opportunity to generate new revenues, create savings, and really treat these distributed assets like power plants, so they are seen on equal footing with other power purchasing options that exist in the market. **What is planned under MCE’s expanded VPP-FLEX program? How will it differ from the Richmond pilot?** We were fortunate to [receive additional funding from the California Energy Commission](https://www.grants.ca.gov/grants/gfo-23-309-virtual-power-plant-approaches-for-demand-flexibility-vpp-flex/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to scale from the pilot throughout our whole service area. What that means is taking some of the tools that we developed in the pilot phase and making them available to everybody. The main one is the customer-facing VPP tariffs. We have one for residential and non-residential. That's the mechanism that enables customers to be compensated for being part of the virtual power plant on their bills. It's really about scale. It's about taking lessons and scaling the impact throughout our service area. We have three ways that we're doing that. Pillar one is we are integrating those historic programs to make them VPP adapted and ready. We are working with our historic programs and our customer programs team to identify crossovers between the programs that are already happening and the virtual power plant bringing those past devices or new ones that we're deploying through other efforts into the VPP – that all roads model. The second pillar is we are continuing to deploy new equipment at non-residential facilities and then integrating that with the virtual power plant. We'll be doing a round of solicitations towards the end of this year for developers and financiers to come in and provide technical assistance to community sites, non-residential sites, to propose an adaptation of their facility that saves energy but also can result in virtual power plant value. We'll be helping serve our constituents with access to funding, financing, a turnkey, programmatic approach for building systems that save power, so it can be in the VPP. The third pillar is we are going to do a number of integrations with existing equipment and our software platform, which is how we send and receive signals. We'll also do a Request for Qualifications for equipment manufacturers to come connect to our software, and in exchange they are able to participate in those pay-for-performance contracts. From that, we are getting additional capacity into the program, and then we will be bringing that into the wholesale market. ### What I’m reading: Why we need offshore wind, Cuba's solar revolution, research roundup, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-why-we-need-offshore-wind-cubas-solar-revolution-research-roundup-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T18:36:48.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is made possible by paid subscribers. Support independent energy journalism by* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. I'll be back in your inbox next week with an interview featuring Sam Irvine, senior strategic initiatives manager with the not-for-profit public agency [MCE](https://mcecleanenergy.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), to talk about why the electricity provider is so bullish on virtual power plants. Thanks, as always, for reading. **Why we need offshore wind** If you look only at the upfront costs, offshore wind is a harder sell than cheaper clean energy technologies like onshore wind and solar. That’s why taking the longer view, and accounting for total system costs and benefits, is so important. I [wrote last fall](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-claims-offshore-wind-is-worthless-this-project-proves-the-opposite-is-true/), for example, about how Ørsted’s South Fork Wind project offshore New York was already delivering power to the grid when it is needed most and would save ratepayers money by displacing power from fossil gas-fired power plants. Australia’s offshore wind market lags even the beleaguered U.S. market. No projects have been built [Down Under](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-energy-innovation-down-under-offshore-wind-updates-find-an-electrification-contractor-and-more/#:~:text=ever%2C%20for%20reading.-,Energy%20innovation%20Down%20Under,-Credit%3A%20Justin%20Gerdes), but many gigawatts of projects are planned, especially off the coast of the state of Victoria. A new report finds that investing in offshore wind in this area, Gippsland, is a good bet. “Building just one-third of the offshore wind capacity currently proposed for the Gippsland zone off the coast of Victoria would cut household energy bills by $150 \[$106 USD\] a year, avoid around 900 km of new onshore transmission, and slash the state’s dependence on gas,” [reports Renew Economy’s Sophie Vorrath](https://reneweconomy.com.au/want-a-transition-with-less-transmission-and-cheaper-bills-new-report-says-offshore-wind-the-best-bet/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), writing about a new report from the consultancy Jacobs. “Using data from the Australian Energy Market Operator’s step change scenario in its Integrated System Plan, as well as from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s GenCost report, the study finds that the savings and avoided costs delivered by offshore wind more than offset its high cost of capital,” writes Vorrath. “That is,” she goes on, “while the capital and operating costs of the Offshore Wind scenario are higher than the scenario with no offshore wind ($3.7 billion and $2.7 billion higher, respectively) – much bigger savings are made on transmission, fuel, and social licence and landowner compensation.” **More on the push to fund energy programs via budgets, not utility bills** Last week, I [published a column](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/budgets-not-utility-bills-should-be-how-we-fund-critical-clean-energy-programs/) arguing that lawmakers should move to fund critical clean energy programs from their jurisdictions' general budgets instead of customers' utility bills. On Tuesday, California state Senator Josh Becker (D) amended one of his pending bills ([SB 905](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260SB905&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) to do just that. Becker’s amended bill will “introduce a bevy of proposals aimed at reducing electricity rates and reining in utility company profits,” [reports Politico’s Noah Baustin](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2026/03/18/dry-times-for-newsom-and-trump-00835331?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=%E2%80%94%20MM%2C%20AN-,OPUS%20NO.%202%3A,-State%20Sen.). “It would require the California Public Utilities Commission to reduce the profit that utilities are able to collect on lower-risk investments, like burying powerlines underground. It would tie the compensation for utility executives to electricity rates,” he writes. “And it would create a fund that the state could use to pay for wildfire and other grid investments benefiting the public with taxpayer, instead of electricity customer funds.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **California program helps homeowners rebuild all-electric homes** Last week, the California Public Utilities Commission [announced](https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/news-and-updates/all-news/cpuc-program-helps-californians-rebuild-all-electric-homes?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that customers of the state’s six investor-owned electric utilities whose homes were destroyed by wildfires and other natural disasters can apply for assistance to rebuild [all-electric homes](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/). The $50 million [Rebuilding Incentives for Sustainable Electric Homes program](https://risehomesca.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) will begin accepting applications from customers in the Bear Valley Electric Service, Liberty Utilities, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, PacifiCorp, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Southern California Edison service areas on April 6. **Cuba’s rapid solar revolution, courtesy of China** Donald Trump’s quest to force Cuba’s leaders to bend to his will by choking off the country’s oil supply has [plunged much of the island into nighttime darkness](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/03/19/world/americas/cuba-blackout-electricity.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Cuba still generates most of its electricity by burning oil. But that is beginning to change, thanks to a surge in solar panels imported from China. “Chinese exports of solar equipment to Cuba skyrocketed from about $5 million in 2023 to $117 million in 2025 and show no sign of stopping, according to the British energy think tank Ember,” [report the Washington Post’s Rebecca Tan and Rudy Lu](https://wapo.st/4uzEULo?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Beijing pledged last year to help Cuba build more than 92 solar parks by 2028, and more than half of these projects have come online, authorities say,” they write. “Because Cuba’s energy demands are comparatively low, even a small amount of additional input has made a marked contribution.” How much of a contribution? Tan and Lu reached out to Ember analyst Dave Jones for context: > “Solar could now be responsible for as much as 10 percent of Cuba’s electricity generation, according to Ember analyst Dave Jones, up from almost nothing a year ago. That would be among the fastest expansions of solar energy anywhere, Jones said, and place Cuba ahead of most countries – including the U.S. – in the share of electricity generated by sun power. ‘Cuba,’ he said, ‘is perhaps in the middle of one of the most rapid solar revolutions.’” 💡 ****Research roundup** Here’s another roundup of noteworthy reports and studies you might have missed: **EV owners love their cars, fleet managers love EV savings** According to a new survey, [EV owner satisfaction in the U.S. has never been higher](https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2026-us-electric-vehicle-experience-evx-ownership-study?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). JD Power’s 2026 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience Ownership Study finds that “overall satisfaction among current battery electric vehicle (BEV) owners is at its highest level since the study’s inception in 2021.” “Notably, nearly all owners of new BEVs (96%) say they would consider purchasing or leasing another BEV for their next vehicle,” said JD Power in a press release. One reason EV owners are so happy is because their vehicles are so cheap to operate. “A new [study](https://www.eurelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/EY-Eurelectric-fleet-forward-report-2026.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from consulting firm EY and Eurelectric, a trade association for Europe's electricity industry, makes it hard for bean counters to ignore the savings of going electric,” [writes InsideEVs’ Rob Stumpf](https://insideevs.com/news/789268/fleet-save-50-percent-evs/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The study argues that switching a corporate fleet from gas to electric could cut total vehicle operating costs by as much as 50%,” he adds. “That's thanks to cheaper energy costs (versus gasoline), lower maintenance requirements, and various regulatory perks that favor EVs as a whole.” The report “finds that companies that move from diesel to battery-electric vans can achieve cost savings between 15% and 40%,” he writes. **UK must accelerate its energy transition; Trump’s Iran war could be the accelerant** Energy advisory firm DNV finds in its annual Energy Transition Outlook report for the UK “that the country is transitioning fast – but not fast enough to hit the UK’s decarbonization targets, namely Clean Power 2030, Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 2035 and net zero by 2050,” according to a [press release](https://www.dnv.com/news/2026/uk-energy-transition-falling-short-due-to-lack-of-whole-system-thinking-dnv-report-finds/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Quite simply, we are risking progress by siloing debates around the energy transition, focusing narrowly on individual elements rather than the whole system,” says DNV’s Hari Vamadevan**.** What could alter this trajectory? Perhaps another global fossil fuel price shock. “The total economic cost inflicted on the UK from a single spike in fossil fuel prices is likely to be similar to the investment required to entirely retool the economy for a net zero future,” [writes BusinessGreen’s Michael Holder](https://www.businessgreen.com/news-analysis/4526780/ccc-fossil-fuel-price-shocks-cost-uk-delivering-net-zero?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Reporting on a Climate Change Committee [analysis published last week](https://www.theccc.org.uk/2026/03/11/cost-of-net-zero-by-2050-less-than-a-single-fossil-fuel-price-shock-ccc/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), Holder writes that “under a wide range of scenarios achieving net zero emissions by 2050 offers a more cost-effective path for the UK economy than continuing to rely on fossil fuel markets, which are inevitably exposed to the kind of supply shocks and price spikes that have followed this month's US-Israeli attack on Iran.” So far, Donald Trump’s war of choice in Iran, and the resulting surge in energy prices globally, appears to have jolted UK’s Labour government into bolder action. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Last Sunday, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband [announced](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-go-further-and-faster-in-becoming-energy-secure?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) what the government calls an “accelerated package of energy interventions to boost the UK’s energy security.” Among the measures in the package are pledges to fast-track regulatory approvals for [plug-in solar systems](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/bringing-small-modular-solar-to-the-masses/) and to bring forward the country’s next renewables auction to July. On Tuesday, Politico’s Charlie Cooper [reported](https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-green-homes-plan-amid-iran-energy-shock/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the Labour government “is expected to publish a long-awaited plan to decarbonize new homes \[the Future Homes Standard\] next week, with ministers set to mandate low-carbon heating for all new-builds and solar panels on the vast majority.” In a [report](https://www.common-wealth.org/publications/crude-awakening-averting-the-unfolding-energy-crisis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) released Wednesday, the Common Wealth think tank outlines how “household energy bills could be reduced by up to £203 \[$271\] a year by stopping expensive fossil gas setting the price of energy in the UK,” [reports the Guardian’s Matthew Taylor](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/19/stopping-gas-dictating-uk-energy-price-could-cut-bills-by-200-thinktank-says?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The report “sets out how the government can cut the link between gas prices and electricity bills, saving consumers hundreds of pounds a year and stopping renewable energy companies, which are being paid the price of expensive gas, from reaping unearned windfalls,” he writes. Is the government serious about taking more aggressive action? We shall see. But here is Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying the UK must “go further and faster on renewables,” [courtesy of Carbon Brief’s Leo Hickman](https://bsky.app/profile/leohickman.carbonbrief.org/post/3mh6dpju7nk2u?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): > Kier Starmer: "What gives us control is renewables. Our own home-grown energy which is then more secure and more independent. That’s why I think we should go further and faster on renewables. Let’s get control of our own energy…so we don’t have to keep worrying that our bills are going to go up" > > — [Leo Hickman (@leohickman.carbonbrief.org)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:63ezulkb3amfzgpanfp2u5br?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [2026-03-16T11:21:19.463Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:63ezulkb3amfzgpanfp2u5br/post/3mh6dpju7nk2u?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **How much are you paying for utility profits?** Multiple factors are [driving up electricity bills](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/) across the U.S., including utility investments in transmission and distribution grid upgrades and measures to mitigate wildfire risk. Another one, for households served by investor-owned utilities, is utility profits. The Energy and Policy Institute (EPI), a utility watchdog organization, published a [report](https://energyandpolicy.org/utility-profit-report/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) last week providing what it calls “the first systematic look at how much of each dollar spent on electricity ultimately goes to investors.” Using publicly reported financial data, EPI developed a companion [calculator](https://energyandpolicy.org/utilityprofittracker/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that enables households to see how much of their monthly utility bill goes to profits. “Electric utilities kept about 15 cents of every dollar they collected as profit last year. For a customer paying a $200 monthly electric bill, that means roughly $30 went to corporate profits. This profit share has been rising, up from around 13% on average between 2021 and 2024,” according to EPI. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/03/EPI_Utility-Profits-Report.png) **Bonus: Calaveras Big Trees State Park** I mentioned in my last roundup that I was about to spend the coming weekend in California's Gold Country. A highlight of that trip was a late-winter hike among the giant sequoias in the North Grove of [Calaveras Big Trees State Park](https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page%5Fid=551&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/03/IMG_20260307_153114032_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/03/IMG_20260307_153331506_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/03/IMG_20260307_154608161_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/03/IMG_20260307_155704538_HDR.jpg) Credit: Justin Gerdes. ### Budgets – not utility bills – should be how we fund critical clean energy programs URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/budgets-not-utility-bills-should-be-how-we-fund-critical-clean-energy-programs/ Last updated: 2026-03-13T14:30:30.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is made possible by paid subscribers. Support independent energy journalism by* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Lawmakers everywhere are under pressure to address soaring energy bills. Unfortunately, some of them are looking in the wrong place for solutions. Take a recent example in Massachusetts. Last month, members of the Bay State’s House of Representatives approved an energy affordability bill that could make it easier to deploy solar PV systems and EV chargers and included protections for electricity consumers. So far, so good. But [according to Canary Media’s Sarah Shemkus](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/energy-efficiency/massachusetts-energy-bill-big-cuts-energy-efficiency?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “It could also pull the rug out from underneath the state’s nation-leading energy-efficiency programming.” “What has drawn the most attention,” she writes, “is its proposal to cut $1 billion from the energy-efficiency program Mass Save through 2027 in an attempt to lower the fees customers pay to fund it.” The fees for these kinds of programs are a conspicuous target for lawmakers looking to lower bills. But if the goal is to save households money, it makes no sense to slash funding for programs whose goal is to save energy and reduce customer bills. Maggie Molina, the executive director of the non-profit Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, agrees. “Blaming energy efficiency for rising energy prices is a myth that is unfortunately gaining traction,” she [wrote last week](https://neep.org/blog/energy-efficiency-and-rising-prices-separating-myth-reality?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “It’s a convenient narrative, but the data simply doesn’t support it. The real drivers of rising prices are far more complex.” Lawmakers *should* remove these fees from utility bills, but not as a gimmick to reduce customer bills. Instead, the fees – and the programs funded by them – should be moved to government budgets so all taxpayers chip in for them based on their ability to pay. **Moving levies off energy bills in the UK** I’ve [written here at Quitting Carbon previously that some governments](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/#:~:text=The%20German%20government,to%20renewable%20electricity.), notably Denmark and Germany, have already moved in this direction. We will need cheap, abundant, carbon-free electricity to quit carbon for good. Governments should accelerate this transition by making every effort to reduce energy bills. At BusinessGreen, Editor-in-Chief James Murray [wrote last week](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4526516/study-moving-levies-energy-bills-save-households-530?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) about a new [report](https://mcsfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MCSF-Rebalancing-Electricity-Levies-in-the-UK-Report-Final.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the MCS Foundation finding that UK households could save up to £530 ($712) a year if the government moved an assortment of levies imposed on energy bills into general taxation and the federal budget. “The system of green levies sees a number of clean energy, grid, and social programmes funded through levies on electricity bills,” writes Murray. “At last autumn's Budget,” he adds, “the government announced reforms to the green levy regime, scrapping the Energy Company Obligation scheme and moving some of the costs from the legacy Renewables Obligation scheme into general taxation, delivering savings of around £150 a year for the average household.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Utility bills vs the budget in the UK and California** In this case, the UK’s Labour government did the right thing – and then immediately began to have second thoughts. Why? Fear that voters would balk at the additional spending in the annual budget. Let’s return to BusinessGreen’s Murray for the details. “While the Treasury moved some policy costs off energy bills at last year's Autumn Budget there has been a reluctance to pursue wider reforms that could see levies either shifted onto gas bills or moved into general taxation,” he writes. “Government insiders have warned shifting levies onto gas bills could disproportionately impact those households heavily reliant on gas,” he adds, “while moving them into general taxation would require the Treasury to secure billions of pounds of additional revenue to fund the move.” Here in the Golden State, a similar tension is playing out in wrangling between the Legislature and the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom (D) over whether – and how – to fund the California Energy Commission’s [Demand Side Grid Support Program](https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/demand-side-grid-support-program?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (DSGS). “The debate over whether to fund reductions in energy use during peak demand has been simmering ever since Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin tried, but failed, to fund the California Energy Commission’s program as part of last year’s cap-and-trade negotiations,” Politico’s Noah Baustin, Alex Nieves, and Camille von Kaenel [reported last week](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2026/03/05/everyone-wants-a-piece-of-the-budget-00815841?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “‘We are working at getting it back into the budget,’ Irwin said in a February interview. ‘We think it’s critical that DSGS gets funded,’” they added. So, what’s the hold up? You guessed it, Newsom’s office doesn’t want the program funded by the state budget. “It’s not looking good,” write Baustin, Nieves, and von Kaenel, “While the CEC program has strong support among lawmakers, who feel like it has flourished, Newsom wants to pass the job to the CPUC, where electricity bills, instead of the state budget, can fund it.” **A regressive system, a progressive solution** In an exit interview published on March 6, her last day as president of the California Public Utilities Commission, Alice Reynolds was [asked](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2026/03/06/curtain-call-for-the-cpuc-president-00817865?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=How%20has%20it%20felt%20for%20you%20over%20the%20past%20year%20to%20have%20electricity%20rates%20be%20such%20a%20hot%20topic%20among%20politicians%20and%20the%20public%3F) by Politico’s Baustin: “How has it felt for you over the past year to have electricity rates be such a hot topic among politicians and the public?” “It’s a huge challenge,” she replied. “We’re at a really difficult point in time, and I know that people are struggling with electricity bills. They are a regressive way to collect funds for a public good, but it’s the system that we have.” It may be the system we have, but it doesn’t have to be the system we *keep*. It *is* a regressive way to fund critical programs. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Cheap, zero-carbon electricity isn’t just essential for the clean energy transition. Electricity is essential for modern life – for refrigeration to keep food from spoiling, for cooling to keep the vulnerable safe during heatwaves, for broadband to make it possible to work, study, and connect with family and friends. But utility bills in the U.S. are [becoming far too expensive](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/). “Since 2022, the average overdue balance on utility bills climbed from $597 to $789 – a 32 percent increase,” according to a recent [study](https://tcf.org/content/commentary/fueling-debt-how-rising-utility-costs-are-overwhelming-american-families/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published by The Century Foundation and Project Borrowers. “As of June 2025,” the authors write, “we find that nearly one in twenty households – or roughly 14 million Americans – have \[energy utility\] debt so severe it was sent to collections or in arrears.” With energy bills now a burden for so many, it’s time to shift more of the cost for public goods like energy efficiency upgrades and low-income customer bill assistance from ratepayers to taxpayers most able to pay by funding these programs in general budgets. If you're a politician, would you rather risk incurring the wrath of voters once a year, for a budget many of them will never see, or every month, for a bill every household must pay? It’s an easy decision. ### What I’m reading: East Coast offshore wind farms nearing completion, plug-in solar goes nationwide, building electrification update, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-east-coast-offshore-wind-farms-nearing-completion-plug-in-solar-goes-nationwide-building-electrification-update-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-03-06T19:25:47.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is made possible by paid subscribers. Support independent energy journalism by* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. Enjoy the weekend. As for me, I'll be spending this weekend in one of my favorites places, California's Gold Country. I'll be back in your inbox next week. Thanks, as always, for reading. **Developers race to finish East Coast offshore wind farms** Five offshore wind farms on the U.S. East Coast are nearing completion after federal courts allowed all the projects to resume construction in rulings handed down between mid-January and early February. The U.S. Department of Interior had [issued stop-work orders for the projects](https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/trump-administration-protects-us-national-security-pausing-offshore-wind-leases?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on December 22, 2025, a move eventually challenged in court by all five project developers. Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is more than 70% complete, WHRO’s Katherine Hafner [reported last week](https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-02-24/pause-on-virginia-offshore-wind-farm-cost-dominion-more-than-200m-but-turbines-will-power-up-soon?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The company said this week it’s completed more than 70% of the wind farm and is on schedule to finish early next year. In the meantime, the turbines installed so far should start sending electricity to the grid by late March,” she writes. Meanwhile, offshore Massachusetts, “Vineyard Wind is on the one-yard line,” [writes E&E News’ Ben Storrow](https://www.eenews.net/articles/vineyard-wind-to-be-completed-within-days/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Iberdrola officials said on February 25, he adds, that “60 of the project’s 62 turbines have been installed off the coast of Massachusetts. Of those, 52 have been cleared to start generating power. Company executives said the final two turbines could be installed in a matter of days.” Danish offshore wind developer Ørsted was days away from installing the first wind turbine at its Sunrise Wind project offshore New York, offshoreWIND.biz’s Adrijana Buljan [reported last week](https://www.offshorewind.biz/2026/02/24/turbine-installation-to-start-at-sunrise-wind-project-site-in-us/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Here is the status of all five projects as of February 2026, courtesy of a helpful map [compiled by the trade group Offshore Wind California](https://www.offshorewindca.org/maps?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/03/East-Coast-OW-Projects-infographic-Feb2026-v5.webp) **State lawmakers across the U.S. support plug-in solar** I had a feeling plug-in solar was poised to take off in the U.S. when I [published a Q&A with a startup founder in the space](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/bringing-small-modular-solar-to-the-masses/) last July. It turns out I was right. The map below illustrates how, in the intervening months, bills related to plug-in solar, also known as “balcony solar,” have been taken up in statehouses across the country. “As of mid-February, more than 50 bills related to plug-in solar were under consideration in 29 states and DC,” [reports](https://www.dsireinsight.com/blog/2026/2/18/plug-in-legislation?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Brian Lips, a senior project manager with the NC Clean Energy Technology Center. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/03/US-plug-in-solar-legislation_Feb-2026.png) [Credit](https://www.dsireinsight.com/blog/2026/2/18/plug-in-legislation?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): NC Clean Energy Technology Center. “Taken together, these legislative efforts suggest that plug-in solar is moving from a regulatory gray zone to a recognized product with a defined pathway to widespread use,” he adds. “As more states standardize definitions, clarify exemptions from interconnection and net metering rules, and even preempt local or private restrictions, regulatory certainty will increase and help unlock broader adoption.” **Building electrification advances in California, Colorado, and Oregon** In a January roundup, I [wrote about legislation](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-chinas-ev-dominance-fast-tracking-heat-pumps-and-plug-in-solar-in-california-research-roundup-and-more/#:~:text=California%20lawmaker%20wants%20to%20fast%2Dtrack%20approvals%20for%20heat%20pumps%20and%20plug%2Din%20solar) introduced by California state Senator Scott Wiener (D) that aims to streamline permitting for [heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-to-accelerate-the-u-s-heat-pump-market/). That bill ([SB 222](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260SB222&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) has since been passed out of the Senate and awaits a vote in the Assembly. Last month, Wiener’s colleague in the Assembly, Marc Berman (D), introduced legislation that could accelerate adoption of heat pumps, induction cooktops, and other zero-emission electric equipment used in an [all-electric home](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/). The Home Energy Choice Act ([AB 2313](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260AB2313&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)), which is modeled on a [program operating in New York state](https://www.coned.com/en/save-money/rebates-incentives-tax-credits/rebates-incentives-tax-credits-for-residential-customers/energy-exchange?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), offers “California homeowners the opportunity to electrify their home appliances when their utility is scheduled to replace the natural gas line connected to their homes,” according to a [press release](https://berman.asmdc.org/press-releases/20260219-assemblymember-berman-introduces-legislation-electrify-california-homes?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The bill would “offer Californians meaningful financial support to upgrade to significantly better home appliances,” according to Berman’s office. “It is just common sense to give Californians a choice in the energy used in their homes. Why would we invest more than $20,000 per home in fossil fuel infrastructure when clean alternatives are available?” said Merrian Borgeson, California climate and energy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. At the California Public Utilities Commission, regulators are [working on rules](https://ia.cpuc.ca.gov/servicelists/R2504010%5F97748.htm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that would further erode fossil gas demand in the state. “In December, staff released a draft proposal \[[R-2504010](https://ia.cpuc.ca.gov/servicelists/R2504010%5F97748.htm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)\] considering phasing out ratepayer incentives and subsidies for gas efficiency measures,” [according to the Building Decarbonization Coalition’s Madison Vander Klay](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l48tyGFunAc&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The proposal would phase-out ratepayer-funded energy efficiency incentives for non-cost-effective gas measures that are determined to have a Viable Electric Alternative (VEA) within retrofit projects, but argues that wider elimination would result in stranded assets.” In Colorado, 2025 was “the year of the heat pump,” [reports the Colorado Sun’s Mark Jaffe](https://coloradosun.com/2026/02/19/heat-pump-colorado-rebates-contractors/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “In 2025, the number of heat pumps installed in the service areas of five major Colorado utilities more than doubled to 14,225, marking a twelvefold increase in three years,” he writes. “The year is an inflection point where the electric heating and cooling technology has reached market acceptance and competitiveness, utility executives, installers and industry representatives say.” The last stop on our tour of the West is Oregon, where new housing in the state “must be built with energy-efficient heat pumps [instead of ducted air conditioning](https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2026/02/oregon-adopts-new-building-codes-reduce-energy-costs-and-increase-energy?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=state%E2%80%99s%20residential%20energy%20code%2C%20including%20a%20requirement%20that%20new%20homes%20be%20built%20with%20energy%2Defficient%20heat%20pumps%20instead%20of%20ducted%20air%20conditioning.) following an update to the state’s residential energy code the Oregon Building Code Division’s Residential and Manufactured Structures Board approved \[on February 18\],” Smart Cities Dive’s Ryan Kushner [reported last month](https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/heat-pumps-oregon-new-housing/812578/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The switch to mandatory heat pumps is expected to save residents of the newly constructed buildings an average of $125 a month in energy costs and more than $1,700 annually, per a Building Code Division analysis,” he writes. **Trump’s EPA pumps the brakes on electric school buses** It’s hard to think of better use of taxpayer dollars than getting rid of polluting diesel school buses. The authors of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law agreed, making $5 billion available to accelerate the retirement of diesel school buses across the country. The law was working as intended – until Donald Trump returned to the White House. “Under the Biden administration, the Clean School Bus program funded [replacement of 8,900 school buses](https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2025-01/2024-iia-report%5Fjan2025%5F508.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in 1,300 school districts, 95 percent of them zero-emission battery electric vehicles,” Marianne Lavelle [reported last month for Inside Climate News](https://insideclimatenews.org/news/20022026/epa-clean-school-bus-revamp/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). But Trump’s EPA [plans to “revamp” the program](https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-path-forward-revamp-clean-school-bus-program-provide-safe-affordable?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which it says “has forced unsafe and unreliable electric buses onto American schools.” [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Lavelle notes that “the Clean School Bus program has been on hold since President Donald Trump took office, with $2.3 billion still unspent.” On February 19, “the Environmental Protection Agency [announced](https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-path-forward-revamp-clean-school-bus-program-provide-safe-affordable?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20the%20Infrastructure%20Investment,as%20well%20as%20some%20fueling) what it called a ‘revamp’ of the program, signaling it would no longer favor electric school buses. … Instead, the Trump administration is seeking to move to ‘a broad range of options,’ including buses fueled by natural gas, biofuel or hydrogen,” she writes. “Demand for clean school buses has been high, and hundreds, if not thousands, of school districts waited for over a year only to recently discover their applications would not be honored,” Melody Reis, federal policy director at the advocacy group Moms Clean Air Task Force, told Lavelle. “I can imagine they’re feeling disappointed and distrustful of the current EPA. It also means that thousands of kids who could have been riding electric school buses this school year are still riding the older, polluting buses that are harming our health and the environment.” **Bonus 1: Now boarding: cheap solar** Just how cheap are solar panels? Cheap enough that Scandinavian airline SAS is adding solar to boarding stairs, per the photo below [shared by energy analyst Emil Dimanchev on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/emildimanchev.bsky.social/post/3mfpd4cwclc2w?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Onsite renewables, it turns out, is just one of the ways airports and airlines are [reducing emissions on the ground and at the gate](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-reduce-emissions-from-aviation-in-the-golden-state/), as I reported recently. > Solar is cheap, exhibit 3,141,592,653. > > — [Emil Dimanchev (@emildimanchev.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vhtzglyql4c6brfe2ulkjysb?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [2026-02-25T18:35:26.944Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vhtzglyql4c6brfe2ulkjysb/post/3mfpd4cwclc2w?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **Bonus 2: The “transmission mastermind” who sustained Ukraine’s grid** “Every time Russia attacks Ukraine’s power infrastructure, Ukrainian engineers risk their lives in the scramble to get electricity flowing again. It’s a dangerous job at best, and a lethal one at worst. It also requires creativity. Time pressure and equipment shortages make it nearly impossible to rebuild things exactly as they were, so engineers must redesign on the fly,” writes my friend, and energy transition chronicler extraordinaire, [Peter Fairley](https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterfairley/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In a new story for IEEE Spectrum, Peter [profiles one of these remarkably brave engineers](https://spectrum.ieee.org/repair-ukraine-power-grid?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “transmission mastermind” Oleksiy Brecht, who died in January while coordinating work at Ukraine’s most attacked electrical switchyard, Kyivska, west of Kyiv. “Brecht’s life and death are a window into the realities of thousands of Ukrainian engineers who face conditions beyond what most engineers could imagine,” Peter writes. ### Here’s what it will take to unlock the potential of advanced energy communities URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-what-it-will-take-to-unlock-the-potential-of-advanced-energy-communities/ Last updated: 2026-02-27T19:07:26.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is made possible by paid subscribers. Support independent energy journalism by* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Attend a clean energy conference today and you're likely to hear one of the speakers invoke a symphony to fix in the mind’s eye the interplay of devices in homes and businesses with the grid. Most of the technologies we will need to decarbonize our homes and communities already exist. But until recently, these distributed energy resources (to use the term preferred by wonks), [heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-to-accelerate-the-u-s-heat-pump-market/) and smart thermostats, solar panels and batteries, electric vehicles and chargers, were treated as stand-alone technologies. But just as a conductor guides musicians to make beautiful music in an orchestra, the basket of technologies needed for a carbon-free home or office are most effective when operated together. Musicians read sheet music to know when and how to contribute their sounds to the mix. But the sheet music that is needed to conduct the suite of technologies that will power electrified, zero-carbon homes and neighborhoods is still being written. Last week, The Climate Center, a Santa Rosa-based energy and climate policy non-profit, convened a [day-long symposium](https://theclimatecenter.org/events/advanced-energy-communities-symposium/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at the California Endowment Oakland Conference Center to mark the 10-year anniversary of an initiative funded by the California Energy Commission that supported the development of so-called “advanced energy communities.” Local groups launched four pilot projects, two in Northern California (Oakland, Richmond) and two in Southern California (Lancaster, Los Angeles County), that demonstrated how “community-led and community-scale decarbonization projects can make our energy system more reliable, equitable, and affordable.” The four projects sought to ensure “equitable access to distributed energy resources, including energy storage and community-scale microgrids, [building efficiency and electrification](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/), EV deployment and [Virtual Power Plant](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/virtual-power-plants/more-states-look-to-virtual-power-plants?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (VPP) programs,” according to The Climate Center. The symposium brought together participants from the four projects, as well as policymakers and clean energy experts from across California, to talk about what the projects got right, the lessons learned, and what policy changes are needed to build advanced energy communities statewide. **Policy barriers** The four pilot projects utilized a mix of different technologies and strategies. The Oakland [EcoBlock](https://ecoblock.berkeley.edu/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) project, for example, sought to scale a replicable template to retrofit an entire block of older residential buildings. And for the Richmond project, the local community choice aggregator (CCA), MCE, [designed a first-of-its-kind VPP tariff](https://mcecleanenergy.org/virtual-power-plant/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) offering on-bill credits to participating residential and commercial customers. The project participants highlighted policy barriers that prevent the innovative solutions demonstrated in the pilots from scaling much faster. I won’t mention them all here. For a deep dive into all the challenges and lessons learned, the full [slide deck from the day’s presentations](https://theclimatecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Advanced-Energy-Communities-Symposium-Final-Master-Slide-Deck.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) is well worth your time. Instead, I’ll focus on three barriers that came up time and again throughout the day. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Scaling low-cost financing for retrofits** The high upfront cost to install heat pumps, rooftop solar panels, and other equipment that can be aggregated into bidirectional virtual power plants prevents low-income households from [decarbonizing their homes](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/) and participating in the energy transition. One solution for this barrier was referenced often: tariffed [on-bill financing](https://www.epa.gov/statelocalenergy/bill-loan-programs?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). These programs enable households or businesses to invest in energy upgrades at no upfront cost via zero- or low-interest loans that are paid back through a tariff tied to the utility meter rather than the individual customer. On-bill financing programs already [exist for commercial customers in California](https://www.sce.com/business/rates-financing/energy-efficiency-financing/on-bill-financing?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PG&E) business customers, for example, can [take out interest-free loans from $5,000 to $250,000](https://www.pge.com/assets/pge/docs/save-energy-and-money/energy-savings-programs/fs%5Fobf.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), with a payback period up to 120 months. The loan is paid back via a line item on the customer’s monthly utility bill. Speakers at the symposium urged the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to move faster to authorize on-bill financing for residential customers statewide. The CPUC [recently approved Southern California Edison’s request](https://dunsky.com/project/california-approves-tariff-on-bill-pilot-informed-by-dunsky-analysis/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to launch a small $7.2 million residential on-bill financing pilot. “Programs like Revolving Loan Funds and Tariffed On-bill Financing are needed for AEC \[advanced energy communities\] solutions to scale rapidly,” said [Chris Sentieri](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sentieri?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a principal with Community Energy & Equity Resources (CEER), who advised the Richmond project. **Free the data!** Several speakers, including CEER’s Sentieri, said a lack of data prevents CCAs from earning more revenue, which could reduce customers rates, and makes it harder to integrate distributed energy resources into virtual power plants. Sentieri noted that CCAs experience a two- to three-day delay in receiving meter data from the state’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs), making it difficult for them to participate in the California Independent System Operator’s [real-time energy market](https://www.caiso.com/market-operations/products-services?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#real-time-market). (A reminder for readers outside of California: IOUs like PG&E handle billing and operate the poles and wires to transmit and deliver electricity in their service territories; CCAs like MCE procure and/or generate electricity for their member communities within those territories.) Similarly, community choice aggregators and demand response (DR) providers also “have limited access to data needed to implement and manage VPP and DR programming,” Sentieri added. “CCAs and DRPs need increased access to granular grid and load data to effectively optimize VPP/DR program performance.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/02/MCE_VPP-visual.png) [Credit](https://mcecleanenergy.org/virtual-power-plant/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): MCE. Or, as [Sam Irvine](https://www.linkedin.com/in/irvinesamuel?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), MCE's senior strategic initiatives manager, put it: “Without coordination, flexibility becomes discordance instead of value.” Sentieri said billions of dollars are being left on the table for CCAs in California today because of the lack of access to real-time meter data. The consensus view of the four project participants, as well as many of the experts who spoke during the event, was that meter data should be made freely accessible to public entities like the state’s CCAs, which serve more than 15 million customers in California. **Reform Rule 218 to unlock community microgrids** Perhaps the biggest bugbear for speakers at the symposium is [Rule 218](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes%5FdisplaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PUC§ionNum=218&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the so-called “over-the-fence” rule, language in the California Public Utilities Code that determines what is and is not an “electrical corporation” under state law. The rule has been amended a few times to, for example, exempt cogeneration projects and EV charging facilities. Microgrid backers want to see the rule amended again to make it easier to build community microgrids. “PUC 218 will likely need to be changed to realize the full potential and benefits of community microgrids!!!” [Allie Detrio](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alliedetrio/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), chief strategist with Reimagine Power, wrote in her symposium presentation (emphasis in original). She called on policymakers to: “change PUC 218 to exempt microgrids that are owned and controlled by customers and communities (from overly onerous CPUC regulation and oversight); create a Community Microgrid Operator (CMO) designation in statute and implement accompanying regulatory framework; and allow CMOs to develop microgrids with master meter/submetering tech and local distribution infrastructure that can cross rights of way and serve multiple customers.” ### What I’m reading: Big batteries are transforming the grid, GAO warns on clean energy staffing cuts, research roundup, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-big-batteries-are-transforming-the-grid-gao-warns-on-clean-energy-staffing-cuts-research-roundup-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-02-20T19:51:59.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is made possible by paid subscribers. Support independent energy journalism by* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. Thanks, as always, for reading. **Big batteries are transforming the grid** Let’s start with some good news. Plunging costs for battery packs means that it’s cheaper by the day to deploy utility-scale grid batteries to balance the output from solar and wind projects. On Wednesday, research firm BloombergNEF released its 2026 [Levelized Cost of Electricity report](https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-energy/battery-storage-costs-hit-record-lows-as-costs-of-other-clean-power-technologies-increased-bloombergnef/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). [Writing about the report at BusinessGreen](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4525816/bnef-battery-storage-costs-hit-record-low-despite-2025-clean-tech-headwinds?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), Stuart Stone reported: “The analysis of more than 800 recently financed projects found that the global benchmark cost for a four-hour battery project fell 27 per cent year-on-year to $78 per megawatt-hour (MWh) in 2025, marking a record low since BloombergNEF (BNEF) began tracking such costs in 2009.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/02/resize.webp) In the states and countries that are leading the global energy transition – places like California, Germany, South Australia, Texas, and the United Kingdom – more affordable utility-scale batteries are making it possible for solar and wind power to account for 30% or more of the total generation mix, with battery capacity reaching up to 25% of peak load. The chart below from the International Energy Agency (IEA) nicely illustrates the trend. As the IEA [notes](https://www.iea.org/newsletters/energy-snapshot/16-02-2026/the-mega-batteries-transforming-power-systems?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): “these batteries have become a significant source of short-term flexibility for power systems, with a growing role in supporting the security of energy supply more broadly.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/02/7b782062e1d9e3e094c7ca8b591119e8c8cac49a5454fcfc4f4406fea2dea6a1.png) California’s installed battery storage capacity [was 17,000 megawatts as of October 2025](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2025-11/californias-battery-storage-fleet-continues-record-growth-strengthening-grid?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – [one-third of the storage capacity estimated to be needed](https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/california-electricity-data/california-energy-storage-system-survey?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for the state to achieve its 2045 climate and clean energy goals. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/02/Clean-Energy-Milestone_Nov-2025-1920x1080-1.png) [Credit](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2025-11/californias-battery-storage-fleet-continues-record-growth-strengthening-grid?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): California Energy Commission. In Australia, nearly a dozen utility-scale battery energy storage projects, with a combined capacity of 1.9 gigawatts (GW) and 4.9 gigawatt-hours (GWh), came online last year. “This annual total of 4.9GWh not only sets a new benchmark for the industry but also surpasses the combined output of all storage projects commissioned between 2017 and 2024,” [reports Energy Storage News’ George Heynes](https://www.energy-storage.news/australia-commissions-4-9gwh-of-grid-scale-batteries-in-2025-matching-entire-2017-2024-output/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The presence of so many large grid batteries in markets like California and Australia has enabled battery storage projects to displace fossil gas peaking power plants. “Battery storage is no longer just enabling renewables – it is actively replacing gas generation,” finds a [report](https://www.rystadenergy.com/insights/energy-storage-outlook-the-expanding-role-of-bess-in-global-energy-systems?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published earlier this month by consultancy Rystad Energy, as [reported by Renew Economy’s Giles Parkinson](https://reneweconomy.com.au/global-proof-point-big-batteries-overtake-peaking-gas-generators-in-australias-biggest-state-grids/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Australia has emerged as one global proof point, alongside California, that large-scale battery energy storage can assume a central role in resource adequacy and peak supply in grids with high solar penetration,” write analysts at Rystad. **Congress’ watchdog warns that deep staffing cuts imperil federal clean energy projects** In a [column last week](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/congress-rejected-trumps-spending-plans-making-sure-its-own-budget-is-spent-is-the-next-challenge/), I noted that the 2026 budget bills signed by Trump last month included funding for critical energy efficiency and clean energy programs at levels that matched or even exceeded those in last year’s budget. But I also warned that two questions loom: “Will agencies have enough staff to fulfill Congress’ will and implement programs and projects the president does not like, and will \[Russell\] Vought allow agencies to spend money on those same initiatives?” It so happens that just after that column was published, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a [report](https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-107997?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) warning that staffing cuts had so weakened the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations that it was incapable of managing billions of dollars of project funding appropriated by Congress. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-17-164619.png) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) Workforce Changes from January 2025 to June 2025 and OCED’s Committed Funds and Projects as of November 2025\. [Credit](https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-107997?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): GAO. In its typically understated language, here’s the GAO reminding the Department of Energy of its obligation to follow the law: > “The Department of Energy created the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations in 2021 to manage $27 billion in funding for clean energy projects. As of November 2025, OCED had committed over $18 billion to about 100 projects. OCED needs to oversee these projects and had developed a plan to do so. However, a significant decrease in its workforce and other changes in 2025 have reduced its oversight capacity. A proposal to cut its entire budget creates further uncertainty. DOE faces the risk that it will not be able to robustly oversee these funds.” “Currently, it is unclear how DOE plans to meet its statutory requirements to manage projects given OCED’s limited capacity. … Without a plan to meet the statutory requirements of managing projects and assessing lessons learned, DOE faces increased risks of not having the capacity to manage and oversee billions of dollars of federal funding for demonstration projects,” the report warns. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Research roundup** Here’s another roundup of noteworthy reports and studies you might have missed: **Offshore wind would save households billions, ease grid stress, on the U.S. East Coast:** Two new studies underscore why the Trump administration’s efforts to stop the construction of five offshore wind farms on the East Coast would be so harmful for consumers and the power grid. “Cancelling five major offshore wind projects could raise electricity costs for customers on the East Coast by an estimated $45 billion over the next decade,” [according to](https://cleanpower.org/news/new-analysis-cancelling-energy-projects-cost-customers-45-billion-over-next-decade/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the American Clean Power Association (ACP). A [new ACP analysis](https://cleanpower.org/resources/consumer-cost-implications-of-offshore-wind-stop-work-orders/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) finds that without the 6 gigawatts of capacity from these five projects: “Wholesale electricity prices would rise significantly during evening peaks and winter hours – including intense winter storms like Fern; power systems would rely more heavily on non-renewable sources and leave customers more exposed to price volatility; and grids would lose access to low-cost, winter-peaking clean energy that helps stabilize prices during periods of high demand.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-01-29-114039.png) [Credit](https://cleanpower.org/news/new-analysis-cancelling-energy-projects-cost-customers-45-billion-over-next-decade/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): "Consumer Cost Implications of Offshore Wind Stop Work Orders," American Clean Power Association, January 29, 2026. And when power demand is strained during frigid New England winter cold snaps, “offshore wind projects could lower the risk of demand-driven power outages by more than half,” [writes](https://www.eenews.net/articles/study-offshore-wind-may-ease-new-england-grid-stress/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Energy Wire’s Ian M. Stevenson about a new Union of Concerned Scientists [analysis](https://www.ucs.org/about/news/new-england-offshore-wind-protects-against-winter-blackout-risk?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The Union of Concerned Scientists used wind speed data from the 2024-2025 winter season to explore what may have happened had two offshore wind projects been fully online – Vineyard Wind 1 and Revolution Wind,” writes Stevenson. “The result, the new study found, is that high wind speeds during the cold season would have sent enough extra power to the grid to cut the number of days that the grid experienced elevated risk of an energy shortage by 55 percent.” **Yes, EVs are cleaning up the air:** Write about clean energy and mobility long enough and you’ll eventually get this question: Are electric vehicles *really* that much cleaner than gas cars? Two new studies confirm not only that EVs make the air cleaner for EV and non-EV drivers alike, but they are definitively cleaner than the fossil fuel-powered cars they are replacing. “A new [study](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196%2825%2900257-8/fulltext?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine used satellite data to confirm that zero-emission cars do have a clear and positive impact on air quality. ... For every 200 new zero-emissions vehicles registered in a California neighborhood between 2019 and 2023, NO₂ levels dropped by 1.1%,” [writes InsideEVs Iulian Dnistran](https://insideevs.com/news/785951/ev-clean-air-study-california-data/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Writing at the Zero Emission Transportation Association’s weekly newsletter, Research Director Corey Cantor highlighted a new Nature [study](https://www.nature.com/articles/s44458-025-00032-4?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that analyzes the life-cycle carbon footprints of light-duty vehicles across power trains. “Under all modeled scenarios, including varying climate, electricity grids, and battery lifetime, battery electric vehicles reduce greenhouse gases relative to comparable internal combustion vehicles, including hybrids,” the authors conclude. “This is a great report to keep on file for the next time you see a question around how clean EVs are – break glass in case of a factual emergency,” writes Cantor. **Surging renewables could accelerate China’s emissions peak:** China’s breakneck pace of renewables deployment means there is a real chance the country peaks its climate pollution well ahead of the government’s “before 2030” target. “This year China will see its solar capacity outstrip its coal capacity for the first time, according to an industry group. In its latest [projections](https://english.cec.org.cn/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#/newsdetails?id=2018282664528424961), the China Electricity Council says that, by the end of 2026, wind and solar will account for nearly half of China’s power capacity. Including hydro and nuclear power, clean energy will amount to nearly two-thirds of total power capacity, while coal will amount to a third,” Yale Environment 360 [reported earlier this month](https://e360.yale.edu/digest/china-solar-coal-2026?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Yes, power capacity is not the same as power *generation*, but these are impressive milestones, nonetheless. In a new [analysis for Carbon Brief](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-co2-emissions-have-now-been-flat-or-falling-for-21-months/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, notes that in 2025 in China “solar power output increased by 43% year-on-year, wind by 14% and nuclear 8%, helping push down coal generation by 1.9%.” Overall, he writes, “China’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions fell by 1% in the final quarter of 2025, likely securing a decline of 0.3% for the full year as a whole. This extends a ‘[flat or falling](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-co2-emissions-have-now-been-flat-or-falling-for-18-months/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)’ trend in China’s CO2 emissions that began in March 2024 and has now lasted for nearly two years.” **Don’t forget about energy efficiency to meet demand:** Findings in a new American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) [report](https://www.aceee.org/press-release/2026/02/study-energy-efficiency-can-address-surging-electricity-needs-half-cost-gas?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) are a useful reminder of why energy efficiency is “[called the ‘first fuel’ in clean energy transitions](https://www.iea.org/energy-system/energy-efficiency-and-demand/energy-efficiency?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Not%20on%20track-,Energy%20efficiency,is%20called%20the%20%E2%80%9Cfirst%20fuel%E2%80%9D%20in%20clean%20energy%20transitions,-%2C%20as%20it%20provides).” “The fastest and cheapest way to alleviate rapid electric load growth is through expanding investment in energy efficiency and demand flexibility,” according to ACEEE. How cheap? Less than half the cost of even the cheapest new gas plants. “Utility energy efficiency programs … save energy for a median cost of only $21 per megawatt-hour, the report found. That’s less than half the cost of generating electricity with even the least expensive new gas-fired power plants, which typically range from $45 to $108 per megawatt-hour.” **The benefits of sharing power across the Western United States:** “Utilities and other energy providers in the West need to add more than 12,600 miles of new electric transmission lines in the next decade — at an estimated cost of $60 billion — in order to reliably meet rising demand, integrate renewable energy and address aging infrastructure in the existing electrical grid. That’s the top conclusion of an [unprecedented interregional transmission study ](https://www.westernpowerpool.org/about/programs/western-transmission-expansion-coalition?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)released this week,” The Oregonian’s Ted Sickinger [reported on February 6](https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2026/02/western-states-need-60-billion-investment-in-new-transmission-lines-by-2035-to-avoid-major-reliability-problems.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The study was prepared by the Western Transmission Expansion Coalition ([WestTEC](https://www.westernpowerpool.org/about/programs/western-transmission-expansion-coalition?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)), which “brought together more than 70 organizations from across the energy industry in the Mountain and Pacific coast states, including the Northwest’s largest utilities, the Bonneville Power Administration and organizations representing municipal and consumer-owned utilities,” writes Sickinger. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Meanwhile, Western states have already *saved* billions of dollars by sharing power across their borders. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) [announced last week](https://www.caiso.com/about/news/news-releases/western-energy-imbalance-market-surpasses-8-billion-in-total-benefits-since-inception?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) generated $1.62 billion in economic benefits for participants in 2025\. The WEIM, which is operated by CAISO, enables balancing authorities across the West (e.g., utilities such as Arizona Public Service, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and Portland General Electric) to buy and sell electricity in real time. The market has saved $8.24 billion for participants since its launch in 2014, according to CAISO. **China's take on Trump's retrograde climate policy** How does the Trump administration's abandonment of the clean energy transition look from China? Last week, Leo Hickman, the editor and director at Carbon Brief, [shared this editorial cartoon](https://bsky.app/profile/leohickman.carbonbrief.org/post/3mesyzeed3c2c?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from Xinhua, China's state news agency, on Bluesky: > China's Xinhua news agency has just published this editorial cartoon in response to Trump's rejection of climate policies. It is pretty clear that China views this as a HUGE geopolitical fumble by the US leaving the field clear for China's to win the global race to clean-tech hegemony > > — [Leo Hickman (@leohickman.carbonbrief.org)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:63ezulkb3amfzgpanfp2u5br?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [2026-02-14T12:20:17.704Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:63ezulkb3amfzgpanfp2u5br/post/3mesyzeed3c2c?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **Bonus 1: Words to live by** The Athletic's Richard Sutcliffe opened his recent [feature](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7026874/2026/02/09/ryan-reynolds-rob-mac-wrexham-five-years-anniversary/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) marking the five-year anniversary of actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac's purchase of Wrexham, a Welsh professional football club, with this sage advice from Reynolds: > “Ryan Reynolds is the first to admit the origins of his friendship with Wrexham co-owner Rob Mac are a little unorthodox," writes Sutcliffe. > “Rob and I first met from absolutely nothing,” says the Canadian. “From vapours, really. It’s not how you usually meet someone. But, after I turned 40, I remember thinking, ‘If I see something beautiful or something I love, I will say it, rather than keeping it to myself and moving on with my day’.” Those are words to live by, at any age. **Bonus 2: Journalism won't survive if this isn't fixed** Last week, the Pew Research Center released a [report](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2026/02/11/americans-complicated-relationship-with-news/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on “Americans' complicated relationship with news.” The study found ‘no consensus about the importance of following the news,’” [writes NiemanLabs' Hanaa' Tameez](https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/most-americans-dont-pay-for-news-and-dont-think-they-need-to/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “But there was one thing Americans seemed to agree on,” she adds, “they don’t pay for news.” “Eighty-three percent of respondents said they did not pay for any news sources (by subscribing, donating, or becoming members) in the last 12 months. Many cited free news options as a reason not to pay. ... Only 8% of respondents believe individual Americans have a responsibility to pay for news.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-11-150645.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-11-150753.png) I don't know how to fix this other than to urge you to [support newsletters like this one](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) and others that matter to you. Unless more readers begin to think of journalism like any other creative endeavor they value and are willing to pay for – be it a movie, a concert, a play, or a novel – the reporting and analysis you read every day won't survive for long. ### Congress rejected Trump’s spending plans. Making sure its own budget is spent is the next challenge. URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/congress-rejected-trumps-spending-plans-making-sure-its-own-budget-is-spent-is-the-next-challenge/ Last updated: 2026-02-11T15:30:45.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Even *this* Republican-led Congress saw Donald Trump’s 2026 budget and said, *No thanks*. The GOP’s wafer-thin majority in the House and the filibuster in the Senate give Democrats just enough leverage to ensure passage of budget bills that reflect both parties’ priorities. Which means that the spending documents assembled by White House budget director Russell Vought, which [proposed draconian cuts across agencies](https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-resources/budget/the-presidents-fy-2026-discretionary-budget-request/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), were largely ignored. The 2026 budget bills signed by Trump last month included funding for critical energy efficiency and clean energy programs at levels that mirror or even exceed those in last year’s budget. But for an administration that [routinely ignores the law](https://time.com/7212753/trump-elon-musk-federal-laws-legal-analysis/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), two questions loom: Will agencies have enough staff to fulfill Congress’ will and implement [programs and projects the president does not like](https://bsky.app/profile/yonahfreemark.com/post/3mehmq3wf7k2y?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and will Vought allow agencies to spend money on those same initiatives? **Reprieve for energy efficiency and clean energy programs** The Trump administration [tried to end](https://www.npr.org/2025/08/13/nx-s1-5432617/energy-star-trump-cost-climate-change?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the popular ENERGY STAR program last year. But in a [bipartisan budget bill](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6938?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) signed by Trump, Congress gave the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) $33 million to fund the program through the fiscal year ending on September 30. The budget bill even “has the potential to strengthen the energy efficiency program by giving it dedicated funding,” NPR’s Jeff Brady [reported last week](https://www.npr.org/2026/02/03/nx-s1-5684126/energy-star-trump-climate-change?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The story was similar for programs that support wind and solar power and provide energy assistance to low-income households. The budget bill Trump signed to fund the Department of Energy (DOE) [provided $320 million for wind and solar](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/department-energy-appropriations-solar-wind-trump/810278/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – even though the White House’s budget request had [zeroed out funding for the programs](https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ending-the-Green-New-Scam-Fact-Sheet.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and the department had [proposed a reorganization last year](https://www.eenews.net/articles/wright-overhauls-doe-reflecting-shift-in-us-energy-priorities/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that would eliminate the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The Trump administration had similarly [proposed eliminating the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program](https://www.npr.org/2025/05/15/nx-s1-5389917/trump-budget-proposal-would-end-energy-assistance-program-for-low-income-americans?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (LIHEAP) last year – at a time when energy affordability is top of mind and energy bills are [soaring for households nationwide](https://powerlines.org/utilities-requested-record-31-billion-in-rate-increases-in-2025-double-that-of-2024/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The spending bill signed by Trump [gave LIHEAP more than $4 billion](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/reversal-trump-signs-low-income-energy-assistance?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), $20 million more than the program had last year. **Who will be there to get the money out the door?** So, for key energy efficiency and clean energy programs, Congress took one look at Trump’s budget and tossed the binders in the recycling bin. But there are facts on paper and facts in the real world. In the real world, the Trump administration’s war on civil servants decreased federal agency payrolls by 220,000 employees between January and November 2025, according to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). It is “the largest one-year reduction in the federal workforce in over 75 years,” write Kiran Rachamallu and Devin O’Connor, researchers at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities think tank, in a [report](https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/administrations-radical-personnel-cuts-bypassed-congress-and-lacked?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published last month. “Federal civilian employment had fallen to the smallest share of the employed workforce on record in data going back to the 1930s.” [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) The Department of Energy alone lost more than 2,200 employees last year, [according to OPM](https://data.opm.gov/explore-data/analytics/workforce-changes?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “This severe retrenchment in federal capacity – *generally unaccompanied by any clear plan on how to maintain the programs and services these workers administer and Congress continues to support* – has been radical in both size and speed,” write Rachamallu and O’Connor (emphasis added). I share this concern. Congress just told DOE to spend $320 million on wind and solar programs this year. But this week, the crown jewel of the department’s network of R&D labs, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (recently rebranded as the “National Laboratory of the Rockies”), [fired 134 employees](https://www.cpr.org/2026/02/09/nrel-layoffs-2026/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). This came after [114 researchers and scientists were fired](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/chris-wright-is-allowing-the-department-of-energy-to-be-dismantled-before-his-eyes/#:~:text=Nevertheless%2C%20114%20researchers%20and%20scientists%20were%20fired%20at%20the%20network%E2%80%99s%20crown%20jewel%2C%20the%20National%20Renewable%20Energy%20Laboratory%2C%20on%20May%205.) at the lab in May of last year. At the EPA, the ENERGY STAR program is likewise threatened by a dearth of employees to deliver the services Congress paid for. “The Energy Star program is not fully out of the woods yet. It's one thing to keep the Energy Star program alive and fully funded, but what we really need is for the program to be fully staffed,” Jeremy Symons, a senior adviser at the Environmental Protection Network, told NPR’s Brady. **Will Russell Vought block the funding?** In a [post](https://legal-planet.org/2026/02/07/taking-care-that-the-law-be-fitfully-executed/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) listing the ways Donald Trump has failed to follow the Constitution’s direction that the chief executive “take care that the laws be faithfully executed,” Dan Farber, professor and co-director of the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at UC Berkeley School of Law, writes that Trump: > “Has openly violated laws appropriating funding for agency staff, such as layoffs at environmental agencies.” > “Has violated laws appropriating funding for specific programs like climate change research or research on the connections between health, race and gender, solely because he disagrees with those congressional decisions. > “Has arbitrarily denied funding to programs or jurisdictions for partisan reasons unconnected with the purposes of the funding, such as refusing to declare emergencies in severely damaged states due to quarrels with their governors or the simple fact that the state voted for his opponent.” Donald Trump is not honoring his oath to faithfully execute the law, to be sure. But no one should pretend that [Trump cares about the details of governing](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-susie-wiles-interview-exclusive-part-1?srsltid=AfmBOoqio8F4R0-2toPZUSqTSkYvgBq6jy-oxzSUu5KENniRom517-08&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20president%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20know%20and%20never%20will%2C%E2%80%9D%20she%20told%20me.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20know%20the%20details%20of%20these%20smallish%20agencies.%E2%80%9D). That’s the job of Russell Vought, “[the shadow president](https://www.propublica.org/article/russ-vought-trump-shadow-president-omb?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com).” [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support) What happens when Vought, in response to a late-night Trump post on Truth Social or because of his own ideological fervor, simply refuses to spend the $33 million for ENERGY STAR or the $320 million for wind and solar R&D? Just last week, Vought's office [halted the release of $135 million to build EV charging stations](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2026/02/10/trump-kills-ev-charging-programs-in-blue-states-00772344?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in the blue states of California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota. In the near term, Democratic state attorneys general [must continue to challenge Vought and the administration’s disregard for budgets and the law](https://stateline.org/2026/01/07/democratic-state-ags-will-lead-opposition-to-trump-in-new-year/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). And when the new House and Senate are seated in January 2027, should Democrats win back control of one or both chambers, Democratic-led committees must use subpoenas and the threat of impeachments to force the release of documents and correspondence, compel the testimony of Cabinet officials, and otherwise restrain Trump and officials like Vought who are acting in his name. The Constitution gives Congress the power to [determine how the federal government spends money](https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/articles/article-i/clauses/756?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). More than one year into Trump 2.0, it's clear White House officials believes that power is theirs alone. It's long past time for Congress to reclaim its role as a co-equal branch of government and to restore its control of federal spending. ### What I’m reading: California offshore wind ports funding, repowering solar farms with batteries, electric aviation update, a shortcut to electrify existing homes, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-california-offshore-wind-ports-funding-repowering-solar-farms-with-batteries-electric-aviation-update-a-shortcut-to-electrify-existing-homes-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-02-06T22:14:27.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. Thanks, as always, for reading and sharing this newsletter. **California offers timeline on next phase of offshore wind ports funding** As the Trump administration wages its war against the offshore wind industry, attempting to halt projects under construction on the East Coast, in California, policymakers are preparing to build wind projects off its coast. The California Energy Commission (CEC) released a [report](https://www.energy.ca.gov/publications/2026/report-legislature-use-proposition-4-funding-offshore-wind-ports?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) last month providing a tentative timeline for it to disburse more of the funding set aside for offshore wind ports infrastructure under Proposition 4, the “climate bond” approved by voters in November 2024. Prop 4 made up to $475 million available to support offshore wind ports construction and expansion in the state. The Legislature included $225.72 million of that funding in a budget bill that passed last year ([SB 105](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260SB105&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)). The CEC [awarded $42.75 million to five projects in October 2025](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-california-is-electrifying-its-fleets-rural-counties-benefit-from-renewables-good-offshore-wind-news-and-more/#:~:text=Some%20good%20offshore%20wind%20news), the first tranche of the offshore wind infrastructure funding from Prop 4\. In the new report, the CEC outlines how it plans to distribute the remainder of the funds set aside by the Legislature last year. “The CEC plans to award the remaining appropriated but uncommitted Climate Bond funds (approximately $183 million) by developing one or more competitive grant solicitations that aim to advance the readiness of California ports for floating offshore wind staging, integration, manufacturing, and assembly,” according to the report. “A grant solicitation may be released in early 2027.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/02/CEC_Climate-Bond-Funding_Estimated-Schedule_Jan-2026.png) [Credit](https://www.energy.ca.gov/publications/2026/report-legislature-use-proposition-4-funding-offshore-wind-ports?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): "Report to Legislature on the Use of Proposition 4 Funding for Offshore Wind Ports," California Energy Commission, January 2026. The state estimates an investment of $11-12 billion will be required to upgrade California ports to develop 25 gigawatts of offshore wind power capacity. **Repowering existing solar farms with batteries** I’ve reported on [the potential for solar repowering](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/how-solar-repowering-can-reach-its-potential/) a few times here at Quitting Carbon. I’ve noted that the first wave of utility-scale solar projects, especially those lacking storage, [could be ideally suited for repowering](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/is-it-time-to-repower-the-first-wave-of-large-solar-projects/). This battery-led repowering is now advancing in at least two states. In North Carolina, under a new Duke Energy proposal now before state utility regulators, “project owners could lock in favorable long-term renewals pending one main condition: They have to add batteries,” Elizabeth Ouzts [reported last week for Canary Media](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/north-carolina-may-use-batteries-old-solar-farms?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “If it’s green-lit by the North Carolina Utilities Commission, it would represent the first systematic move toward ​‘repowering’ large-scale solar facilities in the state. The potential is enormous: Contracts expiring in the next five years total 1.9 gigawatts – an amount equal to more than a quarter of North Carolina’s entire utility-scale solar fleet,” she writes. In Virginia, a pair of bills progressing through the General Assembly “would fast-track adding battery energy storage to existing solar farms,” [reports Cardinal News’ Matt Busse](https://cardinalnews.org/2026/02/03/bills-would-fast-track-battery-storage-at-solar-farms/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The bills, [SB 443](https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/sb443?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [HB 891](https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB891?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “would allow battery storage to be added as an accessory use on any land where a local government has given the OK for a utility-scale solar power facility,” he adds. “This is a very limited approach that can add significant capacity to the grid and makes the most of existing infrastructure and the land that is already under permit without disturbing new farm and forest land,” Philip Scranage, from energy developer AES, [said during a recent legislative committee hearing](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7423123167021404160/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on the bills. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **The electric aircraft market is ready for liftoff** I reported last week on efforts underway at the California Air Resources Board to develop policies to [reduce emissions from the state’s aviation industry](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-reduce-emissions-from-aviation-in-the-golden-state/). The initiative is focused on a near-term push to decarbonize airport operations on the ground and at the gate. But as I have [reported here at Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/a-glimpse-of-the-future-of-aviation/), startups and manufacturers are also on the cusp of commercializing all-electric planes. A new report offers an optimistic assessment of the potential to scale the emerging market. “The nascent market for electric planes and electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) is continuing to advance and could deliver tens of thousands of new aircraft in the coming decades, as new commercial technologies emerge and regulators grant approval for zero emission operators,” [writes](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4525049/electric-aircraft-market-tipped-steady-ascent?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) BusinessGreen’s James Murray about a new report from research firm Berg Insight. The new report, he adds, “predicts almost 100,000 electric aircraft could be in operation by mid-century, as commercial operators look to cut costs and emissions and the private aviation market expands.” Murray notes that “the report underscores how a sizeable ecosystem of electric aircraft developers has emerged in recent years, despite significant economic headwinds and technical challenges.” [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Among those technical challenges is developing lithium battery packs that can satisfy regulators’ exacting standards for safety. On that score, H55, a Swiss startup that produces electric propulsion systems for aircraft, claims to have [achieved a significant milestone](https://h55.ch/en/h55-successfully-completes-for-the-first-time-in-the-aviation-industry-all-regulator-required-propulsion-battery-module-certification-tests/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Electric aviation has faced a single, unresolved bottleneck: proving to regulators that high-energy propulsion batteries can safely contain worst-case failures,” the company said in a Monday press release. H55 announced that “it has completed the industry’s first regulator-required and authority-witnessed propulsion battery module certification test sequence – addressing a critical gating factor that has constrained the commercialisation and financing of electric aircraft programs.” “By completing this regulator-approved propulsion battery module test campaign, H55 has materially reduced the primary constraint that determines which electric aviation technologies can commercialise,” said the company. H55 supplies the electric propulsion system for the Bristell B23 Energic, the all-electric plane I [watched complete a demonstration flight](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/a-glimpse-of-the-future-of-aviation/) at the Biggest Little Air Show at the San Carlos Airport last June. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/02/IMG_20250614_113659195.jpg) The Bristell [B23 Energic](https://h55.ch/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Flyer%5FB23%5FEnergic%5FEU.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) all-electric plane parked on the taxiway at San Carlos Airport after completing a demonstration flight for the Biggest Little Air Show on June 14, 2025\. Credit: Justin Gerdes. **A shortcut to electrify existing homes** Yesterday, California utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and San Francisco-based startup Span [announced a partnership](https://investor.pgecorp.com/news-events/press-releases/press-release-details/2026/PGE-Accelerating-Home-Electrification-for-Customers-via-SPAN-Edge/default.aspx?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that aims to make it easier to fully electrify existing homes. Older homes often require expensive electric panel upgrades before heat pumps, induction cooktops, or other electric appliances can be installed. Thankfully, I was able to avoid this hassle when I [completed my own home electrification project](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/). Under the new collaboration with PG&E, Span will install its [Edge load management devices](https://www.span.io/blog/span-expands-beyond-smart-electrical-panels-creating-new-category-of-at-the-meter-products?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at the meter, which means that even homeowners who live in homes much older than my own can likewise avoid the need for costly electric panel or service upgrades when fully electrifying their homes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/02/PGE___SPAN_Edge_1-2.jpg) "Span Edge is an at-the-meter device that enables real-time load management." [Credit](https://www.span.io/blog/pg-e-accelerating-home-electrification-for-customers-via-span-edge?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Span. Here’s how the program will work when it launches this summer. As part of PG&E’s new PanelBoost program, “PG&E will supply the SPAN Edge device for customers as an add on to their electric meter, and customers will be responsible for the costs for an electrician to install the device and for costs to wire any new appliances and loads connecting to the device,” according to a [press release](https://investor.pgecorp.com/news-events/press-releases/press-release-details/2026/PGE-Accelerating-Home-Electrification-for-Customers-via-SPAN-Edge/default.aspx?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The companies claim that Span's Edge devices can be installed faster and for less than service upgrades. The devices “offer utilities a reliable, flexible load-shaping tool and give customers a lower-cost path to electrification – avoiding service upgrades that can cost $6,000 to $40,000 and take months to complete. In comparison, the cost estimate for a customer to have an electrician to install a Span Edge device through PanelBoost could be between $500-$2,000 dependent on a range of factors.” According to PG&E, more than 600,000 homes across its service area in Northern and Central California “are likely to require some type of electric service upgrade in the next decade to meet electrification demand.” **The ongoing crisis at DOJ’s environment division** In a roundup published nearly one year ago, I [reported on the crisis at the U.S. Department of Justice's environment division](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-even-more-savings-from-leds-trumps-ev-purge-solar-and-batteries-displacing-gas-in-california-and-more/#:~:text=Crisis%20at%20the%20Department%20of%20Justice%27s%20environment%20division), then just a month after Donald Trump’s inauguration to a second term as president. I wish I could report that conditions at the beleaguered division have improved since then. Unfortunately, [according to reporting by Politico’s Pamela King](https://www.eenews.net/articles/staff-exodus-case-gridlock-doj-environment-division-under-trump-2-0/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the situation today is even worse. “One year after President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, at least a third of the lawyers on staff at the Justice Department’s environment division have walked out the door, gutting the government’s capacity to defend its own energy and climate policies and kneecapping its power to keep polluters in check,” writes King. “Over the last 12 months, at least 140 lawyers have departed – by force or by choice – DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division \[ENRD\], according to interviews with 11 former attorneys across the division’s 10 sections and analysis by POLITICO’s E&E News,” she adds. The exodus of talented lawyers, and loss of institutional knowledge, is of grave concern to John Cruden, who led ENRD during the Obama administration. “Of all the many issues that trouble me about this administration, their treatment of our extraordinary career workforce is first on the list. The brain drain from the environment division that I served in for over 20 years and then led, has been extraordinary,” Cruden told King. Longtime readers of this newsletter may recall Cruden's name. I mentioned in last year's roundup on this topic that I had interviewed Cruden in the closing days of the Obama administration for a profile I published with Santa Clara Magazine. You can read that profile [here](https://magazine.scu.edu/magazines/spring-2017/for-the-record/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/02/John-Cruden-profile_For-the-Record_Santa-Clara-Magazine.png)](https://magazine.scu.edu/magazines/spring-2017/for-the-record/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **Bonus: California nears completion of “world’s largest” wildlife crossing** Some good news to close us out. On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) announced that the California Transportation Commission had allocated the final $18.8 million in funding needed to complete the [Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing](https://101wildlifecrossing.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) over US Highway 101 northwest of Los Angeles. “The crossing is the first of its kind in California and provides safe passage for wildlife across US 101, reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and supporting long-term species viability by allowing movement,” according to a [press release](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/02/02/california-closes-in-on-completing-the-worlds-largest-wildlife-crossing/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from Newsom’s office. “After more than 30 years of conservation work in the area, this wildlife crossing will reconnect protected lands in the Santa Monica Mountains and the Sierra Madre Range on both sides of the highway.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/02/Highway-101-Wildlife-Crossing.jpg) The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing across US Highway 101 in Agoura Hills, California. [Credit](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/02/02/california-closes-in-on-completing-the-worlds-largest-wildlife-crossing/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. ### Here’s how California plans to reduce emissions from aviation in the Golden State URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-reduce-emissions-from-aviation-in-the-golden-state/ Last updated: 2026-01-30T15:30:14.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Aviation is one of the most intractable climate puzzles to solve. So, it should be welcome news to policymakers everywhere that California regulators have taken up the challenge of reining in emissions from the sector. In 2022, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) committed to developing strategies to reduce emissions from aviation. That process is now well underway. In March of last year, I attended and reported on a CARB [forum focused on technology solutions that could curb climate pollution from the aviation sector](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-you-should-feel-a-little-less-guilty-about-flying/). Since that meeting, staff have prepared draft concepts for potential programs and policies that could be brought to the agency’s board for action next year. Earlier this month, the agency hosted a [public workshop](https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/CARB/bulletins/3fdeabb?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to share more details about the four concepts under consideration, which focus on airport operations on the ground and at the gate: controlling emissions from aircraft auxiliary power units; reducing emissions from airport ground support equipment; reducing emissions from aircraft taxiing at the airport; and reducing emissions from aircraft takeoffs and landings. **The scale of the challenge** California aircraft activity is projected to increase by two-thirds through 2050, according to CARB. Without additional action, NOx emissions from the sector are projected to increase from 55 tons per day (tpd) in 2024 to 72 tpd by mid-century. “The aviation sector is the only mobile source category in California where emissions are expected to substantially increase in the future. Certain areas of the state, such as the South Coast Air Basin, are unable to attain federal ozone standards without emissions reductions from aviation,” CARB staff wrote in a [report](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2026-01/SCAI%20Draft%20Concept%20Document.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published this month. “Existing programs remain insufficient to combat the projected increase of aviation emissions,” they concluded. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-24-192351.png) [Credit](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2026-01/2nd-public-aircraft-workshop-presentation%5Ffinal.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): “2nd Public Workshop and Draft Regulatory Concepts for California’s Statewide Clean Aviation Initiative,” slides from [online workshop](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suruf7KHlT8&feature=youtu.be&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), CARB, January 15, 2026. **Four strategies to reduce emissions** Here are the strategies under consideration to check that projected emissions growth. Implementation of the proposed policies could begin as early as 2030. **Auxiliary power units** When parked at the gate between flights, commercial aircraft will turn off their main engines as passengers offload and reboard. But the idle planes still require power to run lights, computers, and the climate-control system. Pilots will often employ the auxiliary power unit (APU) buried in the plane’s tail to run the electrical systems, even though an increasing number of passenger gates are equipped with infrastructure enabling planes to plug into the airport’s grid connection. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) A CARB proposal would require aircraft to reduce emissions from APUs within five minutes of arrival up to 15-45 minutes before departure, depending on the type of aircraft. During this interval between arrival and departure, the APU would likely be turned off. Planes could connect to fixed ground power at the gate or to mobile ground power units. To keep cabins comfortable, planes could use electricity-powered preconditioned air (PCA) units at gates or mobile PCA units. The new policy would take effect on January 1, 2032, with airports required to submit infrastructure plans to meet the new rules by July 1, 2030. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-24-192520.png) **Ground support equipment** It takes a diverse fleet of vehicles and other motorized equipment to service commercial aircraft at airports. Think of the belt loaders and baggage tractors, fuel trucks and catering trucks, among many others, you see crisscrossing the tarmac as you wait for your flight at the gate. The problem is that today most of these vehicles run on fossil fuels. As of last year, around two-thirds of the nearly 14,000 vehicles comprising the total ground support equipment fleet in California ran on gasoline, propane, or diesel, according to a CARB inventory. That fleet is slowly transitioning to zero-emission models. For example, around half of the belt loaders and baggage tractors in use in California today are electric. And airports have started to set their own targets to achieve zero-emission service fleets. Airline tenants at the [Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's airports](https://www.panynj.gov/content/dam/port-authority/about/environmental-initiatives-/panynj-NetZeroRoadMap.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [Los Angeles International Airport](https://www.lawa.org/-/media/lawa-web/environment/files/gse-emissions-reduction-program/lax-ze-gse-vehicles-policy.ashx?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) will be required to achieve 100% zero-emission ground support equipment by 2030 and 2033, respectively. The CARB proposal for California would require a 100% zero-emission ground service fleet by 2037\. Equipment would be assigned a more or less aggressive pathway to achieve that target based on the commercial availability and operational feasibility of zero-emission models. Small motorized carts, belt loaders, and baggage tractors, for example, would be required to be 75% zero-emission by 2032 and 100% by 2035\. Larger vehicles such as catering trucks, generators, and hydrant trucks would have until 2034 to hit 50% zero-emission and 2037 to hit 100%. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-24-192612.png) **Aircraft taxiing** The main engines on commercial passenger airplanes burn so much fuel, it pays to turn them on only when necessary. With that in mind, CARB is proposing to limit the amount of time planes employ main engine taxiing and maximize the time of “green” taxiing between the runway and the gate. As I [reported in my dispatch last March](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-you-should-feel-a-little-less-guilty-about-flying/), a host of technologies are under development that could assist or take over completely the job of pulling planes to and from gates. The TaxiBot and EcoTug are stand-alone tows that would attach to planes, while the WheelTug and e-Taxi would employ electric motors attached to the nose wheels and main gear, respectively, to reduce emissions from taxiing. The consultancy Roland Berger is expected to deliver a feasibility study on zero-emission taxiing technologies to CARB by the end of this year. CARB is considering a two-part plan to reduce emissions from taxiing. Part one could include requirements for single-engine taxiing by 2030\. Part two could include an eight-year phase-in timeline to achieve 100% zero-emission taxiing at the state’s dozen largest airports by June 1, 2037. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-28-162044.png) **Takeoffs and landings** One of the primary goals of this rulemaking by CARB is to bring regions of the state, especially the Central Valley and Southern California, into compliance with federal ozone and fine particulate matter standards. Hence the focus in these draft concepts on pollution from operations on the ground and at the gate that harms airport employees and nearby communities. But CARB is also exploring strategies to reduce emissions from takeoffs and landings at the state’s airports as well. And here, the agency concedes some near-term challenges. “International and federal emissions standards for aircraft engines are *technology-following;* aircraft engines have shown little NOx reduction over time, despite federal standards and technology development; and zero-emission technology for large, long-haul, commercial aircraft is still decades away,” writes agency staff in [slides](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2026-01/2nd-public-aircraft-workshop-presentation%5Ffinal.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) presented at [the January 15 workshop](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suruf7KHlT8&feature=youtu.be&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (emphasis in original). One strategy being pursued by CARB is what it calls a “Differentiated Landing Fee Program.” Based on schemes operating in Europe, the program would assess revenue-neutral landing fees at the state’s airports. “California airports would be required to set or modify landing fees based on each aircraft’s NOx emissions per visit,” according to CARB. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Higher landing fees would be assessed on aircraft with higher emissions; lower landing fees would be assessed on aircraft with lower emissions. Larger fees could be assessed against planes visiting airports located in areas out of compliance with federal ozone standards. The rules would only apply to new planes beginning January 1, 2030. **Achieving near-term climate wins** Electrification could soon make a dent in emissions during flight, especially for [flight training and short-haul routes](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/a-glimpse-of-the-future-of-aviation/). And CARB [signed a partnership agreement](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/carb-and-nations-leading-airlines-announce-landmark-partnership-sustainable-aviation-future?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with Airlines for America in October 2024 committing to increasing the availability of sustainable aviation fuel for use within California to 200 million gallons by 2035. The package of policies under consideration by CARB could unlock more immediate aviation decarbonization on the ground and at the gate as solutions for emissions during flight such as solid-state batteries, fuel cells, and sustainable aviation fuels mature and scale over the next decade. ### What I’m reading: UK unveils Warm Homes Plan, U.S. and global transit expansion, research roundup, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-uk-unveils-warm-homes-plan-u-s-and-global-transit-expansion-research-roundup-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-01-26T15:30:11.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. These roundups typically arrive in your inbox every other Friday. But the holiday as well as a few events on my calendar last week pushed this issue to today. Thanks for your patience. And thanks, as always, for reading and sharing this newsletter. **UK government unveils the “Warm Homes Plan”** UK energy prices [started to rise in the summer of 2021](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9714/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) as fossil fuel demand began to recover after Covid-19 lockdowns. Prices, especially for wholesale gas, [surged again](https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/2025/russian-invasion-anniversary-140bn-gas-bill-for-uk-since-crisis-began?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Nearly four years on, UK households are still grappling with stubbornly high utility bills. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/06f59c81-c8e0-41e9-a975-b95cede1fdc0.webp) [Credit](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9714/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): UK Parliament, House of Commons Library. Source: nationalgrid.com [Prevailing View tool](https://mip-prd-web.azurewebsites.net/DataItemExplorer?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (system average price). Last week, the country’s Labour government published a £15 billion ($20.2 billion) “[Warm Homes Plan](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/warm-homes-plan?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)” designed to reduce bills by incentivizing households to install solar panels, batteries, and [heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-to-accelerate-the-u-s-heat-pump-market/). “The Warm Homes Plan will deliver £15 billion of public investment, roll out upgrades to up to 5 million homes that could save them hundreds on energy bills and help to lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030,” according to a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero [press release](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/families-to-save-in-biggest-home-upgrade-plan-in-british-history?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). [Reporting for the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/20/uk-warm-homes-plan-gas-boilers-billions-heat-pumps?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), Fiona HarveyandJillian Ambrose note that the plan does not include a phaseout date for fossil gas boilers. “Labour’s principal attempt to solve the UK’s cost of living crisis, the £15bn warm homes plan, will overhaul 5m dwellings, aiming to cut energy bills by as much as £1,000 a year, in the biggest public investment yet made into home upgrades,” they write. Harvey and Ambrose report that the plan comprises five schemes in England: > “£5bn for upgrades, including insulation, solar panels, batteries and heat pumps, for people on low incomes. £2bn towards low-cost loans for people who can afford them. £2.7bn for the boiler upgrade scheme, by which people can swap their existing gas boilers for £7,500 on a new heat pump. £1.1bn for heat networks, which distribute heat from a central source, which could be a large heat pump or geothermal or other low-carbon source. £2.7bn towards innovative finance through the warm homes fund, which could include schemes such as green mortgages offering a lower interest rate to homes that have been insulated and equipped with solar panels and heat pumps.” Writing at Bluesky, BusinessGreen Editor-in-Chief James Murray [observed](https://bsky.app/profile/james-bg.bsky.social/post/3mcw4uufhck2i?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): “This will get massively overshadowed today and as ever the devil is in the detail, but it should be one of the best things Labour has done. It has the potential to improve the lives and finances of millions of people.” “The Warm Homes Plan has a really good mix of grants, loans, and crucially delivery planning that should allow economies of scale and street by street improvements,” he [added](https://bsky.app/profile/james-bg.bsky.social/post/3mcw4yrq72k2i?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “It’s not perfect, of course. A lot depends on the rate of interest for the loans (please can it avoid the scandal of student loans) and there being a sufficient skills base to do the work well. Plus it could do with more funding given the scale of the challenge.” “But part of the reason it’s taken so long is Labour does seem to have squared it off with the energy companies, social housing providers, and local authorities that will lead the work. There’s lots that can go wrong with it, as previous efficiency schemes have proved. But the early signs at least are encouraging,” he [concluded](https://bsky.app/profile/james-bg.bsky.social/post/3mcw54jzis22i?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Transit projects opening in the U.S. and around the world in 2026** Transportation is the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Eliminating tailpipe emissions from vehicles will be essential in reducing emissions from the sector but so too will be making it easier for people to get around in something other than a private car. Every January, the urbanist [Yonah Freemark](https://www.urban.org/author/yonah-freemark?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) publishes lists of transit projects that are scheduled to open in the coming year, and those that were completed in the previous year, in North America and around the world at his site The Transport Politic. Freemark published his [North America roundup](https://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2026/01/01/transit-expansion-in-north-america-a-look-ahead-to-2026-and-a-2025-roundup/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on January 1 and [global review](https://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2026/01/20/transit-project-openings-in-2026-a-global-review/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on January 20. The lists make for fascinating reading. Despite the Trump administration’s [hostility towards public transit](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025/11/trump-administration-eliminate-transit-funding-00652923?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), light-rail, streetcar, commuter rail, and bus-rapid transit lines years in the making are opening across the country in 2026\. Notable projects coming online in the U.S. this year include the first phase of the D Line subway extension and LAX Airport Connector automated people mover in Los Angeles and Seattle’s Link 2 Line light-rail corridor. But the lists also make it clear the U.S. is falling behind its peers in building new public transit. And no surprise, China is now the runaway global leader. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/metros_timeline-1.webp)](https://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2026/01/20/transit-project-openings-in-2026-a-global-review/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [Credit](https://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2026/01/20/transit-project-openings-in-2026-a-global-review/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): "Transit Project Openings in 2026: A Global Review," The Transport Politic. “The net impact of all of the expansion of metro systems in Chinese cities over the past two decades has been the creation of by far the world’s largest network of metro lines. China now has 12,500 kilometers \[7,767 miles\] of operating metro lines. That’s five times as much as the entire European Union (EU) – and nine times as much as the United States,” writes Freemark. “Based on current plans, India will pass the United States in terms of the length of its metro systems by the end of 2026,” he adds. “As China’s and India’s cities have built up their metro lines, so have EU cities, though at a slower rate; at the same time, however, Japan and the United States have barely expanded their systems – even though they were the world leaders until the 1970s.” **Clean energy organizations sue to lift Trump’s renewables “blockade”** In my recent [column](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/the-trump-administration-just-laundered-its-bogus-energy-affordability-talking-points-through-politicos-white-house-team/) on the Trump administration’s bogus energy affordability talking points, I mentioned the July 2025 memo signed by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that has frozen solar and wind projects on federal lands. That memo is now being challenged in court. “In recent weeks, a coalition of clean energy organizations sued to overturn the July memo and other actions from Interior and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which issues permits for energy projects near navigable waters,” [reports](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/22gw-renewables-under-trump-blockade?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Canary Media’s Maria Galluci. “Both the Army Corps and Interior say they’re [prioritizing projects](https://www.usace.army.mil/Media/News-Releases/News-Release-Article-View/Article/4311128/army-corps-of-engineers-begins-implementing-policy-to-increase-americas-energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that generate the most energy per acre, a measure that favors coal, oil, and gas and undercuts renewables — and which [has its roots in fossil-fuel industry misinformation](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/land-use/trump-interior-order-fossil-fuel-misinformation?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com),” she adds. **Research roundup** Here’s another roundup of noteworthy reports and studies you might have missed: **Global aviation emissions could be halved through efficiency:** As I’ve written here before, much can be done today to reduce emissions from the aviation industry, including [measures on the ground and at the gate](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-you-should-feel-a-little-less-guilty-about-flying/). A [study](https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-03069-4?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published earlier this month finds that relatively simple efficiency measures could generate substantial emissions cuts from global aviation. “A new study co-led by the University of Oxford has found that global aviation emissions could be reduced by 50-75% through combining three strategies to boost efficiency: flying only the most fuel-efficient aircraft, switching to all-economy layouts, and increasing passenger loads,” according to a University of Oxford [press release](https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-01-07-global-aviation-emissions-could-be-halved-through-maximising-efficiency-gains-new?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Crucially, the study shows that around a 11% reduction in global aviation emissions is achievable immediately, by using the most efficient aircraft that airlines already have more strategically on routes they already fly.” **Hydropower + batteries = longer dam life, more revenue:** “Hydropower has traditionally acted as the battery of the grid, with water stored in reservoirs ready to spin turbines when needed. But now our grid ‘battery’ has the opportunity to have batteries of its own,” says Vishvas Chalishazar, a senior power systems research engineer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). In new research, “Chalishazar and his colleagues modeled the operation of a real hydropower plant paired, hypothetically, with a 60-megawatt, 2-hour battery system. The researchers found that the added battery could help the hydropower plant generate $6 million more in revenue every year while reducing wear and tear on its turbines,” according to a PNNL [press release](https://www.pnnl.gov/news-media/adding-batteries-hydropower-facilities-could-increase-dam-lifespan-potential-revenue?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) **Clean energy soars in Europe and California:** New research finds that two of the world’s largest markets, the EU and California, logged significant energy transition milestones last year. “In 2025, the EU took an enormous step forward towards a clean power system backed by wind and solar,” reports the energy think tank Ember in its latest [European Electricity Review](https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/european-electricity-review-2026/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “For the first time, wind and solar produced more electricity than fossil fuels in the EU. Homegrown renewables remained nearly half of EU power, as record-breaking solar worked in tandem with wind.” “The next challenge will be to put a serious dent in the EU’s reliance on expensive, imported gas. By investing across the power system to harness the potential of batteries, grids and electrified tech, the EU can make use of homegrown renewable power to stabilise prices and insure against energy blackmail,” writes Beatrice Petrovich, a senior energy analyst with Ember. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/Ember_EU-electricity-generation_2025.png) In the Golden State, the California Energy Commission (CEC) [shared data](https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/clean-energy-serving-california/tracking-progress-toward-100-clean-energy?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) finding that with each year, “more hours of the day are powered entirely by clean energy.” “In 2025, California’s grid ran on 100% clean energy more than 50% more hours than in 2024,” according to the CEC. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/bafkreifrcbdaen37wbsuzwkyaiv64whliojvgjci5bxc4vrproo2fxunrq.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/bafkreidnbsolsh65rfq2v3ytl35k64mnyaxjmayiy5a2fr44nlq5ec3dtm.jpg) [Credit](https://bsky.app/profile/calenergy.bsky.social/post/3mczrnidids2e?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): California Energy Commission. **China and India log energy transition milestones last year, too:** “Coal power generation fell in both China and India in 2025, the first simultaneous drop in half a century, after each nation added record amounts of clean energy,” writes Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, in an [analysis published by Carbon Brief](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coal-power-drops-in-china-and-india-for-first-time-in-52-years-after-clean-energy-records/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Electricity generation from coal in India fell by 3.0% year-on-year (57 terawatt hours, TWh) and in China by 1.6% (58TWh). The last time both countries registered a drop in coal power output was in 1973,” writes Myllyvirta. **Bonus: Weight-loss drugs: an unexpected climate solution** Returning to the subject of efficiency in the aviation industry, one thing all airlines obsess over is finding ways to shed weight on their planes. Every extra pound, after all, means more fuel burned during the flight. On that score, it turns out the Americans’ recent embrace of weight-loss drugs is doing the airlines – and the planet – a favor. Airlines have largely recovered from their pandemic declines, with more bodies in seats on most flights, but because of the weight-loss drugs, there is less of us in each seat. “As Americans slim down with the help of weight-loss drugs, U.S. airlines could be among the surprise beneficiaries, a new report suggests,” [reports](https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2026/01/21/weight-loss-drugs-airlines-fuel-savings/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) The Washington Post’s Lori Aratani. Aratani spoke with Sheila Kahyaoglu, an equity analyst at financial firm Jefferies, which led the study: > “Using a Boeing 737 Max 8 as an example, Kahyaoglu calculated that if the plane were carrying 178 passengers who weighed an average of 180 pounds, the aircraft’s total weight, including fuel and cargo, would be roughly 181,200 pounds. But if those passengers lost an average of 10 percent of their weight to reach an average of 162 pounds, the total load would be about 3,200 pounds lighter. For American, Delta, Southwest and United, which are expected to consume roughly 16 billion gallons of fuel in 2026 at a cost of roughly $38.6 billion — that difference in weight could translate to about $580 million in fuel savings per year, the report estimated.” ### The Trump administration just laundered its bogus energy affordability talking points through Politico’s White House team URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/the-trump-administration-just-laundered-its-bogus-energy-affordability-talking-points-through-politicos-white-house-team/ Last updated: 2026-01-16T15:30:52.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* The credulous headline is the tell. Given an “exclusive” by the White House, Politico returned the favor by giving the administration the gift of its perfect, preferred headline. “Inside the White House obsession with reducing energy prices,” reads a [story](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/07/inside-the-white-house-obsession-with-reducing-energy-prices-00714829?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published last week. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/Politico_Energy-affordability-headline_Jan-7_2026.png) “Obsession” is Politico’s choice of word. No Trump administration official is quoted using the word in the story. So, what is the basis for the declaration that the White House is newly laser-focused on energy affordability? “The White House has zeroed in on energy prices as a political and economic pressure point heading into this year’s midterms, ordering an all-of-government accounting of how the administration can make electricity cheaper for American households,” write Sophia Cai and Cheyenne Haslett. “In early December, officials across the government were asked to assemble a comprehensive briefing on the administration’s actions on energy affordability – a sign that lowering electricity and fuel costs has become a top priority for President Donald Trump with control of the House on the line as midterm elections approach,” they add. Had Politico assigned the story to its laudable [E&E News](https://www.eenews.net/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) team, the energy policy reporters there would have challenged the administration’s spin. Instead, we are delivered White House talking points from two political reporters – Cai is a White House reporter and [co-author of West Wing Playbook](https://www.politico.com/staff/sophia-cai?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and Haslett [recently joined Politico’s White House team](https://www.politico.com/blogs/politico-press/2025/10/30/politico-names-cheyenne-haslett-white-house-reporter-covering-health-care-and-technology-policy-00629727?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to help lead its health care and technology policy coverage. From the pair, we learn that Energy Secretary [Chris Wright](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/chris-wright-is-allowing-the-department-of-energy-to-be-dismantled-before-his-eyes/), Interior Secretary [Doug Burgum](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/musks-doge-wrecking-ball-could-topple-trumps-energy-dominance-agenda/), and White House’s National Energy Dominance Council Executive Director Jarrod Agen recently briefed President Trump and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on “the administration’s strategy and upcoming actions.” “Those steps include small bore items like rolling back appliance efficiency standards – a nod to Trump’s obsession with criticizing things like low-flow toilets – to major efforts aimed at boosting power generation, easing grid constraints and cutting regulatory compliance costs, according to notes on the briefing obtained by POLITICO,” write Cai and Haslett. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Hmmm. At this point you, my knowledgeable readers, might be thinking to yourself, *Wait a minute, I thought the goal was to* lower *energy prices*. Let’s take those steps one at a time. **“Rolling back appliance efficiency standards”** You mean the standards that are [saving U.S. households more than $500 annually on energy and water bills](https://environmentamerica.org/articles/energy-efficiency-standards-under-attack/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=If%20it%20weren%E2%80%99t%20for%20energy%20efficiency%20standards%2C%20U.S.%20households%20would%20spend%20more%20than%20%24500%20extra%20on%20energy%20and%20water%20bills%20each%20year.)? And future standards that could have [saved households an average of $150 annually on their utility bills from 2030 to 2050](https://environmentamerica.org/articles/energy-efficiency-standards-under-attack/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Experts%C2%A0predict%20that%20future%20appliance%20efficiency%20standards%20could%20save%20U.S.%20households%20an%20average%20of%20nearly%20%24150%20annually%20on%20their%20utility%20bills%20between%202030%E2%80%932050)? **“Boosting power generation”** *Really*? When the Trump administration is doing everything it can to thwart the rollout of the [cheapest new electricity available](https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/06/17/despite-low-gas-prices-solar-wind-remain-cheapest-sources-of-power-in-u-s/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with its [war on wind and solar power](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/)? The administration is trying to kill all the offshore wind projects under construction on the East Coast, even though, [as I’ve cited before](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-oil-majors-and-the-ev-supply-chain-managed-decline-of-gas-grids-research-roundup-and-more/#:~:text=Offshore%20wind%20saves%20money%20over%20gas), the deployment of offshore wind will save households money by displacing volatile fossil gas. A July 2025 [memo signed by Burgum](https://heatmap.news/politics/interior-wind-solar-memo?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) requiring “elevated” review for each step of renewable project development has resulted in a near [de facto moratorium on approvals for wind and solar projects on federal land](https://heatmap.news/sparks/seia-interior-solar-permitting-letter?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Nevertheless, the words “solar,” “wind,” and “renewables” do not appear once in Cai and Haslett’s story. **“Easing grid constraints”** The grid constraints that would have been alleviated by projects like the [Grain Belt Express transmission line](https://grainbeltexpress.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that aims to unlock new wind and solar power capacity in Kansas and Missouri? I guess not because the Trump administration’s Loan Programs Office (since renamed the Office of Energy Dominance Financing) [terminated a loan guarantee](https://www.energy.gov/articles/department-energy-terminates-taxpayer-funded-financial-assistance-grain-belt-express?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for the $5 billion project last July. Three months later, the Energy Department [terminated hundreds of grants](https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-announces-termination-223-projects-saving-over-75-billion?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), including for projects supported by the Grid Deployment Office. On Monday, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., [ruled the administration’s decision to cancel the grants unlawful](https://www.notus.org/courts/federal-judge-rules-trump-energy-project-cuts-unlawful?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **“Cutting regulatory compliance costs”** Just not for renewables projects. The Interior Department saw to this when it moved last May to rescind Biden administration-era rules that [slashed fees by as much as 80% for renewable energy projects on federal lands](https://www.eenews.net/articles/interior-moves-to-rescind-blm-rule-promoting-renewable-energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) “Beyond appliances,” write Cai and Haslett, “steps the administration is taking include invoking emergency authorities to prevent the retirement of power plants deemed critical to grid reliability, and reversing Biden-era policies that administration officials say drove up costs without clear consumer benefits.” Again, let’s address these steps in turn. **“Invoking emergency authorities to prevent the retirement of power plants”** I thought the purpose of these steps was to *lower* costs. The Department of Energy’s orders to [force coal plants to stay open beyond their scheduled closures](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/fossil-fuels/trump-order-broken-coal-plant-run?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) are already costing consumers hundreds of millions of dollars. “The DOE already extended its order to keep Michigan’s JH Campbell coal plant running even though it cost consumers [$164 million](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0000811156/000081115625000077/cms-20250930.htm&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to keep it running over just four months,” [writes](https://thepowerline.substack.com/p/doe-forces-busted-coal-plant-to-stay) Greg Alvarez at The Power Line, the newsletter of the think tank Energy Innovation. “Additional DOE orders to force coal plants to stay online could increase consumer costs [$3 to $5 billion annually](https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/grid-strategies%5Fcost-of-federal-mandates-to-retain-fossil-burning-power-plants.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com),” he adds. **“Reversing Biden-era policies that administration officials say drove up costs without clear consumer benefits”** How about *$5 trillion* in benefits? That’s what a Princeton University [study](https://acee.princeton.edu/acee-news/comprehensive-look-at-u-s-fuel-economy-standards-shows-big-savings-on-fuel-and-emissions/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) found in an assessment of fuel cost savings since the launch of the federal government’s CAFE fuel economy standards in 1975. And what about the more stringent CAFE standards adopted by the Biden administration that Trump 2.0 is working to roll back? “Those standards would have delivered more than $23 billion in fuel savings, reduced national gasoline consumption by nearly 70 billion gallons, and saved the average driver hundreds of dollars over the lifetime of a vehicle,” [according to the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project](https://www.swenergy.org/rolling-back-fuel-economy-standards-means-higher-costs-for-drivers-and-a-worsening-climate/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Even so, Cai and Haslett write, with no supporting evidence, that “while regulatory rollbacks *can help lower long-term costs* \[emphasis added\], they rarely produce immediate, visible savings on monthly bills.” “The White House is betting that a visible, aggressive focus on energy will resonate with voters uneasy about costs, and that incremental savings, combined with a broader affordability message, will help Republicans’ chances heading into November,” they write. The White House is also betting it can continue to bait credulous editors eager for a scoop into turning its talking points into favorable coverage. Journalists are supposed to separate the signal from the noise. In this case, that means an obligation to tell readers that the Trump administration’s “broader affordability message” is a sham. ### What I’m reading: China's EV dominance, fast-tracking heat pumps and plug-in solar in California, research roundup, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-chinas-ev-dominance-fast-tracking-heat-pumps-and-plug-in-solar-in-california-research-roundup-and-more/ Last updated: 2026-01-09T15:30:01.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. A big thanks to all of you who took advantage of the [end-of-year special offer](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/end-of-year-special-offer-get-one-year-of-quitting-carbon-at-a-25-discount/) to get one year of Quitting Carbon at a 25% discount. For anyone still getting caught up on holiday season email, who might have missed the offer, click [here](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/end-of-year-special-offer-get-one-year-of-quitting-carbon-at-a-25-discount/) and you can still claim the discount. And a reminder, you can send me story ideas, tips, and feedback via email at justingerdes@gmail.com or on Signal: JustinGerdes.85\. Thanks, as always, for reading. **China's EV dominance** Just how completely has China come to dominate the global EV market? [Writing last week](https://www.coldeye.earth/p/transition-monitor?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in his newsletter, [Cold Eye Earth](https://www.coldeye.earth/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), Gregor Macdonald notes that "global consumption of gasoline is starting to flatline." Why? "This is due to China’s almost singular effort to remove ICE vehicles from the market," he writes. "If you blinked, you may have missed that EVs are now nearly 50% of China’s vehicle market – passenger cars and commercial vehicles combined." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-04-155857.png) And now, having dislodged the incumbent internal combustion engine technology at home, China is working to do the same abroad. Here's Macdonald on the "tectonic shift underway" because of China's EV initiative: > "The profound effect that the Chinese EV initiative is having on transportation fuel demand is now spreading outward, reaching markets across the non-OECD where legacy automakers like Ford and Volkswagen are now seeing much stiffer competition for sales. Here’s a representative data point that underscores the tectonic shift underway: Through the first 10 months of this year, [China’s exports of EVs rose 90%](https://carnewschina.com/2025/11/17/chinas-electric-vehicle-exports-surge-99-9-in-october-total-shipments-reach-666000/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) compared to 2024, reaching more than 2 million units sold. How dominant has China become in world car markets? Well, Chinese EVs now have [a whopping 75% share of EV sales in emerging markets](https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2025/executive-summary?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (non-OECD nations). Ponder that data point for a moment. In a global vehicle market that runs at around 85 million units per year, 20 million of those units are now EVs. And China is providing 10% of that market now ***just through exports***!" \[emphasis in original\] **California lawmaker wants to fast-track approvals for heat pumps and plug-in solar** The California Legislature is back in session and energy affordability once again is at the top of the agenda. On Tuesday, Senator Scott Wiener (D), one of the chamber's most powerful and [effective](https://thelawmakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Highlights-from-the-2023-2024-California-Legislative-Session.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) members, [introduced](https://sd11.senate.ca.gov/news/slash-energy-costs-climate-emissions-senator-wiener-introduces-legislative-package-streamline?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) what he calls the "Clean Homes and Energy Affordability Package." The package comprises bills to streamline permitting for [heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-to-accelerate-the-u-s-heat-pump-market/) ([SB 222](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260SB222&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) and approvals for [plug-in solar systems](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/bringing-small-modular-solar-to-the-masses/) ([SB 868](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260SB868&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)). This is Wiener's second attempt to streamline permitting for heat pumps, after a previous bill he introduced ([SB 282](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billHistoryClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260SB282&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) was held up in committee last year. According to a press release, SB 222 would: mandate automated permitting for standard heat pump installations; prohibit HOAs from imposing architectural review on clean appliance installations; require a maximum of one permit for heat pump water heater installations; prohibit excessive setbacks, noise restrictions, or documentation requirements on heat pump installations; and cap fees for heat pump permits to the reasonable cost of providing service. For a deep dive on plug-in solar, also known as "balcony" or "portable" solar, read my [conversation with Meghan Wood](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/bringing-small-modular-solar-to-the-masses/), co-founder of startup [Raya Power](https://rayapower.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Research roundup** Here’s a roundup of noteworthy reports and studies you might have missed during the holiday season: **Driving demand for clean trucks:** Last month, UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment and the UCLA Law Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment released a report [identifying actions to increase demand for zero-emission trucks](https://legal-planet.org/2025/12/09/how-california-and-other-states-can-drive-demand-for-clean-trucks/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The report includes recommendations for the California Legislature as well as state agencies and [ports](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-wants-to-accelerate-the-shift-to-zero-emission-equipment-at-its-ports/). **The underutilized grid in the American West:** "The western U.S. and Canada electricity grid is significantly underutilized in many areas, and the fastest way to bring new data centers online is to unlock capacity on the existing grid," finds a [new Stanford University study](https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b05bbe4413a04947b76319b0343ba5f5?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "Stanford researchers have identified significant areas of North America’s western electricity grid that are underutilized and good places to build data centers and new generators. Next, they recommend targeted replacement, refurbishment, and added flexibility of transmission assets before new transmission lines can be built," according to a [press release](https://energy.stanford.edu/news/hidden-transmission-capacity-american-west?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/12/wecc_grid_utilization_map_1200x600.png_0.jpg.webp) [Credit](https://energy.stanford.edu/news/hidden-transmission-capacity-american-west?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Esri, U.S. Geological Survey, TomTom, Garmin, Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. **Switching to electric stoves can slash indoor air pollution:** Another Stanford University-led study finds that "gas and propane stoves emit substantial amounts of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant linked to higher risks of asthma, heart and lung disease, and other conditions." "Transitioning to electric stoves could cut nitrogen dioxide exposure in the U.S. by over 50%, potentially lowering health risks associated with these pollutants," according to a [press release](https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/12/gas-propane-stoves-nitrogen-dioxide-exposure-health-risks-switching-electric?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Electrification can slash factory emissions, too:** "Switching to electricity could significantly and immediately slash \[industrial\] emissions in many places, according to [a new report](https://www.2035initiative.com/clean-manufacturing?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by The 2035 Initiative at the University of California, Santa Barbara," as recently [reported by Canary Media’s Maria Gallucci](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-industry/report-electrifying-factories-heat-cut-emissions?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "Electric versions of industrial boilers, ovens, and dryers are already available, and newer models promise to boost factories’ efficiency and curb energy costs even further," writes Gallucci. That message, proven technologies exist today to enable even large manufacturers to get off fossil fuels and reduce their emissions, matches what I heard in my [recent conversation with Industrious Labs’ Teresa Cheng](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-has-a-new-plan-to-decarbonize-industry/). **Unlocking industrial electrification in California:** I also heard from Cheng that policymakers could accelerate industrial electrification in California and beyond by revising electricity rates for manufacturers. Now Cheng and some colleagues are out with a new report fleshing out that concept. "As California faces record-high electricity prices and federal funding cuts for clean energy investments, a new report from Industrious Labs, Sierra Club, and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, in collaboration with Synapse Energy, '[Unlocking Industrial Electrification in California](https://cdn.sanity.io/files/xdjws328/production/8213eea84780bd5caaead501db3e09a909cb7d9c.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)' shows how updating California’s electricity rates can help manufacturers adopt zero-emissions heating equipment that cuts air pollution and climate emissions, while containing costs," according to an Industrious Lab [press release](https://industriouslabs.org/archive/unlocking-industrial-electrification-in-california?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Adjusting electricity rates in the Northeast to unlock efficiency and electrification:** A new Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) report [reaches similar conclusions](https://neep.org/modern-rate-design-northeast-unlocking-efficiency-affordability-and-electrification?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "The report explores how modern rate design can drive energy efficiency, align with electrification, encourage demand flexibility, and embed equity and affordability into the very structure of rates. Drawing on practices already emerging in the region – from time‑of‑use rates to peak time rebates and seasonal structures – the report illustrates how smarter rate design can be layered with customer education and protections for vulnerable households," according to a NEEP press release. [Support independent journalism on the energy transition](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) **Milestone: EVs made up over a quarter of global car sales in 2025:** A new [report](https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-ev-leapfrog-how-emerging-markets-are-driving-a-global-ev-boom/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from think tank Ember finds that electric vehicles accounted for slightly more than 25% of global new car sales last year. "39 countries have reached an EV sales share larger than 10% in 2025, a third of which are outside Europe. In 2019, there were only four countries that had reached this milestone, all within Europe. Notably, China reached over 50% EV sales share for the first time this year. Between January and October 2025, EVs have made up over a quarter of global new car sales, up from less than 3% in 2019," according to an Ember press release. "This is a major turning point. In 2025, the centre of gravity has moved. Emerging markets are no longer catching up, they are leading the shift to electric mobility," said Ember analyst Euan Graham. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-22-163537.png) **Congestion pricing is working in New York:** "Congestion pricing by a number of measures is working as planned, a reality that may turn New York’s experiment into a blueprint for other US urban centers," Michelle Kaske and Aaron Gordon [reported last month for Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-22/nyc-congestion-pricing-is-the-controversial-program-working?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "Early indicators point to a [significant drop](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-09/new-york-city-congestion-fee-cuts-pollution-by-22-in-toll-area?srnd=undefined&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in pollution in parts of Manhattan, according to a Cornell University study, with traffic declining by 11% in the tolled zone. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which implemented the new toll, is poised to beat its target this year of generating $500 million of revenue from the program after expenses. And the business impact in the district, which runs from 60th street to the southern tip of Manhattan, doesn’t appear to be as onerous as some had feared," write Kaske and Gordon. **LNG exports are driving up Americans’ energy bills:** One of the reasons U.S. electricity bills are [up 13% compared to last year](https://abcnews.go.com/US/energy-bills-us-increased-13-trump-office-new/story?id=128346091&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) "is the growing export of liquefied natural gas and a corresponding spike in gas prices, argues [a new report from Public Citizen](https://www.citizen.org/news/trumps-lng-energy-export-policy-cost-households-12-billion-in-first-nine-months-of-2025/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)," as Kiley Bense [reported last month for Inside Climate News](https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17122025/liquefied-natural-gas-exports-driving-up-energy-bills/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "The analysis, based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, found that Americans paid $12 billion more for natural gas between January and September 2025 than they did over the same period last year. Because natural gas is used to heat homes directly and to power the electric grid, its price has an outsized impact on Americans' utility bills," writes Bense. "Higher exports leave Americans more exposed to swings in the global market," she notes. "LNG exports were up 22% this year, according to the report. While the U.S. is already the [world’s largest exporter](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=64844&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of the fuel, the second Trump administration has made [increasing LNG exports a priority](https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretaries-burgum-wright-join-jera-and-us-lng-producers?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)." **Offshore wind farms can create fish havens:** "Certain species of fish can be up to two times bigger when living in protected offshore wind farm zones, a new study has found," as [reported last month](https://reneweconomy.com.au/offshore-wind-turbines-create-all-you-can-eat-havens-where-some-fish-can-double-in-size/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by Renew Economy’s Rachel Williamson. "Not only do the rough surfaces of turbine monopiles and submarine cables provide new habitats for sponges, corals, anemones and other sessile organisms, but that extra food source allows other creatures to thrive as well," she writes. "The results from the paper are very encouraging – they show wind turbines create a different localised marine environment with many positive attributes," said Murdoch University emeritus professor Neil Loneragan, a coauthor on the [paper](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425005840?via%3Dihub&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in Global Ecology and Conservation. [Donate to support Quitting Carbon](quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support) **Bonus 1: Brazilian researcher perseveres to advance prize-winning climate solution** Never doubt the grit, resourcefulness, and persuasive powers of a determined woman. Last week, the Washington Post's Nicolás Rivero [published a profile](https://wapo.st/49yANXj?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of Brazilian agronomist Mariangela Hungria. Hungria was awarded the [2025 World Food Prize](https://www.worldfoodprize.org/en/laureates/20202025%5Flaureates/2025%5Fhungria/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for her decades of work on the use of "biologicals" in agriculture. "Her research showed that instead of using pricey and polluting nitrogen fertilizers, farmers could spray their fields with microbes that have evolved over millions of years to pull nitrogen out of the air and fuel plants’ growth," explains Rivero. Hungria won over skeptical farmers by organizing barbeque and beer parties to talk to members of local soy farmer cooperatives. "At that first party, Hungria spoke to hundreds of soy farmers who worked small plots in the region. By the end, she said, the crowd applauded and the agronomist \[at the local soy farmers’ cooperative\] apologized for blowing her off," writes Rivero. Hungria's persistence paid off. "Today, 85 percent of Brazilian soybeans are grown using the bacteria fertilizers Hungria and her colleagues developed. Their work saves farmers about $25 billion on fertilizer costs and prevents 54 million cars’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions every year," according to Rivero. **Bonus 2: Portland's Mt. Tabor Park** I spent the week between Christmas and New Year's in one of my favorite place on Earth, Portland, Oregon. Among the highlights on this trip was discovering [Mt. Tabor Park](https://www.portland.gov/parks/mt-tabor-park?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). I've been visiting Portland regularly for more than 25 years and had never been to this urban gem – 176 acres of forested walking paths on a dormant cinder cone volcano surrounded by residential neighborhoods on the city's east side. On the cold but clear day I visited, the views – of Mt. Hood to the east, Mt. Adams to the northeast, and downtown Portland to the west – were breathtaking. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/IMG_20251229_115719845.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/IMG_20251229_121203639.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/IMG_20251229_121326866_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2026/01/IMG_20251229_123401989_HDR.jpg) Views from Mt. Tabor Park, Portland, Oregon. Credit: Justin Gerdes. ### Quitting Carbon's most popular stories of 2025 URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/quitting-carbons-most-popular-stories-of-2025/ Last updated: 2026-01-05T15:30:14.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Readers of this newsletter are scattered all over the world. Many of you work in the energy and climate space. Others of you are just eager to keep up on developments in the energy transition. Of the dozens of stories published here last year, which ones most captured the attention of this eclectic, global readership? Here were your favorite stories of 2025: **10)** [**California is preparing to add marine energy to its power mix**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-is-preparing-to-add-marine-energy-to-its-power-mix/) *Spurred by recent legislation, California regulators are planning for the day when wave and tidal energy projects join the grid. (April 10)* **9)** [**The next frontier for an energy transition pioneer: bidirectional EV charging**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/the-next-frontier-for-an-energy-transition-pioneer-bidirectional-ev-charging/) *Enlisting your EV for double duty as a battery that can power your home when the grid goes down is part of the new climate reality, argues climate advocate (and my friend) Justin Guay. (March 12)* **8)** [**This solution could unlock full electrification in millions of homes**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/) *Redwood Energy and NeoCharge recently demonstrated a "Watt Diet" electrification solution that avoids the need for expensive electrical upgrades in existing homes. (January 8)* **7)** [**Trump has declared war on wind and solar power. It’s time for the industries to fight back.**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/) *Wind and solar are the cheapest power sources being added to the grid. But now under attack during Trump 2.0, the industries must build political power to preserve their future. (August 29)* **6)** [**Portland brings zero-emission delivery to its downtown**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/portland-brings-zero-emission-delivery-to-its-downtown/) *A six-month pilot project completed earlier this year showcased the potential of zero-emission, last-mile delivery in a 16-block area of downtown Portland, Oregon. (October 24)* **5)** [**I now live in an all-electric home. You can, too.**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/) *With the installation of an induction cooktop, I was able to shut off the fossil gas supplied to my 17-year-old home in Northern California. Here's how I did it. (July 28)* [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) **4)** [**The tribal-led push to build clean energy projects in Indian Country**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/the-tribal-led-push-to-build-clean-energy-projects-in-indian-country/) *In a conversation with Quitting Carbon, Tanksi Clairmont talks about the launch of Tribal Energy Alternatives and the organization’s plans to bring solar energy to tribes across the U.S. (April 23)* **3)** [**Bringing small modular solar to the masses**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/bringing-small-modular-solar-to-the-masses/) *In a conversation with Quitting Carbon, Meghan Wood, co-founder of startup Raya Power, says modular solar power systems will revolutionize energy access. (July 11)* **2)** [**Here’s how California plans to start pruning its fossil gas network**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-start-pruning-its-fossil-gas-network/) *In a conversation with Quitting Carbon, the Building Decarbonization Coalition’s Beckie Menten gives an update on the rollout of SB 1221, landmark legislation that authorizes 30 neighborhood decarbonization pilots across California. (February 11)* **1)** [**Is it time to repower the first wave of large solar projects?**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/is-it-time-to-repower-the-first-wave-of-large-solar-projects/) *Repowering is well established in the onshore wind business. Is it time to repower solar projects, too? (September 12)* Thanks for reading, commenting on, and sharing these stories throughout the year. If you aren't yet a subscriber, you can add your email to the list [here](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup), so you'll never miss a story. Paid subscriptions make it possible for me to continue to bring you these stories, so please consider joining those who have [invested in this newsletter](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup). I look forward to sharing more stories on the projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition in 2026\. Thank you, as ever, for reading. With gratitude, Justin ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### What I’m reading: From crops to solar, Germany's heating transition, an innovative climate solution for renters, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-from-crops-to-solar-germanys-heating-transition-an-innovative-climate-solution-for-renters-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-12-23T15:30:13.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. This is the last time you’ll hear from me this year. After the holiday break, I’ll share a list of the most popular stories published at Quitting Carbon in 2025. Remember, through the end of this year, you can take advantage of a special offer to [get one year of Quitting Carbon at a 25% discount](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/end-of-year-special-offer). Enjoy the holiday break, and thanks, as always, for reading. **From crops to solar in California’s Central Valley** If you live outside of California, you likely haven’t heard about the [Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan](https://wwd.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/the-valley-clean-infrastructure-plan.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The project’s modest name belies its massive ambition. At full build out, the project could include up to 21 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy, 21 GW of battery energy storage, and 400 miles of new transmission lines and substations, [according to](https://bsky.app/profile/dustinmulvaney.bsky.social/post/3maefe2zhlk2b?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) San Jose State University’s Dustin Mulvaney. Last week, the project was approved by the board of the Westlands Water District (WWD), which serves parts of Fresno and Kings counties in California’s Central Valley. "The plan repurposes up to 136,000 acres of drainage-impaired and water supply-limited lands for solar generation, energy storage, and transmission infrastructure, using previously cultivated acreage to support clean energy development while reducing pressure to build on undisturbed lands," according to a WWD [press release](https://wwd.ca.gov/wwd-media/press-release-12-16-2025/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "The approval of the plan’s environmental review Tuesday paves the way for the company working with Westlands, Golden State Clean Energy, to start developing and then selling off the individual solar installations — as many as 20 gigawatts in all — that will fit into the region’s existing patchwork of fields and orchards," [writes](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2025/12/16/trump-cant-break-these-farmers-solar-pivot-00694213?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Politico’s Camille von Kaenel. "Construction wouldn’t begin until 2028 at the earliest and continue for around a decade." Writing at Bluesky, Mulvaney [cites](https://bsky.app/profile/dustinmulvaney.bsky.social/post/3maf2yqfdgk2z?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the project as an example of how to build big solar projects faster. "Westlands’ solar siting approach is programmatic: pre-zone large areas for solar, study impacts once in a Program EIR, then let individual projects tier off it. That speeds deployment, cuts litigation risk, and aligns generation with planned transmission." Mulvaney and collaborators at the Roosevelt Institute and Climate and Community Institute highlighted Westlands’ expedited planning process for the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan in a report, "[Planning to Build Faster: A Solar Energy Case Study](https://rooseveltinstitute.org/publications/planning-to-build-faster-a-solar-energy-case-study/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)," published in October 2024. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Germany is planning for a future without fossil gas for heating** As Germany continues to decarbonize its power grid – renewables [covered 56% of the country's gross electricity consumption this year](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-covers-nearly-56-percent-2025-electricity-use-renewables?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – policymakers have stepped up their efforts to ensure that carbon-free electricity is used to displace fossil fuels for heating. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/12/fig5_renewables_share_in_gross_electricity_consumption_in_germany_1990_2025.png) The indispensable site [Clean Energy Wire](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) is the best source of information I know of on Germany’s heating transition (as well as Germany and Europe’s energy transitions writ large). Here are some recent developments covered at the site that caught my eye. "Heat pumps and district heating account for over 70 percent of heating systems in new homes in Germany, thereby driving forward the heating transition, [shows data](https://www.bdew.de/energie/heizung-neubau-statistik/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by energy industry association BDEW," Julian Wettengel [reported in October](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/heat-pumps-and-district-heating-predominant-new-housing-germany?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "In 2024, 215,900 new apartments were completed in 76,100 new residential buildings in Germany. One quarter of the new apartments are connected to district heating, 46 percent use a heat pump, and 21 percent are heated by gas boilers," he writes. In November, Wettengel’s colleague, Carolina Kyllmann, [reported](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-let-local-utilities-close-gas-grids-where-demand-declines-permanently?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that Germany’s federal government is "preparing a draft law to enable local utilities to phase out gas grids as they plan for a climate neutral future." "Utilities have voiced concerns that a lack of rules governing the phase-out remains a major obstacle in the decision-making process to decommission grids or convert them to green gas,” she adds. "According to the draft, utilities would have to inform affected users well in advance and provide information on alternatives and subsidies." Similar efforts to plan the phase out of fossil gas pipeline networks are underway in [California](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-start-pruning-its-fossil-gas-network/) and [Colorado](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-colorado-is-requiring-gas-utilities-to-reduce-their-emissions/), as I have reported here at Quitting Carbon. [Upgrade to paid at a 25% discount](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/end-of-year-special-offer) Proactive government planning and outreach on any phase out will be essential because as gas customers leave the system, the customers who remain could see higher bills, as Benjamin Wehrmann [reported earlier this month](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/last-gas-heated-homes-germany-could-face-extra-costs-4000-euros-year-analysis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "Households that continue to rely on gas heating systems in Germany may face additional costs of more than 4,000 euros per year by 2045 due to rising grid fees, an analysis by research institute Fraunhofer IFAM has found." He adds, "As more and more households are expected to switch to other heating technologies over the next 20 years, the remaining gas customers could see their costs rise by a factor of ten, as fewer customers would foot the bill for maintaining distribution grids, the researchers said." Meanwhile, in the power sector, Germany recently scaled back its plan for new fossil gas power plants. "Germany’s governing coalition parties have drastically reduced plans for new gas-fired power plants to be built over the coming years to serve as backup capacity for intermittent renewables while the country phases out coal," Wettengel [reported last month](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-scales-back-plans-new-gas-fired-power-plants?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "The facilities must be built in a way that allows them to be later converted to run on hydrogen," he went on. "The German government plans to hold auctions next year for state support to build new gas-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 10 gigawatts by 2032 – a drastic reduction compared to earlier plans to build up to 20 GW by the turn of the decade." **Energy savings + rent caps = happy tenants** Earlier in my career, I worked as a writer and editor for California’s statewide energy efficiency campaign. Because of that experience, I still get excited when I come across innovative policies and programs that save energy and reduce household utility bills. The New York Times and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recently covered programs in Nebraska and Florida, respectively, that offer apartment landlords incentives to upgrade their units, in exchange for limiting future rent increases. "In a struggling area of Lincoln, a program pays for repairs and energy efficiency upgrades in rental buildings. In return, landlords must keep rents affordable," Cara Buckley [reported last month for the Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/climate/nebraska-energy-efficiency.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.2U8.kxP-.ilv5396ee5Re&smid=url-share&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The story is included in the paper’s fantastic “[50 States, 50 Fixes](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/climate/50-states-fixes.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)” series on local climate solutions. Buckley focuses on the Regent, a nearly century-old apartment building in Lincoln’s low-income South of Downtown neighborhood. "The Regent is among the dozens of buildings that the city of Lincoln has helped weatherize and repair since 2023, as part of a program to rehabilitate decrepit buildings and improve their energy efficiency without pricing out tenants," she writes. In Florida, the [Alachua County Energy Efficiency Program](https://alachuacounty.us/Depts/epd/Resiliency/Pages/ACEEP.aspx?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (ACEEP) is a rental housing efficiency program "that cuts utility bills and improves comfort while capping rent increases," [writes ACEEE’s Mark Rodeffer](https://www.aceee.org/blog-post/2025/12/one-florida-countys-energy-efficiency-program-lowers-utility-bills-while?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The program was supported by ACEEE’s [Energy Equity for Renters](https://www.aceee.org/energy-equity-for-renters?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) program. ACEEP began enrolling new properties in the spring of 2024\. "It provided up to $15,000 per house or apartment for a range of energy upgrades, including insulation, air sealing, window and door replacement, heat pumps, and more efficient water heaters, washers, dryers, and refrigerators. Participating property owners must agree to cap rent increases at the consumer price index for seven years if they receive $15,000 in upgrades, five years if they receive $10,000, or three years if they receive $5,000," writes Rodeffer. "ACEEP went from struggling to find participants and at risk of losing its funding to becoming a countywide program lowering utility bills and increasing comfort and safety inside homes," he adds. **Bonus:** **Funding relief coming for public media** Last month, I [highlighted the funding crisis facing public media in the U.S.](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-electrification-programs-advance-in-california-and-new-york-city-research-roundup-and-more/#:~:text=Bonus%3A%20John%20Oliver%20on%20public%20media) after Republicans in Congress canceled funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting this past summer. When the federal funding was eliminated, supporters of public media mobilized to attempt to close the funding gap. One such initiative, the Public Media Bridge Fund, just announced a $26 million first round of grants. "More than 70 grantees – operating over 180 radio and television stations – nationwide will receive crucial funding in first wave of grants designed to sustain vital local news and cultural programming," the Bridge Fund [said in a press release](https://publicmedia.co/bridge-fund-awards-26-million/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/12/Picture1.jpg) Map of Public Media Bridge Fund’s stabilization grants. [Credit](https://publicmedia.co/bridge-fund-awards-26-million/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Public Media Bridge Fund. "Organizations in 25 states and territories received funding. Twelve of the licensees receiving grants are in Alaska, one of the states where public media organizations [depend the most on federal funding](https://current.org/2025/04/heres-how-much-public-media-relies-on-federal-funding-and-what-could-happen-next/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)," Current’s Tyler Falk [reported earlier this month](https://current.org/2025/12/public-media-bridge-fund-announces-initial-round-of-grants/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). You can donate to the Public Media Bridge Fund [here](https://publicmedia.co/donations/bridge-fund/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ### End-of-year special offer: Get one year of Quitting Carbon at a 25% discount URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/end-of-year-special-offer-get-one-year-of-quitting-carbon-at-a-25-discount/ Last updated: 2025-12-18T15:30:54.000Z Dear readers, I launched **Quitting Carbon** a little more than a year ago with a simple goal: provide context on the projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. There is no shortage of sites to visit for news, to scroll through headlines. But finding journalism you can *trust*, gathered and written by a human with decades of experience in the sector, is rare. When it comes to the world of energy, mine is a voice you can trust. I’ve [reported on and analyzed the energy transition for 20 years](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/about/). That experience is what led me to publish what Canary Media [calls](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/electrification/home-electrification-guide-tax-credits?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) "the wonderfully researched newsletter Quitting Carbon." If you’ve come to appreciate this newsletter’s mix of original [reporting](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/reporting/), [commentary](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/commentary/), [Q&As](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/interviews/), and [recaps of what I've been reading](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/what-im-reading/), then I hope you'll feel it’s worth investing in, too. I know almost everyone is feeling stretched in 2025, so until the end of the year, you can take advantage of a special offer [**to get one year of Quitting Carbon at a 25% discount**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/end-of-year-special-offer). [25% off one year of Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/end-of-year-special-offer) I continue to have big plans for this newsletter: more reporting from the field, more dispatches from events in California and beyond, and more conversations with the policymakers and business leaders shaping the energy transition. But I can only do so with your support. So, if independent journalism on the energy transition matters to you, I hope you will consider [becoming a paid subscriber](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/end-of-year-special-offer). Think of it as your Christmas gift to fellow energy nerds to make sure these stories remain free for all to read. **The 25% off special offer** **is good through the end of 2025**. And if a [**paid subscription**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/end-of-year-special-offer) is too much for you right now, no problem. Please consider [**making a one-time donation instead**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support). With gratitude, Justin ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/12/Author_Justin-Gerdes_Nyhavn-Canal_October-2014.jpg) Quitting Carbon founder Justin Gerdes on the Nyhavn canal in Copenhagen, Denmark. ### California wants to accelerate the shift to zero-emission equipment at its ports URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-wants-to-accelerate-the-shift-to-zero-emission-equipment-at-its-ports/ Last updated: 2025-12-16T17:25:09.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Global trade is much in the news thanks to Donald Trump’s single-minded obsession with leveling tariffs on America's trading partners. But comparatively little attention is focused on the climate impact of shipping goods across oceans. At the end of these intercontinental journeys, goods are offloaded at ports and railyards by cargo-handling equipment such as gantry cranes, reach stackers, side handlers, top handlers, and yard trucks in preparation for [last-mile delivery to homes and businesses](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/portland-brings-zero-emission-delivery-to-its-downtown/). Nearly all these machines are powered by diesel engines. California policymakers have taken notice. Last month, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) published a [draft technology assessment for zero-emission cargo-handling equipment](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2025-10/DRAFT%202025%20CHE%20Technology%20Assessment.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Guided by a pair of executive orders issued by Governor Gavin Newsom (D) ([N-79-20](https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/9.23.20-EO-N-79-20-Climate.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [N-27-25](https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/CRA-Response-EO-N-27-25%5F-bl-formatted-GGN-Signed-6-11-954pmFinal.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) as well as recent legislation ([AB 617](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=201720180AB617&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)), CARB is working to figure out how to transition California’s 5,000-strong fleet of cargo-handling equipment from models running on fossil fuels to those powered by batteries or other zero-emission alternatives. CARB adopted a regulation for mobile cargo-handling equipment in 2005 and fully implemented it by the end of 2017\. But the regulation alone will not enable California to meet its air quality and climate targets. Newsom’s September 2020 executive order (N-79-20) [directs state regulators](https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/CARB/bulletins/3ed93e4?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to “develop and propose technologically-feasible and cost-effective strategies to achieve 100% zero emissions from off-road vehicles and equipment operation in the state by 2035.” According to CARB, the current regulation reduces particulate and NOx emissions through 2037 but after that date progress stalls through mid-century and beyond – after California’s 2045 carbon-neutrality target. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-06-114230.png) [Credit](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2025-11/2025%20CHE%20TA%20Workshop%20Slides%5F1.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): “Public Workshop to Discuss the Draft 2025 Cargo Handling Equipment Technology Assessment,” slides from [online workshop](https://youtu.be/JA9my1SS05w?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), CARB, November 13, 2025. “Despite the progress made under existing programs, additional emissions reductions are needed to protect communities from near-source pollution impacts, help meet the current health-based ambient air quality standards across California, and support the State’s climate goals,” write the authors of CARB’s technology assessment. The new report is the air regulator’s check-in on the commercial availability and operational feasibility of zero-emission cargo-handling equipment that can replace diesel models. The report evaluates the performance and economics of battery-electric, grid-electric, and hydrogen fuel cell cargo-handling equipment. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) The good news is that of the 25 types of zero-emission cargo-handling equipment evaluated in the report, 24 have commercially available models. And 400 pieces of zero-emission cargo-handling equipment – automated guided vehicles (AGVs), rail-mounted gantry cranes, and ship-to-shore cranes – are operating at California ports today. But just three types of zero-emission cargo-handling equipment – battery-electric AGVs and grid-electric rail-mounted gantry cranes and ship-to-shore cranes – were given a technology readiness rating of “equivalence” with diesel models. Even more concerning, just two types of zero-emission cargo-handling equipment – battery-electric forklifts and yard trucks – are expected to achieve “equivalence” with diesel models within 10 years given current policies and incentive programs. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-06-114612.png) For the remaining types of equipment evaluated, the forecast is even bleaker. “The remaining 20 types of CHE \[cargo-handling equipment\] (80%), do not achieve Equivalence and require market intervention – including incentives and additional emission reduction strategies – to achieve it within 10 years,” warn the authors of CARB report. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-06-114654.png) According to CARB, the market interventions could include new or amended regulations, air quality control programs, cooperative agreements, memorandums of understanding, and emission reduction agreements. California regulators had anticipated an ongoing partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on emissions reductions initiatives at the state’s ports and railyards. The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act had allocated $3 billion for a [Clean Ports Program](https://www.epa.gov/ports-initiative/cleanports?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). As I covered in my January [Q&A with the Port of Oakland’s Matt Davis](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/game-changing-epa-grant-fast-tracks-decarbonization-at-the-port-of-oakland/), the port was awarded a $322 million grant under the program to help fund its transition to zero-emissions operations. The port plans to use the grant to purchase nearly 700 zero-emission trucks and other pieces of cargo-handling equipment. Of course, the second Trump administration’s [hostility towards climate and clean energy programs](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/) leaves California without a willing federal partner for at least the next three years. When I checked in with the Port of Oakland in April on the status of its EPA grant, a spokesperson [told me](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-a-game-changing-electric-truck-bottlenecks-for-global-grid-expansion-trump-targets-home-energy-assistance-and-more/#:~:text=Update%20on%20the%20Port%20of%20Oakland%E2%80%99s%20decarbonization%20grant) the port “continues to receive funding from our EPA Clean Ports grant. We remain confident the program will continue to fund the modernization of U.S. ports to remain competitive in a global market and maintain peak performance and efficiency.” The Port of Oakland is pushing ahead with its goal to become the “cleanest and greenest” port in the country. Last year, a [record 86% of the electricity the port provided to tenants and facilities came from renewable and zero-carbon sources](https://www.portofoakland.com/port-of-oakland-sets-renewable-and-zero-carbon-power-record-in-2024-secures-new-clean-energy-storage-agreement?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The port also recently signed a long-term energy storage services agreement with the Trolley Pass Project battery energy storage project in San Bernardino County. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/12/2024-power_content_label-1-1536x1136.png) [Credit](https://www.portofoakland.com/port-of-oakland-sets-renewable-and-zero-carbon-power-record-in-2024-secures-new-clean-energy-storage-agreement?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Port of Oakland. The preparations underway at the Port of Oakland for zero-emission operations underscore the challenges ports must overcome to deploy clean equipment that matches the performance and capabilities of incumbent diesel technology. “The engine power of diesel CHE allows operators to lift and move hundreds of thousands of pounds of cargo daily,” write the authors of the CARB report. “Diesel CHE is designed to operate reliably for at least 10 to 15 years when serviced regularly. Large fuel tanks allow for several shifts or even days of operation before refilling. Refueling a CHE diesel tank takes about 10 to 30 minutes depending on the type of CHE.” Government agencies and shipping and logistics companies will need to work together to ensure that zero-emission alternatives can match the benchmarks set by diesel equipment. “Challenges, such as high costs, infrastructure needs, and reliability must be addressed. A mix of public and private infrastructure is needed to deploy these zero-emission technologies successfully,” conclude the report authors. ### What I’m reading: Lowering taxes to electrify industrial heat, high-speed rail update, electric ferries, and Trump slashes energy efficiency programs URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-lowering-taxes-to-electrify-industrial-heat-high-speed-rail-update-electric-ferries-and-trump-slashes-energy-efficiency-programs/ Last updated: 2025-12-05T19:38:13.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. Enjoy the weekend. And thanks, as always, for reading. **Tweaking taxes to incentivize electrification of industry** Last week, I published my [conversation with Industrious Labs’ Teresa Cheng](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-has-a-new-plan-to-decarbonize-industry/) on recently passed legislation that aims to decarbonize the industrial sector in California. One of the biggest barriers to getting manufacturers off fossil fuels and reducing emissions in the industrial sector, in California and beyond, is expensive electricity. In new [research](https://www.raponline.org/knowledge-center/making-electricity-cheaper-incentivise-electrification-of-industrial-heat/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), Sem Oxenaar and Tom Butler, researchers at the Regulatory Assistance Project, take this issue head on by suggesting policies that could make electricity more competitive in providing clean heat for industrial customers in Europe. “Electrification of industrial heat is a key route to decarbonisation and modernisation, but, the high price of electricity compared to fossil gas remains a major barrier. Reducing taxes and levies on electricity can quickly and effectively improve incentives to electrify,” argue Oxenaar and Butler. They recommend two actions for governments to provide cost-relief for industrial heat users. “First, putting in place immediately a ‘Clean Heat Exemption’ reducing taxes and levies for very-efficient industrial heat pumps and system-serving flexible technologies. And as an extension, to start a process of taxes and levies reform to reduce prices for all industrial end-users.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-30-152756.png) [Credit](https://www.raponline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/rap-oxenaar-butler-modernising-taxes-and-levies-to-incentivise-industrial-heat-oct-2025.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Regulatory Assistance Project. Denmark is one European economy that has already started reducing electricity taxes to incentivize electrification (as illustrated in the chart above). Experts had long urged the Danish government to take this step, as I wrote about in my [e-book on the country’s energy transition](https://www.amazon.com/Quitting-Carbon-Denmark-Transition-Low-Carbon-ebook/dp/B01F0LRKWY/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (published in April 2016). Now, the Danish government has gone further. “The government will lower the electricity tax in 2026 and 2027\. In fact, they will almost completely eliminate it,” Danish public broadcaster DR [reported earlier this year](https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/fra-naeste-aar-vil-regeringen-naesten-helt-fjerne-elafgiften?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Today, consumers pay 72.7 øre \[11 cents USD\] per kilowatt-hour, but from January 1, 2026, the tax will drop to just 0.8 øre per \[1 cent USD\] kilowatt-hour. This corresponds to the EU's minimum tax,” wrote DR’s Dennis Kragelund. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **High-speed rail update** **California’s high-speed rail project to lay track next year:** It’s fair to say that – at least so far – California’s leaders have over promised and under delivered on the state’s high-speed rail system. The planned San Francisco to Los Angeles bullet train is years behind schedule and billions over budget. And yet, I’m more optimistic now than I’ve ever been the project will actually get built. The California High-Speed Rail Authority appears to have made a smart hire with the system’s current CEO, Ian Choudri. Choudri successfully lobbied the Legislature this year to [dedicate $1 billion annually from the state’s cap-and-invest program](https://calmatters.org/environment/2025/09/climate-change-package-legislature/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=guarantee%20%241%20billion%20a%20year%20for%20high%2Dspeed%20rail) to high-speed rail construction through 2045 – a critical step, he contended, to [attract private investors to the project](https://hsr.ca.gov/2025/09/10/steady-funding-agreement-for-high-speed-rail-legislation-on-cap-and-invest-provides-forward-momentum-for-this-first-in-the-nation-project/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=opens%20the%20door%20for%20meaningful%20public%2Dprivate%20engagement%20with%20the%20program). And he’s been relentlessly focused on finding ways to [build faster](https://www.hsrail.org/blog/california-high-speed-rail-authority-ceo-aims-to-accelerate-construction/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [control the project’s spiraling costs](https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/california-high-speed-rail-ceo-choudri-interview/804053/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and diversify its revenue streams – including potentially [leasing land in its right-of-way for data centers](https://comotion.substack.com/p/public-transit-is-big-business#:~:text=Could%20data%20centers%20save%20California%20high%2Dspeed%20rail%3F). Despite all the negative press and delays, the public still backs the project. Sixty-two percent of registered California voters support continuing construction on the system, [according to a recent poll](https://www.eenews.net/articles/california-voters-still-support-high-speed-rail-but-dont-think-it-will-be-finished-says-poll/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). And as anyone who has driven Highway 99 recently through California’s Central Valley can attest, construction is well underway on the project. Last week, the California High-Speed Rail Authority [announced](https://hsr.ca.gov/2025/11/26/news-release-california-high-speed-rail-authority-moves-closer-to-track-and-systems/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) a $3.5 billion Request for Proposals “that will deliver the first true high-speed rail track and systems ever built in the United States.” The Authority plans to begin track installation on the initial 119-mile Central Valley segment next year. “More than 70 miles of guideway are complete, along with nearly 60 fully completed major structures, and 30 more structures underway across Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties,” according to the Authority. And according to an Authority report released in August, passenger service could start on the system’s initial segment by January 1, 2032, “almost two years earlier than the Dec. 31, 2033, deadline the California High-Speed Rail Authority has been working to satisfy in the Central Valley,” [reported the Fresno Bee’s Erik Galicia](https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/high-speed-rail/article311748729.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **China’s high-speed trains squeeze airlines:** Why should California persevere in building its high-speed rail system despite all the hurdles and delays? One need only look to China to see what happens when travelers are given the option to ride high-speed trains – fast, convenient electric trains grab market share from fossil fuel-burning planes. “China’s airlines are stuck in a difficult paradox, according to a new industry report: while their passenger numbers have risen, they are struggling to secure profits as competition intensifies on the most common routes and a world-leading high-speed rail network offers an appealing alternative for many of the country’s travellers,” Mia Nurmamat [reported last month for the South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3333094/chinese-airlines-dogfight-profits-route-competition-railways-soak-revenue?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The report said the rapid expansion of China’s railway network has fundamentally reshaped domestic travel patterns, pushing airlines into even fiercer competition along their remaining profitable corridors. ‘On many city pairs under 1,000km (621 miles), rail offers faster downtown-to-downtown travel, lower fares and in some cases, higher frequency, eroding the pricing power of airlines,’ it said.” [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) And China’s world-leading high-speed rail network could get better still. “Not only does it appear that China has [developed maglev trains](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/07/maglev-train-researchers-may-have-solved-tunnel-boom-shock-waves?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that will travel up to 370 mph, but they’ve figured out how to silence the resulting ‘tunnel booms’ that were long viewed as a barrier to widespread adoption,” CoMotion News’ Jack Craver [reported recently](https://comotion.substack.com/p/what-if-las-sprawl-is-its-saving#:~:text=China%E2%80%99s%20super%20fast%2C%20super%20quiet%20trains%3A). “Researchers have figured out that putting soundproofing buffers at the mouths of tunnels can reduce the shock waves by 96%. Though no formal routes have been planned, it is widely expected that one will eventually connect Beijing and Shanghai, reducing the travel time from 4.5 hours to 2.5 hours – comparable to a flight but without all the hassle and waiting that air travel requires.” Travel times could be slashed in Europe, too, with a €345 billion ($402 billion) rail plan [announced by the European Commission last month](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-06/europe-has-a-plan-to-slash-train-travel-times-by-2040?srnd=phx-citylab-transportation&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The plan “set a goal that all major hubs in the European Union be linked by train services running at least 200 kilometers per hour (125 miles per hour) by 2040, with many services surpassing 250 kph (155 mph),” writes Bloomberg CityLab’s Feargus O'Sullivan. “If fully realized, the time savings offered by this upgrade and expansion would be spectacular: Trains from Berlin to Copenhagen would take four hours instead of the current seven, journey times between Warsaw and Vienna would fall to four hours and 15 minutes instead of the current seven and a half hours, while travel times between Madrid and Lisbon would drop by two-thirds, to three hours from the current nine.” Meanwhile, Amtrak recently [celebrated the arrival of upgraded, next-generation Acela trains](https://www.afar.com/magazine/amtraks-nextgen-acela-trains-to-debut-on-august-28?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on its Northeast Corridor service that will top out at just 160 mph – 10 mph faster than existing Acela trains. Nevertheless, Americans are still eager to ride trains. Despite having nothing in its system approaching true high-speed rail outside of the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak [set ridership (34.5 million rider trips) and ticket revenue ($2.7 billion) records](https://www.progressiverailroading.com/amtrak/news/Amtrak-reports-record-ridership-revenue-for-FY25--75818?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in the fiscal year ending on September 30. **Electrification at sea – ferries and tugboats** At sea, cheaper, more powerful batteries are unlocking opportunities to electrify ferries and tugboats at ports and harbors around the world. Australian shipbuilder Incat Tasmania is designing and building two new battery electric ferries for Danish ferry operator Molslinjen. “The two new ferries, which will operate on the busy Kattegat route between Jutland and Zealand, will each measure 129 metres in length and be powered by approximately 45,000 kWh battery systems,” [writes](https://thedriven.io/2025/07/23/turning-point-for-shipping-australias-incat-to-build-two-battery-electric-ferries-for-denmark/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) The Driven’s Joshua S. Hill. In San Diego, California, “two long-running, diesel-powered ferry boats used by the San Diego-Coronado Ferry will soon be replaced by fully electric boats. Flagship Enterprises, which operates the ferry, estimates the new boats will be ready to take over in fall 2026,” [reports](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/08/18/san-diego-coronado-ferry-ditches-diesel-boats-for-futuristic-looking-new-electric-ferries/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the San Diego Union-Tribune’s David Garrick. New York City launched its first hybrid-electric ferry, the Harbor Charger, in August. “The boat is the first of its kind in New York state – and it’s one of only a handful of hybrid-electric ferries to operate nationwide,” [writes](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/sea-transport/new-york-first-hybrid-electric-ferry?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Canary Media’s Maria Gallucci. Washington State Ferries (WSF), which operates the US' largest ferry system, plans to operate a fully hybrid-electric fleet by 2040\. The [transition to emission-free service](https://wsdot.wa.gov/construction-planning/major-projects/ferry-system-electrification?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) includes "converting six existing vessels to hybrid-electric power, building 16 new hybrid-electric vessels and adding shore charging to 16 terminals," according to WSF. Terminal electrification will start at Colman Dock in Seattle next year. And in Perth, Western Australia, transportation officials recently announced plans “to expand ferry services on the Swan River in the south of Perth, with five new electric ferries and a new ferry terminal capable of delivering high voltage charging,” [reports](https://thedriven.io/2025/10/07/australian-city-lodges-plans-for-electric-ferry-terminal-and-high-voltage-charging-on-docks/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) The Driven’s Hill. Ports in California are welcoming electric tugboats, too. The eWolf, the US’ first all-electric tugboat, was [christened last summer](https://www.crowley.com/news-and-media/press-releases/crowley-christens-the-first-fully-electric-tugboat-in-the-u-s-at-the-port-of-san-diego/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and is [operating on San Diego Bay](https://bsky.app/profile/caclimateinvest.bsky.social/post/3lzyxb4a4gs2p?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Los Angeles startup Arc Boats recently signed a $160 million deal to supply electric tugboats to Curtin Maritime. “The new hybrid-electric tugs are expected to hit the waters around the Los Angeles port in 2027\. Curtin has ordered eight tugs – at around $20 million apiece – and Arc will build them in conjunction with Snow & Co. shipyard,” [writes](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/10/arc-gets-its-first-major-order-for-electric-tugboats-worth-160m/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) TechCrunch’s Sean O'Kane. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-03-234156.png) The eWolf all-electric tugboat operating on San Diego Bay, California. [Credit](https://www.crowley.com/etugs/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Crowley. **Trump wants more energy, so why is he slashing energy efficiency programs?** It’s a paradox. The Trump administration has declared a “[National Energy Emergency](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/declaring-a-national-energy-emergency/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com),” as it [wages a war against wind and solar power](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/). And the administration that purports to be so concerned about securing enough electricity to meet surging demand from data centers is making it harder to save energy, too. Energy Wire’s Brian Dabbs [published a helpful rundown](https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-dismantles-programs-designed-to-cut-electricity-demand/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) this week of the administration’s efforts to dismantle programs that reduce electricity demand: > “The Department of Energy has scrapped its energy efficiency office and is rolling back regulations in its appliance standard program, which forces manufacturers to increase efficiency levels for household products and industrial equipment. The agency is also proposing to eliminate [the Weatherization Assistance Program](https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/doe-fy-2026-budget-approps-congressional-control-v5.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a half-century-old initiative that subsidizes equipment efficiency upgrades for low-income households. EPA is waffling on [whether to continue Energy Star](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2025/11/03/epa-advances-restructuring-moves-energy-star-program-00633680?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a program that certifies efficient household equipment and buildings. And Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act quickened the expiration of tax credits for residential energy efficient upgrades.” Republicans in the House are also attempting to weaken energy efficiency programs. Robert Walton [reported at Utility Dive last month](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/house-subcommittee-advances-bill-to-weaken-doe-efficiency-program/806014/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that a House subcommittee had “[advanced several pieces of legislation](https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/energy-subcommittee-advances-eight-appliance-and-building-reform-bills-to-full-committee?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to weaken energy efficiency programs, cancel standards for manufactured homes and eliminate some home rebates, building codes and job training programs.” But at least one critical efficiency program may be granted a reprieve. On Wednesday, “the full House Energy & Commerce Committee unanimously advanced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) through 2030 in a 50-0 vote,” according to a Building Performance Association [press release](https://building-performance.org/house-committee-unanimously-advances-bipartisan-weatherization-reauth-legislation/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The compromise bill would ensure the Department of Energy remains statutorily required to continue to operate WAP,” the Association added. ### California has a new plan to decarbonize industry URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-has-a-new-plan-to-decarbonize-industry/ Last updated: 2025-11-26T15:30:16.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* The campaigners, regulators, and companies working to reduce emissions in the industrial sector know it’s time to drop “hard-to-abate” from their lexicon. Proven technologies exist today that make it possible for even large manufacturers to get off fossil fuels and reduce their emissions. Dozens of bills were introduced in the most recent session of the California Legislature to ensure the state hits its 2045 carbon neutrality target but one I had missed addresses just the challenge outlined above. Assembly Bill 1280 ([AB 1280](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260AB1280&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)), which was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom (D) on October 6, aims to mobilize additional funding to support commercialization of promising clean heat solutions at the tens of thousands of manufacturing sites spread across California. Specifically, AB 1280 authorizes the California Energy Commission’s Industrial Decarbonization and Improvement of Grid Operations ([INDIGO](https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/industrial-decarbonization-and-improvement-grid-operations-indigo?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) program to offer grants to clean heat solutions like thermal energy and industrial heat pumps. It also authorizes the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank’s ([IBank](https://ibank.ca.gov/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) Climate Catalyst Revolving Loan Fund, also known as the [Climate Catalyst Fund](https://ibank.ca.gov/climate-financing/climate-catalyst-program/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), to lend to the same projects. To learn more about the legislation, and the push to decarbonize industrial heat in California, I reached out to [Teresa Cheng](https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-cheng-a26885363?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the California director at [Industrious Labs](https://industriouslabs.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a nonprofit that works to decarbonize heavy industries such as steel, aluminum, and cement. Industrious Labs co-sponsored AB 1280. “We see a prime opportunity in California because we're actually the biggest manufacturing state in the entire country, which folks don't think about,” Cheng told me. “We have over 36,000 factories across the state, making everything from chips to coffee, wine bottles, medicine and toilet paper. These are products that are obviously used in California but also exported all around the country and even internationally,” she adds. “Right now, overwhelmingly, to make these products, we burn fossil gas to provide the steam and process heat, and this accounts for most of the climate emissions from manufacturing, and it's also a major strain on public health.” The industrial sector is [responsible for around one-fifth of California’s climate pollution](https://industriouslabs.org/archive/press-release-california-passes-law-AB1280?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Today%2C%20California%E2%80%99s%20industrial%20sector%20emits%20one%2Dfifth%20of%20the%20state%E2%80%99s%20climate%20pollution). With bills like AB 1280, state officials are expanding the fight against fossil fuel use in factories beyond a reliance on the carbon price associated with California’s cap-and-invest system. How serious is California’s new more aggressive industrial decarbonization push? We’ll see next year when lawmakers and Gov. Newsom negotiate funding for AB 1280 in the new state budget. The clock is ticking. AB 1280 takes effect on January 1, 2027\. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/11/Teresa-Cheng_Industrious-Labs_Headshot.jpg) Teresa Cheng, California director, Industrious Labs. [Credit](https://industriouslabs.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#team): Industrious Labs. **What was the impetus behind Industrious Labs and partners like Earthjustice sponsoring AB 1280?** One important thing to note about all this industrial process heat is that there's already commercially available alternatives that don't burn fossil fuels to provide heating for manufacturing processes, things like industrial heat pumps, thermal batteries. The reason why these technologies are so appropriate is because many of these applications for manufacturing in California are low- to medium process heat. They don't use the heigh temperatures you see in a cement kiln or a steel mill. AB 1280 renews and upgrades program guidelines for one of the main California state grant programs that provides grants to manufacturers to install this new equipment, the INDIGO program housed at the California Energy Commission. Although these technologies are already commercially available and being widely deployed in different countries in Europe, in California, we only have a handful of deployments across these 36,000 facilities. What the INDIGO program does is help to de-risk these initial investments for manufacturers that want to decarbonize but need early state support. There's two main barriers to this equipment being deployed, which is high capital costs – it's still expensive because it's not being widely deployed in the U.S. – and electricity rates in California, [amongst the highest electricity rates in the entire country](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/). The bill supports manufacturers to make this transition, these early movers. It does two main things. It upgrades program guidelines in the INDIGO program. It strengthens some of the labor standards for deployment of these sorts of projects. So, if you receive state funding, you have to agree to certain strong labor and community standards. The other thing it does is it makes the state's Green Bank, the IBank, its Climate Catalyst Fund also extend loans to industrial decarbonization projects. Traditionally, the IBank’s Climate Catalyst Fund went to transmission or forest management projects. Now, industrial decarbonization projects, like installing an industrial heat pump at a facility to displace gas use, could also receive funding. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **To expand on that a bit further, I'm familiar with existing California incentive programs, like the EPIC program at the Energy Commission, that have supported industrial decarbonization. Does AB 1280 touch these programs?** AB 1280 doesn't touch EPIC; it's an INDIGO program. It expands eligibility for thermal batteries, specifically under the INDIGO program. This was a program that we really wanted to focus on building up because INDIGO was created as an industrial decarbonization grant program that focused on projects that were grid beneficial. Industrial electrification is a huge opportunity, not just for decarbonization of these industrial facilities and being able to improve air quality, especially in environmental justice communities, but also as a resource that could be leveraged to support California's increasingly renewable grid. You'll see a lot of the grantees from the INDIGO program are facilities that because they electrify can now provide demand response or shift a lot of their electricity used to off-peak times. This is the story we're trying to tell about the opportunity for industrial electrification. It has all these co-benefits that include decarbonizing facilities, cutting climate emissions, improving air quality, creating jobs, but also providing grid resiliency and reliability. **AB 1280 is contingent on funding in the budget. There was no dollar amount specifically mentioned in the statute. To me, the obvious question is: What happens in the budget fight next year?** **California’s cap-and-invest program was recently reauthorized and expanded. There's discretionary funding from the program’s auction proceeds that lawmakers will haggle over in future years.** **Industrious Labs has pointed out that industrial decarbonization previously received just 1% of available funding from the program’s** [**Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund**](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/california-climate-investments/california-climate-investments-funded-programs?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **(GGRF). How confident are you that lawmakers and the governor will dedicate substantial funding for AB 1280 in budget fights next year, and in future years?** That's definitely a million-dollar question. We're trying to leverage the broad support and momentum we built around AB 1280 to secure continuous funding from the GGRF for the INDIGO program. One thing that's unique about industrial decarbonization, and the support for industrial electrification, is the broad, big tent of support it's been able to garner. I've been working in the climate movement for years; I used to work on clean electricity campaigns. And to be frank, it was hard to garner this sort of broad support you get here from environmental justice groups, climate groups, the construction trades, manufacturers themselves because of the broad consensus that this is something that has not been invested in and should be invested in. We're hoping that broad support translates into securing continuous funding through the GGRF. The other thing I think is interesting is recently, as CARB looks to implement some of the changes with the cap-and-trade reauthorization, they had a workshop a couple of weeks ago where they asked, very pointedly, “Should cap-and-invest dollars go toward industrial decarbonization?” It's clear state agencies are also seeing opportunity here and thinking about this, and are very cognizant we had gotten all this support from the federal government that's no longer there. The industrial demonstration projects as part of the IRA had actually allocated more than half-a-billion dollars to a couple of large industrial decarbonization projects in California. The state is grappling with how it fills this vacuum, like you see in a lot of other sectors, too, unfortunately. How do you have targeted policy intervention that's going to support industrial decarbonization that's not just cap-and-invest? For a long time, there was the assumption that cap-and-trade was going to take care of all the emissions reductions needed from the industrial sector, which is the second-largest piece of the pie in terms of climate emissions in California. Largely, you've seen industrial emissions reduction stall over the last several years. There's an increasing recognition that's been insufficient alone as a strategy for tackling industrial emissions. **AB 1280 passed with just one “no” vote in the Assembly. It had bipartisan support in the Legislature.** **Industrious Labs shared a map recently of manufacturing sites in California laid over environmental justice communities. There were quite a few manufacturing sites in the red rural parts of California, which suggests there should be broad interest in funding these projects across the state.** When you look at the projects that have been funded through the INDIGO program, most of them are in the Central Valley. These are places where you don't have the strictest air quality regulations that are forcing these companies to comply, like you see in Southern California. In Southern California, the air district down there [passed the first zero-emissions regulations for small industrial boilers](https://www.aqmd.gov/home/research/pubs-docs-reports/newsletters/aug-sep-2024/water-heaters?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) just last year, and so those facilities are going to have to figure out how to modernize and install this new equipment. Central Valley manufacturers want to modernize their equipment. If the state wants these facilities to make big capital investments and commit to staying in the state for decades to come, this is a smart way to ensure that businesses can stay and thrive in California. They can modernize their equipment. They can keep the jobs here. A lot of these facilities are the largest employers in those areas. There's a huge economic development angle here. When the federal government pulled out $75 million for the Gallo Glass project in Modesto that was going to [install a hybrid glass furnace](https://www.energy.gov/nepa/articles/cx-033531-demonstrating-hybrid-glass-furnace-technology-support-decarbonization?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), that took with it over 100 jobs. Industrial electrification is a commonsense solution the state needs to be investing in to meet its carbon-neutrality goals, but also one that brings with it so many co-benefits. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/11/Industrious-Labs_California-Industrial-Sites.png) "California’s industrial heat facilities overlaid with environmental justice communities — areas facing higher pollution and long-standing inequities — showing where cleaner manufacturing equipment could improve local air quality (data from NREL FIED and CalEnviroScreen)." [Credit](https://mailchi.mp/industriouslabs.org/clean-heat-ca-bill?e=b6664be318&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Industrious Labs. **At the EPIC Symposium last month in Sacramento, the last panel featured executives from startups that have received funding from the EPIC program, and a few of them were thermal energy storage startups.** **I** [**heard several times during that panel**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/californias-energy-investments-create-epic-opportunity-for-startups-amid-trumps-renewables-rollbacks/) **that although the companies’ technologies were developed in California, they weren't building projects in California. Among the reasons they cited are the electricity tariffs assessed against large industrial customers in California.** **Do regulators and the Legislature need to step up to address the problems they cited with these electricity tariffs?** This is one of the greatest ironies of decarbonization across all sectors in California. We have these really ambitious climate goals, and we have [amongst the highest electricity rates in the entire country](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/). Not only do we have really high electricity rates, but we have one of the highest spark gaps, the differential between retail electricity costs and low wholesale fossil gas prices that a lot of these manufacturers are accessing. This is perhaps the biggest obstacle to industrial electrification – access to clean, cheap electricity. The frustrating thing is it doesn't have to be this way. California has very high amounts of very cheap renewable electricity that is continuously being added to the grid, and we're going to be adding more exponentially. As we work toward 100% clean electricity in 2045, the Public Utilities Commission right now, in its [demand flexibility proceeding](https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/electric-costs/demand-response-dr/demand-flexibility-rulemaking?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), is looking at how utilities can develop more dynamic rates to encourage demand flexibility. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) There's an opportunity for the big private utilities to develop demand flexible rates for industrial customers that can both incentivize industrial electrification and support demand flexibility for the grid to ensure that industrial electrification is grid beneficial. We're about to release a paper with some recommendations on what the Public Utilities Commission and IOUs should be doing in developing industrial rates to do precisely that. Industrial electrification can be largely grid beneficial and should be thought of as a grid asset. It's not about giving industrial customers a free lunch at the cost of residential and commercial customers but actually developing rate tariffs that more appropriately reflect the reality of what our highly renewable grid looks like today in a way that can drive down overall system costs and actually support rate affordability for residential and commercial customers. This is something we're looking to influence at the PUC, with the IOUs, but also with some of the larger public utilities in California. There's an opportunity to move forward a strategy in the Central Valley, for instance, where you mentioned having all those red dots. We know there's also a handful of smaller public utilities, like the Modesto Irrigation District, the Merced Irrigation District. This is something that both public and private utilities have in front of them to figure out to unlock industrial electrification. **What are some promising technologies – or promising startups or companies – that could be funded in the future with money unlocked under AB 1280?** What's so remarkable about this field is these technologies are not risky or experimental technologies. These are largely industrial heat pumps and thermal batteries, which is technology that is mature and proven. You have companies like [Skyven](https://skyven.co/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that have a [heat-as-a-service model](https://www.irena.org/Innovation-landscape-for-smart-electrification/Power-to-heat-and-cooling/30-Heating-and-cooling-as-a-service?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). A lot of these other companies have heat-as-a-service models, too, which is trying to make the transition as easy and user-friendly for these manufacturers as possible. These companies like Skyven assume all the upfront capital costs of installing the new equipment. They largely deal with all the maintenance; they're just selling the heat to these companies. There are thermal battery companies like [Rondo](https://www.rondo.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [Antora](https://www.antora.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that are, as you mentioned, based here in California, and their technology was developed here. Rondo just [unveiled a large new project down in Kern County](https://www.rondo.com/news-press/rondo-powers-up-worlds-largest-industrial-heat-battery?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which really demonstrates that this is a technology that works and is ready to be scaled up, but just needs the right policy levers through bills like AB 1280, and also electricity rate reform, to be able to meet their full potential in the California manufacturing sector. One thing to note on [electricity rates](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/): I mentioned that rates aren't structured in a way that makes sense with our extremely clean variable electricity grid. California is essentially throwing away, or curtailing, higher rates of power. Industrial electrification is a fix that is meeting this problem that's getting increasingly worse. A lot of these manufacturing firms are already participating in demand response programs. And they are much more sophisticated than a lot of residential and commercial customers to be able to shift their load, whether that's from installing behind-the-meter resources, installing load, shifting to heat technology like thermal batteries, or shifting some of their production processes. There's a big opportunity here to think about how to leverage industrial electrification as a grid asset. But you really need updating outdated industrial rates to be able to do that. ### What I’m reading: Electrification programs advance in California and New York City, research roundup, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-electrification-programs-advance-in-california-and-new-york-city-research-roundup-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-11-21T23:20:05.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. Watch next week, likely just before the Thanksgiving holiday break, for a Q&A on legislation recently signed into law in California that aims to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels at the tens of thousands of industrial sites across the state. Enjoy the weekend. And thanks, as always, for reading. **Electrification initiatives advance in California and New York City** **GO ZERO rebate program launches in Southern California**: In early September, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) [launched](https://www.aqmd.gov/docs/default-source/news-archive/2025/go-zero-program---sept-3-2025.pdf?sfvrsn=19c86d7e%5F5&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [GO ZERO](https://www.aqmd.gov/go-zero?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a $21 million incentive program "designed to help residents and businesses switch to cleaner, zero-emission space and water heating technologies" such as [air-source heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/) and [heat pump water heaters](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/taking-the-emergency-out-of-water-heater-replacement-and-slashing-emissions/). "ZERO provides incentives and free installer training resources and bootcamps for residents and small businesses across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. 75% of total program funding is reserved for underserved communities to help ensure an equitable clean energy transition across Southern California," according to an [update](https://buildingdecarb.org/california-policy-updates?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=GO%20ZERO%20Rebate%20Program%20Launches%20in%20Southern%20California) on the launch from the Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC). On its November California [policy call](https://buildingdecarb.org/resource/california-policy-calls?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), BDC reported that GO ZERO funding for multifamily homes had already been fully reserved; that approximately 400 applications have been received for single-family homes, but 90% of the available funding remains; and SCAQMD had made it easier for small businesses to qualify for the program. **California approves new window heat pump, 120-volt induction pilot programs:** Yesterday, the California Public Utilities Commission [approved](https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M586/K910/586910497.PDF?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) two new initiatives from the California Market Transformation Administrator that should accelerate the adoption of window heat pumps and 120-volt induction stoves. "120-volt heat pump and induction cooking products will allow households to electrify without costly electrical upgrades. These initiatives will transform the market so anyone can walk into their local home improvement store and find these options readily available," said Rebecca Barker, senior associate attorney at Earthjustice, in a [statement](https://earthjustice.org/press/2025/california-to-launch-window-heat-pump-and-120-volt-induction-pilot-programs?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "Both pilot programs include manufacturer challenges and a comprehensive suite of interventions to encourage manufacturers to produce and distribute these models at scale," according to the statement. **New York City to install 10,000 induction stoves in public housing**: I know firsthand that having 120-volt models of heat pumps and induction stoves readily available on the market would have saved time and money on [my own home electrification project](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/). Commercialization of 120-volt induction stoves got a boost last week with the news that three New York state and city agencies were partnering with the appliance manufacturer [Copper](https://copperhome.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on a $32 million project to [install 10,000 induction stoves](https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Newsroom/2025-Announcements/2025-11-13-NYPA-NYCHA-and-NYSERDA-Announce-32-Million-Commitment-to-Electrify-Cooking-Appliances?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in public housing units in New York City. "The [competitive innovation challenge](https://www.nypa.gov/news/press-releases/2023/20231103-stove?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) … seeks to replace existing gas stoves to improve air quality in apartments, eliminate service outages and avoid costly gas infrastructure and electrical upgrades in NYCHA \[New York City Housing Authority\] buildings. The initiative aims to develop a new class of induction stoves that can be installed in older buildings using standard 120-volt, 20-amp outlets," according to a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority press release. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Research roundup** I'm back with what will likely be a recurring section in these roundups highlighting noteworthy reports and studies you might have missed: **India, China approaching emissions milestones:** Renewables deployment is beginning to stabilize emissions on India and China’s coal-heavy grids. "India’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its power sector fell by 1% year-on-year in the first half of 2025 and by 0.2% over the past 12 months, only the second drop in almost half a century. As a result, India’s CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and cement grew at their slowest rate in the first half of the year since 2001 – excluding Covid,” wrote Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) researchers Anubha Aggarwal and Lauri Myllyvirta in an [analysis published for Carbon Brief](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-indias-power-sector-co2-falls-for-only-second-time-in-half-a-century/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "The analysis also shows that emissions from India’s power sector could peak before 2030, if clean-energy capacity and electricity demand grow as expected." Meanwhile, [another analysis](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-co2-emissions-have-now-been-flat-or-falling-for-18-months/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published by CREA’s Myllyvirta at Carbon Brief last week found that China’s CO2 emissions have been flat or falling for 18 months. "China’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were unchanged from a year earlier in the third quarter of 2025, extending a flat or [falling](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-record-solar-growth-keeps-chinas-co2-falling-in-first-half-of-2025/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) trend that [started](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-monthly-drop-hints-that-chinas-co2-emissions-may-have-peaked-in-2023/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in March 2024," wrote Myllyvirta. "The rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) saw CO2 emissions from transport fuel drop by 5% year-on-year, while there were also declines from cement and steel production." **Cheaper batteries could offset loss of EV tax credit:** Shoppers who missed out on the now expired federal tax credit for electric vehicles could still benefit from cheaper batteries going forward. "The price of lithium batteries – the most expensive component in EVs – has fallen 30 percent worldwide since 2020, according to a new study [published this month](https://www.nature.com/articles/s44359-025-00108-3?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in the journal Nature Reviews," Alex Nieves and Mike Lee [reported](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2025/10/28/spooky-signs-for-wildfire-insurance-00626752?nname=california-climate&nid=00000189-315c-d8dd-a1ed-797dc9f10000&nrid=0000014e-f0f7-dd93-ad7f-f8f771890001&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=THE%20PRICE%20IS%20%28ALMOST%29%20RIGHT) last month for Politico and E&E News. "The paper found that the average battery produced in the U.S. now costs $130 per kilowatt-hour and that EVs could become price-competitive with gas cars once prices hit $80 to $100 per kWh … Battery prices have already fallen to $75 per kWh in China, the world’s largest EV market." **Yes, EVs are much cleaner than gas cars**: I still get these questions all the time: Are EVs really better for the planet than gas cars? And, what about the batteries? Perhaps this study will put the doubts to rest for good. "Making electric vehicles and their batteries is a dirty process that uses a lot of energy. But a new study says that EVs quickly make up for that with less overall emissions through two years of use than a gas-powered vehicle," the AP’s Alexa St. John [reported last month](https://apnews.com/article/climate-electric-vehicles-gasoline-emissions-fossil-fuels-4a37b8f7dab121f5029fd06bed7123c7?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "The study also estimated that gas-powered vehicles cause at least twice as much environmental damage over their lifetimes as EVs, and said the benefits of EVs can be expected to increase in coming decades as clean sources of power, such as solar and wind, are brought onto the grid." The study was published by researchers from Duke University and Northern Arizona University – [my alma mater](https://catalog.nau.edu/Catalog/details?plan=ENVSCBS&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), go Lumberjacks! **More than 500 solar and storage projects at risk from Trump’s attack on renewables:** Planned solar and storage projects that have not received all regulatory approvals could be vulnerable to the Trump administration’s efforts to stifle the projects, according to a [report](https://underthreat.seia.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published earlier this month by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). "The Trump administration's continued attack against renewable energy puts 510 solar and storage projects across the country at risk," [wrote](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025/11/solar-group-tallies-500-plus-projects-at-potential-risk-from-trump-attacks-00639172?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Politico’s Kelsey Tamborrino about the report. "The projects represent a total 116 gigawatts of capacity." "Political attacks on solar and storage are putting half of all power planned to come onto the grid this decade at risk, just as electricity demand from AI is exploding," SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper said in a statement. [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) **Engage communities early to expand the grid:** A new [report](https://www.edf.org/beyond-wires-community-benefits-transmission-projects?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Clean Air Task Force offers stakeholders suggestions for how to get transmission projects built faster. "Developers of electric transmission projects can reduce delays, build trust, and deliver local value by engaging communities early and tailoring benefits to local priorities," according to an EDF [statement](https://www.edf.org/media/new-report-community-partnerships-key-expanding-americas-electric-grid?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "The report, [Beyond the Wires: Community Benefits from Transmission Projects](http://edf.org/beyond-wires-community-benefits-transmission-projects?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), presents five case studies covering six successfully constructed transmission lines, showing that well-designed community benefit frameworks (CBFs) help reduce opposition, avoid costly delays, and deliver lasting value for both developers and communities." **Wind farms uplift rural property values and local schools**: The Australian publication Renew Economy [covered a report last week](https://reneweconomy.com.au/wind-farms-lift-rural-property-values-study-finds-and-boost-local-schools-too/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that dispels the notion that wind energy projects are bad for nearby residents and communities. "Wind projects lead to better local schools and lift neighbouring property values by about 3 per cent, according to a surprising new piece of research out of the US this week," wrote Rachel Williamson. "The study, [Uplifting Winds](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629625004128?utm%5Fsource=miragenews&utm%5Fmedium=miragenews&utm%5Fcampaign=news) in the journal Energy Research & Social Science, shows that in the decade after a wind farm starts working, there is a rise in spending on students in public schools, a small but significant fall in student-teacher ratios, and a lift in house prices. This is particularly for homes further than 3.2 km from a turbine, but the wealth effect is also felt by those within that zone as well." **Unlocking savings and accelerating electrification with alternatives to new fossil gas pipelines:** The clean energy think tank RMI estimates that gas utilities in the U.S., are spending $7 billion annually to replace service lines. In a new [policy brief](https://rmi.org/service-line-npas-unlocking-savings-and-driving-electrification/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), RMI outlines how utilities can explore non-pipeline alternatives to those gas service line replacements. These alternatives include "[targeted electrification](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-start-pruning-its-fossil-gas-network/), geothermal heat pumps, [increased energy efficiency for existing homes](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/), or re-lining or repairing existing gas pipelines," which "provide a practical path to reduce gas utility costs, support electrification, and give customers more choice in their energy future." **Legalize small apartments to build fast**: One of the easiest ways to reduce emissions in our cities is to enable more people to live in [walkable neighborhoods](https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/walkable-neighborhoods-premium-home-prices/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), with frequent transit service nearby. On that score, "extra-large apartment buildings – high-rises and towers developed under transit-oriented development policies – are great, but they’re a) slow and costly to build and b) geographically restricted to small slivers of a city’s land, often the busiest, most polluted corridors," [writes Sightline’s Daniel Oleksiuk](https://www.sightline.org/2025/10/28/to-build-fast-think-small/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). So, for politicians looking to build new homes quickly, what does he advocate for instead? Small apartment buildings, or what is often referred to as a form of "[gentle density](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/gentle-density-can-save-our-neighborhoods/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)." "If \[Cascadia’s\] leaders were serious about building more homes fast, there’s an answer in plain sight: small apartment buildings, allowed citywide – just like they used to be, before zoning rules banned them on most urban land," he writes. "Small apartment buildings, typically fitting on a standard single lot and no taller than a mature tree, have numerous advantages: they’re faster, cheaper, a better use of construction workers’ time, and a big opportunity for small local builders. Plus, obviously, they house more people per acre than single-detached homes." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/11/image.jpg) An example of "gentle density" – and one of my favorite buildings in Portland – an apartment building on the South Park Blocks in Downtown Portland, Oregon. Credit: Justin Gerdes. **Bonus: John Oliver on public media** Perhaps the bleak outlook for my industry is weighing a bit heavily on me because I teared up twice watching John Oliver's [impassioned tribute to public media](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yknMJOgy2pA&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in the U.S. on the latest (still very funny, as always) episode of Last Week Tonight – once, when he showed a clip of Fred Rogers, i.e. "Mister Rogers" of PBS fame, defending funding for public television at a U.S. Senate hearing in 1969, and again, when he played recordings of listeners of Blue Ridge Public Radio sharing how the station’s programming had kept them going in the wake of floods that devastated Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in September 2024. The future of many public broadcasting stations in the U.S. is in doubt, of course, because in July Republicans in Congress approved a $9 billion recissions package submitted by the Trump administration that [canceled $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting](https://apnews.com/article/pbs-npr-budget-cuts-trump-republicans-b0044285659ab708e23eb2dc2f3eabfa?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (CPB). In the short term, to address what Oliver rightly calls a "dire situation," you can donate to initiatives such as the [Public Media Bridge Fund](https://publicmedia.co/bridge-fund/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) or [Adopt A Station](https://adoptastation.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to support the many stations in need. "Public Media Company projects that as many at 115 stations, collectively serving 43 million Americans, are likely to close by mid-2026," following the elimination of CPB funding, according to the Bridge Fund website. ### One year of Quitting Carbon URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/one-year-of-quitting-carbon/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T15:31:04.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Today marks one year since I launched this newsletter. All of you who have bookmarked this site, signed up for the newsletter, shared one of its stories on social media, or [supported Quitting Carbon with a paid subscription](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) have made it possible for me to keep this publication going into its second year. Thank you! As I [wrote](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/welcome-to-quitting-carbon/) when this publication went live last year, the “through line at Quitting Carbon will be the projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition and reducing climate pollution.” And that’s what I’ve done. In a mix of [original reporting](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/reporting/), [commentary](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/commentary/) informed by my many years covering this space, [Q&As](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/interviews/) with policy and business leaders, and roundups of [what I’ve been reading](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/what-im-reading/), my goal has been to explain the unfolding energy transition. And you’ve responded enthusiastically, making time in your inbox each week for stories about [solar repowering](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/is-it-time-to-repower-the-first-wave-of-large-solar-projects/), [cold-climate heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/), California’s efforts to [prune its fossil gas network](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-start-pruning-its-fossil-gas-network/), the [launch of plug-in solar in the U.S.](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/bringing-small-modular-solar-to-the-masses/), and my [all-electric home](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/) – to name some of your favorites. I am immensely grateful to everyone who has supported Quitting Carbon with a [paid monthly or annual subscription](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup), even though the stories were not behind a paywall. But … this is also what we journalists are up against. Most Americans [do just about anything they can to avoid paying for journalism](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/06/24/few-americans-pay-for-news-when-they-encounter-paywalls/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/11/bafkreicxkoozmmlkmzegihkv4ewlxelx6bgjn76j2rgepms2xdrwpvhtp4.jpg) I share this graphic not to scold anyone, but to reinforce just how much journalism now depends on readers’ willingness to pay for the stories that really matter to them. The business models that had kept publications afloat no longer work, with layoffs still an everyday occurrence across all media. Times are especially tough for the parts of the news business that are essential to understanding the world (i.e., climate teams) but, unlike games, recipes, and sports, don’t pay the bills. Most of the climate and energy journalism I value most is published either under a nonprofit model ([Canary Media](https://www.canarymedia.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [Inside Climate News](https://insideclimatenews.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)), or via newsletters ([Volts](https://www.volts.wtf/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [Cold Eye Earth](https://www.coldeye.earth/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) like this one. With legacy media not willing to reliably support journalism on the climate crisis and energy transition over the long term (CBS News recently gutted its climate team, as Sammy Roth [reported](https://www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/cbs-news-gutted-climate?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at his new newsletter, Climate-Colored Goggles – [subscribe!](https://www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)), journalists like me have turned to other models to keep doing the work we love. You’ll never read a story published at Quitting Carbon whose first draft was generated by ChatGPT. All the work I publish here is – and always will be – my own, informed by my [more than two decades of experience](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/about/) as a reporter and editor covering climate solutions and clean energy. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. In Quitting Carbon’s first year, everything I published was free and open to the public. I want these stories to reach as many people as possible. But the unavoidable truth is that unless more of you are willing to pay for the journalism you read here, and everywhere else your curiosity takes you online, independent, original reporting and analysis won't survive for long. I want the stories at Quitting Carbon to remain free to read, but I can only do so if readers like you step up to invest in my work. So, please consider becoming a [monthly or annual subscriber](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup), or [making a one-time contribution of whatever you can afford](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support), so I can continue to bring you my reporting and analysis on the world’s most important story. With gratitude, Justin ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/11/Author_Justin-Gerdes_Nyhavn-Canal_October-2014.jpg) Quitting Carbon founder Justin Gerdes on the Nyhavn canal in Copenhagen, Denmark. P.S. You can find me on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/justingerdes.bsky.social?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/justingerdes/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and [Mastodon](https://mastodon.green/@JustinGerdes?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and reach me at justingerdes@gmail.com or at Signal: JustinGerdes.85 to share feedback, tips, and story ideas. ### State policy roundup: Clean energy updates in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/state-policy-roundup-clean-energy-updates-in-pennsylvania-new-jersey-illinois-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:30:28.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* I have several stories in the works, with none of them ready to publish this week. So, here instead is a roundup of notable state-level clean energy developments I’ve tracked in recent weeks. Expect to hear from me again at mid-week next week, when I’ll be [marking a big milestone for **Quitting Carbon**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/welcome-to-quitting-carbon/). And for any of my San Francisco Bay Area readers who are attending Canary Media’s [live event](https://canarylivebayarea2025.eventbrite.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in downtown Berkeley tonight, I’ll be there as well. Find me and say hello! **Plug-in solar could be coming to Pennsylvania** I was early to report on the nascent plug-in solar industry here in the U.S. In case you missed it, do read my [interview](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/bringing-small-modular-solar-to-the-masses/) with Meghan Wood, co-founder of startup [Raya Power](https://rayapower.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Following the lead of [first-movers](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-offshore-wind-proves-its-worth-the-global-solar-boom-new-york-fast-tracks-renewables-and-more/#:~:text=Plunging%20costs%20unlock%20new%20applications%20for%20solar) like Utah, New Hampshire, and Vermont, other states have been busy passing or taking up legislation to enable the installation of so-called “balcony” or “plug-in” solar systems. Another state just joined the list. Last week, Pennsylvania State Rep. Chris Pielli (D), along with co-sponsors state Reps. Elizabeth Fiedler (D) and Mark Gillen (R), [introduced](https://www.pahouse.com/InTheNews/NewsRelease/?id=140820&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) legislation ([HB 1971](https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1971?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) that would “eliminate barriers that Pennsylvanians face when it comes to accessing plug-in solar energy.” According to Rep. Pielli’s office, “the bill eliminates the requirement to obtain an interconnection agreement and prohibits electric distribution companies from imposing fees on systems that have obtained national safety certifications.” Plug-in solar systems would not be eligible to participate in Pennsylvania’s net-metering program. “Plug-in solar will give renters, apartment dwellers and homeowners a way to generate some of their own power and cut monthly costs. This isn’t about politics; it’s about putting money back in family budgets and giving people control over their energy in whatever space they have,” said Pielli in a statement. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **New grant funding for clean energy building retrofits in New Jersey** In New Jersey, state officials recently approved a $75 million pilot retrofit program for large commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings. The [RETROFIT NJ](https://www.njeda.gov/retrofit/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (Reducing Emissions through Retrofits, Optimization, Fuel-switching, and Innovative Technologies) grant program expands upon the existing [NJ Cool](https://www.njeda.gov/njcool/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) program to “support multi-pronged, large-scale retrofit projects that enable holistic energy improvements, including solar + storage, for buildings, campuses and multi-building facilities,” [reported](https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2025/10/new-jersey-expands-building-retrofit-grant-program-to-cover-solar-storage-upgrades/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Solar Power World’s Kelsey Misbrener last week. The program “will offer grant awards between $2.5 million and $12.5 million to commercial, industrial and institutional building owners undertaking retrofit projects with a minimum total project cost of $5 million,” she wrote. “Eligible projects must include at least three clean energy or electrification components, such as solar, energy storage, electrification of heating, refrigerant replacement and energy efficiency upgrades.” The pilot is funded by Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative auction revenue allocated to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. RETROFIT NJ applications are expected to open in the first quarter of 2026. **A sweeping clean energy bill, and a transit lifeline, advance in Illinois** Last week, lawmakers passed legislation ([SB 25](https://ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?DocNum=25&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=157124&SessionID=114&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) Capitol News Illinois’ Andrew Adams [described](https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/lawmakers-ok-sweeping-energy-reform-package-that-governor-pledges-to-sign/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) as “the largest change to Illinois’ energy policy in at least four years.” “An energy policy package incentivizing battery storage passed the General Assembly with only Democratic support and will likely become law, as Gov. JB Pritzker pledged to sign it,” reported Adams. “The bill creates a new funding mechanism for energy storage projects, lifts the state’s ban on new large-scale nuclear power, creates requirements for utilities to implement energy efficiency programs and more.” Among the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act’s other provisions are policies to support the rollout of geothermal heating and [thermal energy networks](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-start-pruning-its-fossil-gas-network/) (TENs). “A TENs pilot program, administered by the Illinois Commerce Commission and Illinois Finance Authority, will provide up to $20 million to advance neighborhood-scale TENs while ensuring strong labor standards and customer protections,” according to a Building Decarbonization Coalition [press release](https://buildingdecarb.org/illinois-passes-the-clean-and-reliable-grid-affordability-act-unlocking-affordable-energy-bills-with-thermal-energy-network-investment?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Illinois lawmakers also passed legislation last week that provides a lifeline for Chicago’s cash-strapped transit system. The Chicago Transit Authority had been among the transit systems in large U.S. metro areas, including SEPTA in Philadelphia, TriMet in Portland, Oregon, and BART in the San Francisco Bay Area, [facing a fiscal cliff](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/public-transit-systems-on-the-edge-of-a-cliff-amid-funding-shortfalls?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) as ridership continues to lag pre-COVID levels and fare revenue hasn’t kept pace with rising system costs. “The [Illinois state legislature passed a bill Friday](https://archive.ph/vC2wv?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to restructure the Chicago region’s transportation authority, provide $1.5 billion in funding for public transportation agencies and support transit-oriented development,” [reported](https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/chicago-illinois-transit-legislation-fiscal-cliff/804476/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Smart Cities Dive’s Dan Zukowski. “The legislation addresses potential [service cuts and fare hikes](https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/chicago-transit-fiscal-cliff-fare-hike-service-cuts/802766/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that were to go into effect in 2026, though details remain to be ironed out.” **Model climate laws clearinghouse intends to boost state-level climate action** As long as Donald Trump sits in the White House and Republicans control Congress, U.S. climate action will be the province of the states. And in states where Democrats hold the governorship and control the legislature – a list that now includes Virginia, where the Democratic Party [won a governing trifecta in Tuesday’s election](https://www.thecollegianur.com/article/2025/11/democrats-hold-house-of-delegates-claim-trifecta?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Democrats%20are%20set%20to%20retain%20control%20of%20the%20Virginia%20House%20of%20Delegates%2C%20locking%20in%20a%20trifecta%20in%20Virginia%20government%20for%20at%20least%20the%20next%20two%20years) – support for the climate fight can flourish. Lawmakers in these states now even have a repository of model climate laws waiting to be cribbed from and then introduced in their legislative chambers: the [Model Climate Laws Initiative](https://lpdd.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Legal experts at Columbia University and New York activists have teamed up to launch a factory to churn out draft laws for state legislatures to tackle climate change, pulling from conservatives’ playbook,” the Washington Post’s Jake Spring [reported](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/07/02/states-climate-law-model-legislation/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in early July when Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Lawand the non-profitEnvironmental Advocates NY [launched](https://climate.law.columbia.edu/news/national-initiative-will-equip-state-lawmakers-pass-stronger-climate-legislation-and-combat?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the initiative. “Many state legislators and agencies have excellent ideas for new climate policies but they lack the legal assistance necessary to turn them into laws. This Initiative will help provide that assistance and drafting expertise,” said Michael Gerrard**,** founder and faculty director of the Sabin Center, in a [press release](https://climate.law.columbia.edu/news/national-initiative-will-equip-state-lawmakers-pass-stronger-climate-legislation-and-combat?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). According to the initiative, its team “has authored over 80 model laws that are a starting place for discussion and collaboration among elected officials, non-profit groups and the private sector.” It has also compiled [Top 10 lists](https://lpdd.org/category/top-resources/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for sectors such as commercial and residential buildings, transportation, and electricity “highlighting some of the most interesting model laws or other resources that state or local governments can utilize.” **EU looks to partner with states on climate action** U.S. states committed to climate action could soon have a willing foreign partner: the European Union. The Financial Times [reported last month](https://www.ft.com/content/b03b1ffe-9fda-473e-988f-a2f1f757499c?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the EU planned to bypass Washington and the Trump administration and would instead work with state and local governments and businesses in the U.S. to [advance its green agenda](https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip%5F25%5F2389?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The United States is today a major EU energy trading partner and a key ally in accelerating the EU phase-out of Russian fossil fuels. However, it is also the second largest global greenhouse gas emitter and recently left the Paris Agreement,” wrote the authors of a [policy paper](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025JC0025&qid=1760959837610&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published by the European Commission on October 16. “The EU will continue to cooperate with the US in the clean energy transition and on clean technologies, including with subnational entities, business and think tanks.” ### What I’m reading: Energy innovation Down Under, offshore wind updates, find an electrification contractor, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-energy-innovation-down-under-offshore-wind-updates-find-an-electrification-contractor-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-10-31T21:35:01.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading, with a focus this time on Australia. Enjoy the weekend. And thanks, as ever, for reading. **Energy innovation Down Under** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/10/IMG_20150516_173213568.jpg) Credit: Justin Gerdes. Other than my [home state of California](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/californias-energy-investments-create-epic-opportunity-for-startups-amid-trumps-renewables-rollbacks/) and Denmark, the focus of an [e-book I published that shares the name of this newsletter](https://www.amazon.com/Quitting-Carbon-Denmark-Transition-Low-Carbon-ebook/dp/B01F0LRKWY/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the global market that fascinates me the most when it comes to the energy transition is Australia. For energy nerds, Australia has it all: world-leading rooftop solar deployment; isolated power grids; some of the world’s biggest battery energy storage systems; and states racing towards 100% renewables, as coal-fired power plants are driven off the grid. The best source I have found to keep track of it all is [Renew Economy](https://reneweconomy.com.au/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a publication led by Editor-in-Chief [Giles Parkinson](https://reneweconomy.com.au/author/giles/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Here’s a recap of recent energy innovation developments of note from Down Under I curated from stories at that site. **Long-duration storage** South Australia, which aims to reach 100% "net" renewables by the end of 2027, recently announced plans to procure long-duration energy storage under its new [Firm Energy Reliability Mechanism](https://www.energymining.sa.gov.au/industry/firm-energy-reliability-mechanism-ferm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (FERM). The state already hosts some of Australia’s largest lithium-ion battery energy storage systems, which generally supply power for up to four hours at a time. The FERM program [aims to add](https://www.energymining.sa.gov.au/industry/firm-energy-reliability-mechanism-ferm/frequently-asked-questions?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) "long duration firm capacity" via "generation or storage that can supply electricity for more than eight hours continuously." "The South Australia state government has appointed ASL to run its first auction for long duration storage, as the world’s most advanced wind and solar grid seeks around 700 MW \[megawatts\] of new firm capacity over the next six years," Parkinson [reported earlier this month](https://reneweconomy.com.au/south-australia-unveils-first-auction-as-worlds-most-advanced-renewables-grid-seeks-long-duration-storage/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Gigawatt-scale battery energy storage** Australia’s biggest battery project is about to get much bigger. "The first 260 megawatt stage of the Supernode project was energised late last month, and the owner Quinbrook Infrastructure has contracts locked in with Origin Energy and Stanwell Corp for a total of 760 MW and 3,070 MWh \[megawatt-hours\], a mix of two and four-hour configurations," Parkinson [reported on October 14](https://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-biggest-battery-project-is-about-to-get-a-lot-bigger-and-will-be-first-to-1-gw-and-5-gwh/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "Quinbrook is now expecting to add a fourth stage with an eight-hour configuration, likely sized at 250 MW and 2,000 MWh that will take its total capacity to more than 1 GW, 5 GWh \[gigawatt-hours\] – more than 10 times the capacity of the original Tesla big battery at Hornsdale, and nearly 40 times its storage." **High-penetration renewables on an isolated grid** "Western Australia continues to defy conventional wisdom about the running of electricity grids, reaching levels of 84 per cent penetration of wind and solar on almost a daily basis," Parkinson [reported on October 20](https://reneweconomy.com.au/death-of-baseload-worlds-biggest-isolated-grid-is-reaching-84-pct-wind-and-solar-almost-daily/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Western Australia’s neighbor to the east, the aforementioned South Australia, hits 100% almost daily and has peaked at more than 150% renewables, but it can export power to other states. "What makes Western Australia unique is that it hosts the world’s biggest isolated electricity grid, with no connections to other states or other countries," wrote Parkinson. **All-electric mining trucks match diesel models on cost** "Fortescue Metals CEO Dino Otranto says the giant electric haul trucks the iron ore giant will use to replace its fossil fuelled trucking fleet are ‘diesel equivalent options now,’ that will save the company money while also driving its decarbonisation efforts," Parkinson’s colleague Sophie Vorrath [reported last week](https://reneweconomy.com.au/fortescue-says-electric-haul-trucks-already-match-diesel-on-cost-and-will-save-money-in-drive-to-real-zero/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Fortescue recently published its quarterly production report, which recapped the company’s progress towards its goal of reaching "real zero" emissions by 2030. That effort "has included bringing 10 electric excavators into the operational mix and ongoing construction of the 190MW Cloudbreak solar farm in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, which is now one-third complete," wrote Vorrath. **Sydney bans gas in new large commercial buildings** I [reported in a roundup in September](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-explaining-trumps-war-on-wind-and-solar-electric-aviation-milestone-all-electric-buildings-update-and-more/#:~:text=updates%20takes%20effect.-,Australia,-Meanwhile%2C%20in%20Australia) that the City of Sydney had voted to ban indoor fossil gas appliances in new residential developments at the end of this year. City officials voted this week to mandate all-electric construction in many large commercial buildings, too. "The City of Sydney has followed the example of the ACT \[Australian Capital Territory\] and Victoria governments and this week voted unanimously to require all newly built residential buildings, medium to large commercial buildings, hotels, and serviced apartment buildings, to be all-electric," Joshua S. Hill [reported on Wednesday](https://reneweconomy.com.au/dirty-and-expensive-city-of-sydney-bans-gas-as-it-votes-to-electrify-all-new-big-buildings/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The new rules take effect on January 1, 2027. I have a few stories in mind I plan to report on Australia, so expect to see more from the continent here at **Quitting Carbon** sometime soon. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Can Trump World lobbyists save offshore wind?** Donald Trump appears to be implacably opposed to offshore wind. Unfortunately for the industry, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum now appears to feel the same. "At a panel hosted by the American Petroleum Institute, Burgum ticked through a litany of complaints about the besieged industry, repeating claims about its impacts on whales and interference with military radar," Carlos Anchondo and Ian M. Stevenson [reported for Energy Wire last week](https://www.eenews.net/articles/burgum-declares-offshore-wind-bad-for-everybody/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "Intermittent, highly expensive wind is bad for everybody," Burgum said at the event. Can Trump and Burgum be persuaded to change their minds? Trump is famously susceptible to being influenced by the last person he speaks to on a topic. What if, in this case, that person happens to be a lobbyist who used to work for him but who now represents a company building an offshore wind farm? "Offshore wind developers are turning to lobbyists with ties to President Donald Trump to help stave off his attacks," E&E News’ Ben Storrow [reported on Monday](https://www.eenews.net/articles/offshore-wind-seeks-lifeline-with-trump-connected-lobbyists/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "The Norwegian oil giant Equinor retained former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt's new lobbying firm after its 54-turbine project off Long Island was halted temporarily earlier this year by the department Bernhardt used to run," he wrote. "Ørsted, the Danish wind developer whose $6 billion project off New England was stopped for a month, recently hired Nick Iarossi, a Trump fundraiser and lobbyist at BRG Government Affairs. And Avangrid Inc. turned to Carlos Trujillo, the founder of Continental Strategy who served as Trump’s ambassador to the Organization of American States during the president’s firm term." Will it work? Who knows. But I commend the industry for making a savvy political play to [fight for its future](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/). **Offshore capacity leads to wind records in New England** Meanwhile, as I [reported last month](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-claims-offshore-wind-is-worthless-this-project-proves-the-opposite-is-true/), the offshore wind capacity that *has* been installed on the U.S. East Coast is already delivering critical capacity to the grid. "Another wind record falls in New England today with 1.5GW of wind generation this morning. It means that seven of the region's top 10 wind generation days have come this October alone. It is also a strong indication that Vineyard Wind has arrived," E&E News' Storrow [reported on LinkedIn today](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7390049348300214273/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "The milestone comes during a week when Iberdrola said that 32 of the project's 62 turbines with 416MW of capacity are generating electricity. FERC filings show Vineyard Wind generated 136GWh in third quarter, up from 57GWh in the second quarter," he added. From third-quarter earnings reports, Storrow also gleaned that Equinor has installed all 54 turbine foundations at its [Empire Wind](https://www.empirewind.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) project offshore New York and Dominion Energy has installed all 176 turbine foundations and subsea transmission cables at its [Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind](https://www.dominionenergy.com/about/delivering-energy/wind-power-projects/coastal-virginia-offshore-wind?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) project, with power generation to begin at the end of Q1 2026\. **Find a contractor for your all-electric home retrofit** Navigating all the steps to [transform an existing house into an all-electric home](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/) is hard. For that reason, the key piece of advice I continue to share, [after completing my own home electrification project](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/), is: Search for a specialist electrification contractor you can trust. The process should be easier going forward with the launch of the [National Quality Contractor Network](https://betterhvac.org/badges/rewiring-america?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by Rewiring America and the BetterHVAC Alliance. The non-profits describe the initiative as a “nationwide effort to connect households with trusted contractors who can deliver high-quality electrification projects.” "By building a pipeline of skilled professionals and strengthening both new and existing markets, the Contractor Network will drive lead generation for participating contractors and support community-led electrification projects," they wrote in a [press release](https://www.rewiringamerica.org/newsroom/press-releases/contractor-network?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) when the network launched last month. Remember, federal tax credits for energy efficiency improvements like [air-source heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/) and [heat pump water heaters](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/taking-the-emergency-out-of-water-heater-replacement-and-slashing-emissions/) expire at the end of this year, so [act fast if you're contemplating making these upgrades in your home](https://homes.rewiringamerica.org/save?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). [Support Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) **Bonus 1: Sen. Brian Schatz on Donald Trump's economy of scarcity** Unfortunately for the Democratic Party, its most popular figure and best communicator is no longer eligible to run for president. But promising new leaders are emerging from the party. And one of the Democrats' best communicators not named Barack Obama is Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz. His strength as a communicator is one reason why Schatz was successful in [securing enough commitments from his colleagues](https://punchbowl.news/article/senate/schatz-secures-schumer-backing/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to assume the #2 position in the Senate Democratic caucus after the 2026 midterm elections. Democrats have struggled to deliver a succinct message that captures why Donald Trump's economic policies, and his authoritarian impulses, are so harmful and so dangerous. But in a recent interview with Pod Save America co-host Tommy Vietor, Schatz does as good a job as I have heard in pulling it off. Here's Schatz, when asked about Trump's attack on the consumer (from the [the October 17 episode](https://www.crooked.com/podcast/trump-vance-miller-group-chat-hitler-racists/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), beginning at 1:18:30 in the podcast): > Trump has a pretty coherent economic philosophy, which is to create shortages and then bail out his friends. That's what the tariffs are about. That's what the cuts to food assistance are about. That's what the cuts to Medicaid are about. That's what the elimination of solar projects is about. He likes it if there's less of everything because then everybody has to go and petition the monarch for mercy. **Bonus 2: Dogs are amazing** We dog lovers think all four-legged friends are amazing. We also know that dogs are capable of truly amazing feats. Earlier this month, the Washington Post's Sydney Page [shared the heart-warming tale](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2025/10/17/runaway-child-rescue-search-dog/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of the rescue of a 2-year-old girl who managed to wander away from her fenced yard and into the New Hampshire woods and was lost for hours as search parties tried to find her. Fortunately, a German shepherd named Freyja had joined the search. "Just before 8 p.m. – nearly five hours after the girl went missing – Freyja started picking up a scent of a person," wrote Page. Jeremy Corson, Freyja's owner, could tell his dog was nearing the child. "Corson called out the girl’s name, and she responded. Corson said she seemed delighted to see him, and initially thought he was her father," wrote Page. "You can’t help but be extremely excited," Corson said. "It’s a 2-year-old. It’s a big deal." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/10/imrs-1.webp) "Freyja when she was 8 weeks old at her first rescue training session." [Credit](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2025/10/17/runaway-child-rescue-search-dog/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Jeremy Corson via the Washington Post. Sgt. Christopher McKee of the New Hampshire Fish and Game told Page that "the day might have ended differently if not for the volunteers – human and canine." "The dogs are just crucial," he said. "Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do." I’d like to think that, called to do search and rescue duty, my dog Coco would have found the missing toddler, too! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/10/IMG_20200125_161804778.jpg) My seven-year-old dog, Coco. Credit: Justin Gerdes. ### Portland brings zero-emission delivery to its downtown URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/portland-brings-zero-emission-delivery-to-its-downtown/ Last updated: 2025-10-24T14:30:31.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Delivering all the stuff we need to keep the economy humming comes at a cost. There is the price we pay at the register or online, of course, but also on the ledger is the noise, traffic congestion, and pollution that comes with running mostly diesel-powered trucks through our cities. Freight trucks, delivery trucks, work vans, and other medium- and heavy-duty vehicles make up about 5% of vehicles on the road but [account for more than 20%](https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2024-07/DOT%20Report%20to%20Congress%20Decarbonizing%20US%20Transportation%20072924%20final.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of U.S. transportation greenhouse gas emissions. But the availability of cheaper, more powerful batteries is making it possible to carry more of the goods we buy in vehicles with no tailpipe pollution. [Nearly one-quarter](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-california-is-electrifying-its-fleets-rural-counties-benefit-from-renewables-good-offshore-wind-news-and-more/#:~:text=Fleets%20increasingly%20opting%20for%20electric%20trucks%20in%20California) of the trucks, buses, and vans sold in California last year were zero-emission vehicles. In your own neighborhood, you’ve likely seen [all-electric vans from Rivian making Amazon deliveries](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/transportation/everything-you-need-to-know-about-amazons-electric-delivery-vans-from-rivian?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). This momentum means that especially for last-mile deliveries, getting goods to the door without emissions is a real possibility. To test this notion, Portland, Oregon, recently established a [Zero-Emission Delivery Zone](https://www.portland.gov/transportation/planning/zero-emission-delivery/zedz-pilot-executive-report?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (ZEDZ) in a 16-block area of its downtown “allowing only zero-emission delivery vehicles to use the loading zones in the project area.” The six-month pilot, which was funded by a $2 million grant from the Biden administration’s U.S. Department of Transportation, launched in September 2024 and ran through March of this year. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) released a [report](https://www.portland.gov/transportation/planning/zero-emission-delivery/zedz-pilot-executive-report?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) last month on successes and lessons learned from the project. **A first-of-its-kind zero-emission delivery zone** Portland was not the first U.S. city to trial a zero-emission delivery zone. Santa Monica and Los Angeles [both launched versions of the zones in 2021](https://laincubator.org/zedz/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). And in Europe, Paris, London, and other large metro areas have established low- or zero-emission zones – designated areas where high-emitting vehicles are either denied entry or charged a fee to enter. Dutch policymakers have gone further and permitted cities nationwide to designate zero-emission zones. “Electric commercial van purchases skyrocketed in the Netherlands to reach more than 80% of sales in the first half of this year, the highest globally, after the government allowed municipalities to designate urban zero-emissions zones. So far, 18 cities, including Amsterdam, The Hague and Eindhoven, have introduced such zones, with 11 more in planning,”wrote Colin McKerracher, head of clean transport at BloombergNEF, in research [published last month](https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-transport/clean-trucking-takes-off/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/10/Netherlands_EV-van-boom_BNEF.webp) But the Portland pilot was the first of its kind in the U.S. “This project piloted the country’s first regulated Zero-Emission Delivery Zones that tested new digital infrastructure tools and offered preferred curb access to encourage the transition of commercial fleets to zero-emission vehicles,” according to PBOT. “When the pilot was envisioned, the goal was to build on approaches trialed by Los Angeles and Santa Monica,” wrote the authors of the PBOT report. “Portland envisioned a geographic area where … delivery spaces, known as Truck Loading Zones, would be temporarily transitioned to be for zero-emission vehicles only and regulated as such.” Portland later shifted its terminology so that “Zero-Emission Delivery Zones” “refers to a specific loading space at the curb, of which there could be one or many.” Rare among U.S. cities, Portland has both adopted a [long-term freight plan](https://www.portland.gov/transportation/planning/2040freight/about-2040freight?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and dedicated resources to reduce freight emissions. The effort is not just essential if the city is to achieve its 2050 net-zero carbon emissions target, with freight accounting for nearly one-quarter of Portland’s transportation carbon emissions, it is also intended to bring pollution relief to some of the city’s most vulnerable residents. “In Portland, nearly 90,000 residents live within 1.2 miles of the city’s biggest sources of air pollution, such as freeways and industrial facilities,” according to the PBOT report. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/10/zedz-map_09192024.png) **Project successes** Portland was awarded the U.S. DOT grant in September 2023\. By late summer 2024, city transportation officials, working with private sector and academic partners, had installed 16 camera-based parking sensors in the ZEDZ and created a free digital parking permit for delivery companies operating zero-emission deliveries. PBOT launched the pilot on September 19. After six months, the project had notched successes, according to PBOT: "DHL bought three electric vehicles for deliveries in Portland and installed chargers at their local facility; Amazon rerouted their zero-emission vehicles to be deployed within the project area; the first FedEx-branded zero-emission vehicles in Portland were spotted in the project area; and HYPHN decided to purchase their first zero-emission vehicle for their moving company operations." The Portland Bureau of Transportation had also promoted the use of electric cargo bikes in the zero-emission delivery zone. [B-line Urban Delivery](https://b-linepdx.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), an e-cargo tricycle-based last-mile delivery service provider, was brought on as a project partner. By the end of the pilot, six new companies had contracted with B-line for zero-emission, last-mile delivery services. The authors of the PBOT report note that “a UK [study](https://transportforqualityoflife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/potential-for-e-cargo-bikes-to-reduce-congestion-and-pollution-from-vans.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) estimated 10-30% of trips by delivery and service companies could potentially be replaced by e-cargo bikes.” Manufacturers are responding to this expected increase in demand for last-mile cargo bike-based deliveries by rolling out new models. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) The micromobility startup Also, spun out of Rivian, will supply Amazon “with thousands of its new pedal-assist cargo quad vehicles that are big enough to carry more than 400 pounds of packages and small enough to use a bike lane,” TechCrunch’s Kirsten Korosec [reported on Wednesday](https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/22/amazon-will-buy-thousands-of-pedal-assist-cargo-vehicles-from-rivian-spinoff-also/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Amazon and Also will customize the electric cargo bike, the [TM-Q](https://ridealso.com/products/quad?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), for Amazon deliveries in Europe and the United States beginning in spring 2026. “Amazon has more than 70 micromobility hubs in cities across the U.S. and Europe,” Emily Barber, director of Amazon's global fleet, told Korosec. ### What I’m reading: California is electrifying its fleets, rural counties benefit from renewables, good offshore wind news, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-california-is-electrifying-its-fleets-rural-counties-benefit-from-renewables-good-offshore-wind-news-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T22:18:28.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. Thanks, as ever, for reading and enjoy the weekend. **Fleets increasingly opting for electric trucks in California** Falling costs for lithium-ion batteries make going electric an easier choice – even for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. And in California, backed by incentives funded by the state’s cap-and-trade system, zero-emission trucks are gaining market share. “Zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) made up nearly 23% of new medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales in California in 2024 – more than double the state’s target and the highest total of ZEV sales ever reported,” the California Air Resources Board (CARB) [reported last month](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/nearly-1-4-new-trucks-buses-and-vans-california-go-zero-emission-2-years-ahead-schedule?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/10/zevs-graphic.jpg) Shippers are taking advantage of incentives offered under CARB’s Clean Truck and Bus Vouchers program ([HVIP](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/clean-truck-bus-vouchers-hvip?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) to add zero-emission trucks to their fleets. “Over 15 years, HVIP has invested $820 million to deploy more than 10,500 clean vehicles across 2,000 fleets,” according to CARB. “Demand remains high with nearly $200 million in incentive funding requests submitted on the very first day applications opened this month.” Writing at LinkedIn, Adam Browning, executive vice president for policy and communications with heavy-duty truck charging depot operator [Forum Mobility](https://forummobility.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [confirmed the surging interest in zero-emission trucks](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adam-browning-56a2734%5Fcalifornia-recently-had-an-zev-truck-incentive-activity-7384256473624879104-IPrN/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “California recently had an ZEV truck incentive window. [Calstart](https://calstart.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) just released the most recent [HVIP data](https://californiahvip.org/impact/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#deployed-vehicle-mapping-tool) – and incentive vouchers were submitted for 892 Tesla Semis. That's over 80% of the total of all [class 8s](https://www.actresearch.net/resources/knowledge-center/what-is-a-class-8-truck-or-tractor?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). And would more than double the total deployment of class 8s to date,” wrote Browning. “The cost and performance characteristics have carriers excited. These will be deployed based on winning cost per mile over diesel. Zero emission freight is just getting started,” he added. Impressive as those ZEV truck sales numbers are, the share of zero-emission passenger vehicles is higher still in California and just set a record as shoppers rushed to qualify for federal tax credits that expired at the end of September. “Californians purchased 124,755 zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the third quarter of 2025, representing 29.1% of new car sales, the highest quarterly sales share ever reported in California,” the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom (D) [announced on Monday](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/13/record-breaking-quarter-california-reaches-historic-high-in-zev-sales/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/10/unnamed.png) It will soon be easier for all those new EV drivers to find a – functioning! – place to charge now that the California Energy Commission [adopted first-in-the-nation EV charger reliability and reporting standards](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/13/record-breaking-quarter-california-reaches-historic-high-in-zev-sales/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=adopted%20EV%20charger%20reliability%20and%20reporting%20standards%2C%20making%20California%20the%20first%20state%20in%20the%20nation%20to%20adopt%20such%20standards%20and%20laying%20the%20foundation%20for%20charging%20station%20reliability%20across%20the%20nation) and [approved $10 million in grants](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/13/record-breaking-quarter-california-reaches-historic-high-in-zev-sales/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=approved%20three%20grants%20totaling%20more%20than%20%2410%20million) to build more than 1,000 Level 2 EV charge points at low-income multi-family housing complexes across the state. **Rural counties cash in from renewables boom – when they allow projects** Rural counties are increasingly turning against solar and wind projects, which is a shame because the counties in farm and ranch country that *have* embraced renewables are reaping substantial benefits from the projects. A USA Today investigation found that as of September 2025, about a quarter of U.S. counties had placed some form of restrictions on utility-scale wind or solar projects. But in a [dispatch](https://www.indystar.com/story/news/environment/2025/10/16/wind-and-solar-politically-unpopular-profitable-for-two-rural-indiana-counties/86586784007/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from Randolph County, Indiana, published yesterday by the Indianapolis Star, reporters [Sophie Hartley](https://bsky.app/profile/hartleys.bsky.social?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [Elizabeth Weise](https://bsky.app/profile/elizabethweise.bsky.social?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) document how renewable energy development has “transformed this economically stalled county from corner to corner.” Energy giant EDP Renewables North America operates solar and wind projects with a combined capacity of 698 megawatts in the county. “When the years of negotiation are over and the last construction workers have left, what remains is money – serious money that can change a county’s trajectory,” write Hartley and Weise. “In Randolph, millions of dollars have poured into school districts, emergency services, bridge repairs, streets, sidewalks and parks. EDPR NA is on track to pay the county over $65 million by 2038.” “It’s easy for (communities) to get scared that they’re going to be overwhelmed by all this development. But a gigawatt or so of development isn’t a huge amount of land in most counties, and it can be really consequential for the residents,” David Adelman, a professor of law at the University of Texas, Austin, told Hartley and Weise. How consequential? In Benton County, the Caldwell Home senior living facility leased land for Indiana’s first wind farm in 2007. “Now 12 turbines slowly churn away on the property, bringing enough revenue to cover 15% to 20% of the facility’s annual budget. The extra $80,000-plus a year allowed the home to install a new elevator, a new generator and repair the roof,” report Hartley and Weise. “It changed how it felt around here. Everything was a little newer, a little less apt to breaking and needing repairs,” said Jay Davis, one of the home’s trustees. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Vertical floating solar comes to Germany** In my last roundup, I wrote about a Danish research project that [confirmed the efficacy of vertical solar photovoltaic arrays installed between rows of crops](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-offshore-wind-proves-its-worth-the-global-solar-boom-new-york-fast-tracks-renewables-and-more/#:~:text=Plunging%20costs%20unlock%20new%20applications%20for%20solar). Now, a project installed on a lake at a gravel plant in Bavaria, Germany, claims to be the “world’s first” vertical floating PV power plant. “With an installed capacity of 1.87 MW, an expected annual electricity production of around 2 GWh \[gigawatt-hours\] and coverage of just 4.65% of the lake's surface area, the plant achieves a previously unattained specific power density,” said [SINN Power](https://www.sinnpower.com/en?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a German solar project developer, in a [press release](https://www.pressebox.de/pressemitteilung/sinn-power-gmbh/feierliche-inbetriebnahme-der-weltweit-ersten-senkrecht-schwimmenden-photovoltaikanlage/boxid/1269200?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) last week. “Its technical reliability has already been confirmed in the first few weeks of operation: the plant responds as planned to wind loads and water level changes. The gravel plant was able to reduce its power consumption from the grid by almost 60% during this period,” according to the company. “Over the course of the year, the 2,600 PV modules are expected to reduce the gravel plant's power consumption by up to 70%.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/10/thumbnail_1568556_746x466.webp) [Credit](https://www.pressebox.de/pressemitteilung/sinn-power-gmbh/feierliche-inbetriebnahme-der-weltweit-ersten-senkrecht-schwimmenden-photovoltaikanlage/boxid/1269200?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): SINN Power. **Some good offshore wind news** The second Trump administration is [waging a war on the U.S. offshore wind industry](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/), with the fate of even fully permitted projects very much uncertain. But there is good news to be found, despite the assault, in the progress achieved at two of the largest projects under construction and in California’s efforts to prepare for the future. “Half the turbines at Vineyard Wind are generating electricity off Massachusetts, delivering a boost to the offshore wind industry as it struggles to navigate withering attacks by President Donald Trump,” Climatewire’s Ben Storrow [reported earlier this month](https://www.eenews.net/articles/vineyard-wind-is-delivering-power-buffering-it-from-trump/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The 800-megawatt (MW) [Vineyard Wind 1](https://www.vineyardwind.com/vineyardwind-1?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) project, a 50-50 joint venture between Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, is in water 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. “Vineyard Wind continues to make progress and is delivering needed power to the New England grid, with a current capacity over 400 megawatts,” Vineyard Wind spokesperson Craig Gilvarg told Storrow. At Dominion Energy’s 2,600MW [Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind](https://coastalvawind.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) project, “First power will occur in Q1 of next year. And we are still on schedule to complete by late 2026,” utility spokesperson Jeremy Slayton [told Canary Media’s Clare Fieseler last week](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/offshore-wind/dominion-virginia-offshore-wind-online-2026?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “As of the end of September, Dominion had installed all 176 turbine foundations – ​‘a big, important milestone,’ per Slayton. That accomplishment involved pile-driving 98 foundations into the soft seabed during the five-month stretch when such work is permitted,” wrote Fieseler. [Support Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) On the West Coast, the California Energy Commission last week [approved $42.75 million in grants](https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2025-10/trump-embraces-dirty-fossil-fuels-california-hits-major-clean-energy-milestone?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=And%20%2442%20million%20was%20approved%20for%20port%20upgrades%20to%20support%20offshore%20wind.) for offshore wind port development. The five awards – Port of Long Beach ($20 million), Port of Oakland ($750,000), Port of Richmond ($750,000), Port of San Luis ($3 million), and Humboldt Bay Harbor District ($18.25 million) – are the first tranche of the $475 million in offshore wind port infrastructure funding authorized by [Proposition 4](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d87dc688ef6cb38a6767f97/t/672bd11579b42c2dfbe51f6f/1730924821752/OWC+Statement+-+Praises+Approval+by+Californians+of+%2410+B+climate+bond+with+%24475+M+for+CA+ports+%26+offshore+wind+%28Nov-6-2024%29.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which was approved by California voters in November 2024. State funding is especially welcome in Humboldt after the Trump administration in August [withdrew a $427 million grant](https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-terminates-and-withdraws-679-million?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for the Harbor District’s planned [Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project](https://humboldtbay.org/humboldt-bay-offshore-wind-heavy-lift-marine-terminal-project-3?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Local officials in Humboldt are determined to move forward on offshore wind. “We’re full speed ahead. We’re absolutely focused, shoulder to the wheel, on building a modern heavy lift marine terminal here in Humboldt,” Harbor District Executive Director Chris Mikkelsen [told the Lost Cost Outpost last month](https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2025/sep/25/humboldts-offshore-wind-terminal-project-full-stea/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/10/Humboldt-Bay-Offshore-Wind-and-Heavy-Lift-Marine-Terminal_Master-Plan-1.png) [Credit](https://humboldtbay.org/sites/humboldtbay2.org/files/7591.21%20HBHRCD%20Multipurpose%20Terminal%20Replacement%20RFQ%2020211118%5FWithAttachments.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District. **Bonus: Kids keep trying to save us** Young people frustrated by their elected leaders' unwillingness to more forcefully confront the climate crisis have in recent years [turned to the courts for relief](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/lawsuits-that-reach-state-supreme-courts-could-drive-climate-action-during-trump-2-0/). That effort suffered another setback this week. Twenty-two young people [filed a lawsuit](https://www.climatecasechart.com/collections/lighthiser-v-trump%5F04ff?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on May 29 alleging that three of President Trump's energy and environmental executive orders ([14154](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [14156](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/declaring-a-national-energy-emergency/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and [14261](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/reinvigorating-americas-beautiful-clean-coal-industry-and-amending-executive-order-14241/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) are, in the words of Our Children’s Trust, a non-profit public interest law firm that co-filed the suit, "constitutional violations that directly harm the lives, health, and safety of American youth." On Wednesday, a federal judge in Montana dismissed the lawsuit. "Judge Dana L. Christensen wrote that he had 'reluctantly' made the decision, despite convincing evidence presented by the plaintiffs during [a two-day hearing last month](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/climate/lighthiser-trial-climate-trump.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) showing that the executive orders would hasten climate change and exacerbate risks to the plaintiffs’ health and safety," [reported the New York Times' Karen Zraick](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/climate/montana-youth-trump-climate-lawsuit-dismissed.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "In the 31-page decision, Judge Christensen wrote that the plaintiffs in the case, Lighthiser v. Trump, lacked a legal basis to bring the suit, largely because the harms they described could not be ameliorated by a judicial decision. The suit was simply too broad in scope and too amorphous to be actionable, he said." “The judge recognized that the government’s fossil fuel directives are injuring these youth but said his hands were tied by precedent,” Julia Olson, the founder of Our Children’s Trust and the lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, told Zraick. ### California’s energy investments create EPIC opportunity for startups amid Trump's renewables rollbacks URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/californias-energy-investments-create-epic-opportunity-for-startups-amid-trumps-renewables-rollbacks/ Last updated: 2025-10-10T17:02:09.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Californians who pay a utility bill can take credit for one of the state's most effective programs. Funded by ratepayers, the [Electric Program Investment Charge](https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/electric-program-investment-charge-epic-program?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (EPIC) is California's premier energy research and development program. From 2012 to 2024, the program invested $1.4 billion in more than 500 projects to advance research, development, demonstration, and commercialization of clean energy technologies – funding that has catalyzed $18.9 billion in private follow-on investment. For [David Hochschild](https://www.energy.ca.gov/about/commissioners/david-hochschild?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the longtime chair of the California Energy Commission (CEC), that kind of bang for each dollar of public money makes EPIC "the best energy R&D program in the world." That declaration came in Hochschild's opening remarks to the 11th annual [EPIC Symposium](https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/electric-program-investment-charge-epic-program/electric-program?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), convened at the California Natural Resources Agency headquarters in downtown Sacramento on Tuesday. The daylong event gave the CEC, which administers the EPIC program along with the state's investor-owned utilities, the opportunity to highlight the achievements of recent grant recipients and to look ahead to the program's [next five-year investment cycle](https://www.energy.ca.gov/proceeding/electric-program-investment-charge-2026-2030-investment-plan-epic-5?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (2026-2030). The most powerful and persuasive testimonials of the day came from the four startup executives who spoke in the final plenary session about how pivotal EPIC funding was in the growth – and even the survival – of their companies. At a time when the Trump administration is seeking to cancel tens of billions of dollars worth of federal climate funding, and Republicans in Congress succeeded in passing a budget reconciliation bill that slashed the Inflation Reduction Act's clean energy tax credits, state-level programs like EPIC can help to maintain momentum for climate action in the U.S. And in that effort, no state pushes with as much force as the world's fourth-largest economy. "California is proud to dream big and deliver even bigger," as Governor Gavin Newsom (D) [put it on Bluesky on Tuesday](https://bsky.app/profile/governor.ca.gov/post/3m2myym22qs2w?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Bringing startups to scale** "We need to support and defend these programs," said [Jon Bonanno](https://www.factor.eco/team-members/jon-bonanno?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), managing partner at the executive advisory platform Factor and moderator of the final session. Speaking to the policymakers in the room – Josh Becker (D), chair of the Senate Energy Committee, had participated in a morning panel – Bonnano said, EPIC is "the best investment you could make." Each dollar invested in EPIC, he said, yields at least a 10x return in follow-in investment. Bonanno walked the audience through the progressive ladder of funding available to entrepreneurs to scale their early-stage clean energy technologies via EPIC programs. Startups could receive $10 million or more in critical non-dilutive funding (i.e. funding that doesn't require founders to give up equity or ownership) to scale their companies by successfully applying for funding from programs such as [CalSEED](https://calseed.fund/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [CalTestBed](https://www.caltestbed.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [RAMP](https://www.energy.ca.gov/solicitations/2022-04/gfo-21-304-realizing-accelerated-manufacturing-and-production-clean-energy?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (Realizing Accelerated Manufacturing and Production for Clean Energy Technologies), and [BRIDGE](https://www.energy.ca.gov/solicitations/2024-07/gfo-23-318-bridge-2024-bringing-rapid-innovation-development-green-energy?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (Bringing Rapid Innovation Development to Green Energy). Vincent Wong, COO and co-founder of [ElectricFish](https://electricfish.co/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which makes battery-integrated EV fast-chargers, said investment from the EPIC program "is a de-risking signal." The imprimatur of the California Energy Commission, he said, helped ElectricFish attract critical additional funding from outside investors. Supported by [$1.7 million in funding from the CEC](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240610236797/en/ElectricFish-Opens-First-Intelligent-Grid-EV-Infrastructure-Manufacturing-Facility-in-California?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Supported%20in%20part%20by%20%241.69%20million%20in%20grants%20from%20the%20CEC), including CalSEED and RAMP grants, ElectricFish was able to scale up to a new 8,000-square foot manufacturing facility in San Carlos, California. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. "I don't think Liminal would have survived without CEC funding," said [Shaurjo Biswas](https://www.liminalinsights.com/company/leadership/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), CEO, CTO, and co-founder of Liminal Insights, which has developed a battery inspection platform called EchoStat. BRIDGE funding was "transformative," said Biswas. The funding enabled Liminal to develop "proof points" on performance that attracted new customers and it was a "catalyst to raise more money from VCs," he added. [Antora Energy](https://www.antora.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which builds and deploys thermal batteries for industrial applications, received a [$2 million grant](https://www.energy.ca.gov/filebrowser/download/725?fid=725&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the EPIC program to develop and field-test its long-duration energy storage system at an existing cogeneration power plant in Fresno County, California. The company's thermal battery stores energy in blocks of solid carbon at temperatures of up to 2,400°C (4,352°F). The super-heated blocks of graphite can be tapped to provide heat and power for industrial customers. "Antora’s operational TPV \[thermophotovoltaic\] fabrication facility would not have been possible without \[the\] CEC," the company said in the acknowledgments of the California Energy Commission's [final report](https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/CEC-500-2024-011.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on its project. Justin Briggs, Antora's COO and co-founder, said the company has built two battery factories in the San Francisco Bay Area, employs 285 people, and has attracted $300 million in private funding. Chris Graves, CEO and co-founder of [Noon Energy](https://www.noon.energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a long-duration energy storage developer, said its BRIDGE funding award had helped the company land nearly $30 million in Series A funding. Noon Energy was [awarded $8.8 million under the EPIC program in June 2024](https://www.energy.ca.gov/filebrowser/download/6367?fid=6367&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#block-symsoft-page-title) to "demonstrate a reversible carbon dioxide to carbon conversion-based storage system to provide 100 kilowatts/10 megawatt-hours of LDES combined with an existing solar PV field to provide up to 100 hours of capacity." [Support independent energy journalism](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) To be sure, there is even more that California could do to boost the energy innovation ecosystem in the state. When John Bonanno asked how officials could improve the EPIC program, the startup executives had suggestions. Briggs said policymakers could make more money available for first-of-a-kind projects – bigger checks for big projects that have significant carbon-cutting potential. Fong said the EPIC program could do more to match startups with mission-aligned VCs. Bonanno himself said that EPIC program officials should strive to ensure reimbursement happens faster for award recipients. But in the end, the success of the EPIC program demonstrates that public funding, invested just when startups need it most, can be a lifeline for the clean energy companies that will help us break our fossil fuel habit for good. ### What I’m reading: Offshore wind proves its worth, the global solar boom, New York fast-tracks renewables, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-offshore-wind-proves-its-worth-the-global-solar-boom-new-york-fast-tracks-renewables-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-10-03T19:42:12.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. Have a great weekend. And thanks, as ever, for reading. **The U.S.’ first offshore wind farm proves its worth, too** I [wrote last week](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-claims-offshore-wind-is-worthless-this-project-proves-the-opposite-is-true/) about a report from Danish energy giant Ørsted documenting how its South Fork Wind project off the coast of Long Island, New York, is already providing benefits to ratepayers and to the grid in the Northeast. According to a [dispatch](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/climate/block-island-rhode-wind-turbines.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published by the New York Times’ Catrin Einhorn from Block Island, Rhode Island, the nation’s first offshore wind farm is similarly proving its worth, delivering cheaper and more reliable power, blissful quiet, and even high-speed internet to the island. The 30-megawatt [Block Island Wind Farm](https://us.orsted.com/renewable-energy-solutions/offshore-wind/block-island-wind-farm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) was the nation’s first offshore wind farm when it came online in 2016\. The project was built off the coast of Block Island by a company called Deepwater Wind, which was later acquired by Ørsted. "The benefits have been extraordinary," Keith Stover, head of the Block Island Town Council, told Einhorn. Einhorn recounts how the offshore wind farm has improved life on the island: > "Before the five turbines started spinning a few miles off the coast, this island ran on five big generators. Soot-spewing and earsplitting, the machines burned a million gallons of diesel a year, ferried in from the mainland on tanker trucks and stored underground. Energy costs, tied to the volatile oil market, seesawed so much that local businesses struggled to manage their budgets, residents said. Power surges and dips fried household appliances. Clocks wouldn’t keep time. Those who lived near the power company described scraping soot off their windows and having to wash their curtains every month." > "Then, at 5:30 a.m. on May 1, 2017, with the offshore turbines up and running, the island’s utility company turned off the generators. As the motors whirred down, a new sound could be heard, bright and strangely loud in the sudden quiet: birdsong." **Another offshore wind conference canceled** I [mentioned in my last roundup](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-oil-majors-and-the-ev-supply-chain-managed-decline-of-gas-grids-research-roundup-and-more/#:~:text=Major%20offshore%20wind%20conference%20canceled) that the American Clean Power Association had just canceled its flagship offshore wind conference, which had been scheduled for next week in Boston, Massachusetts. In another sign of the headwinds facing the industry, the University of Maine canceled its annual conference focused on the emerging floating offshore wind sector, Maine Public Radio [reported earlier this week](https://www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025-09-29/umaine-cancels-floating-wind-power-conference?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). University spokesperson Samantha Warren said the American Floating Offshore Wind Technical Summit (AFloat) was cancelled "in recognition of changing federal policies and priorities." In April, the Trump administration [suspended a $12.5 million grant](https://www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025-04-23/trump-administration-pulls-funding-from-umaine-wind-project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for the university's floating offshore wind program. Five hundred experts from around the world attended the [two-day conference](https://umaine.edu/president/2024/11/15/american-floating-offshore-wind-technical-summit-sept-25-2024/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in Portland last year. **Plunging costs unlock new applications for solar** Cheap panels mean that solar isn’t just for rooftops or open fields any longer. With the cost of panels [plunging by more than 90% since 2010](https://ourworldindata.org/data-insights/solar-panel-prices-have-fallen-by-around-20-every-time-global-capacity-doubled?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), it now makes economic sense to install solar [over irrigation canals](https://kmph.com/news/local/turlock-irrigation-district-celebrates-states-first-solar-over-canals-pilot-project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), on a balcony, and even as a wind break between rows of crops. I’ve written in previous roundups about the emergence of so-called "balcony" solar in the U.S. after the market took off in Germany. Utah was a trendsetter among the states in passing legislation enabling the installation of these small solar systems in the U.S. The Beehive State could soon be joined in that effort by two New England states. "Small solar-panel kits that can be assembled as easily as an Ikea bookcase and plugged into a regular residential outlet could be coming soon to New Hampshire and Vermont," Sarah Shemkus [reported last month for Canary Media](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/vermont-new-hampshire-plug-in-balcony-legislation?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "Lawmakers and advocates in both states are preparing legislation that would make these plug-in solar systems accessible to residents who don’t have the space, money, or inclination to install a larger, conventional rooftop array." If you want to learn more about a startup looking to break into the small modular solar space, read my recent [conversation with Raya Power co-founder Meghan Wood](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/bringing-small-modular-solar-to-the-masses/). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. We’re also discovering how beneficial the double harvest of crops and solar power can be for farmers. "Imagine a field where solar panels and crops coexist – with no trade-off. It sounds like science fiction, but that's precisely what researchers from Aarhus University have now documented in a full-scale agrivoltaic pilot project in the Danish countryside," [according to Aarhus University’s Jesper Bruun Petersen](https://techxplore.com/news/2025-09-harvest-vertical-solar-panels-crops.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "Our measurements show that wheat and grass-clover mixtures grow just as well between vertical solar panels as in open fields. At the same time, the panels produce electricity in a daily pattern that better matches energy demand. It's a win-win," said Marta Victoria, lead author of a study on the pilot project [published](https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2772427125001664?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in the journal Energy Nexus and associate professor at the Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Aarhus University. "Even with some shade, the yield per square meter is almost the same. The crops don't seem to mind the presence of solar panels and they like the wind protection that they provide," said study co-author Uffe Jørgensen, professor from the Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/10/double-harvest-vertica-2_credit-Aarhus-University.jpg) [Credit](https://techxplore.com/news/2025-09-harvest-vertical-solar-panels-crops.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Aarhus University. **The solar boom extends well beyond China** China, Texas, and even Pakistan have all recently had a spotlight shone on their booming solar markets. But new research from energy think tank Ember shows that the solar boom is a global phenomenon. "Global solar installations are on track for another record year," wrote the authors of a [report](https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/global-solar-installations-surge-64-in-first-half-of-2025/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the organization published last month. "In the first six months of 2025, the world added 380 GW of new solar capacity – 64% higher than during the same period in 2024, when 232 GW were installed." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-09-30-225913.png) Another, perhaps unexpected, booming solar market? Brazil. Distributed solar is the [fastest-growing power source in the country](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=66184&utm%5Fmedium=email&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). "Distributed solar generation capacity grew from less than 1 gigawatt (GW) in 2018 to 40 GW in 2025 through June, accounting for 43% of all electricity capacity additions over that period," finds an EIA analysis published last week. "In 2012, Brazil implemented net metering policies, which have recently contributed to large increases in distributed solar generation capacity. … As of June 30, 2025, total solar electric generating capacity in Brazil was 23% of the total electric generating capacity." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-09-27-105932.png) **SOO Green is greenlit** It looks like the [SOO Green HVDC Link](https://www.energyre.com/project/illinois/transmission/soo-green?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) might *finally* have secured the last approval it needs to begin construction. "SOO Green — a 2.1-GW transmission project that would link the PJM Interconnection and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator — has secured all the rights to its route by gaining a final municipal franchise agreement in Iowa, moving the project a step closer to construction," Utility Dive’s Ethan Howland [reported last week](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/soo-green-transmission-iowa-illinois-pjm-miso/761080/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "The merchant transmission project aims to deliver a mix of wind and solar, smoothed out with energy storage, from Iowa to Illinois via a 525-kV high-voltage, direct current line that would run about 350 miles underground inside railroad rights of way," he added. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) That last detail is what really intrigued me when I last reported on the project. SOO Green has been gestating for so long that I [published a Q&A](https://www.energymonitor.ai/networks-grids/burying-power-lines-next-to-roads-railways-could-crack-nut-of-transmission-expansion/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with an executive from the project for Energy Monitor more than four years ago! Long-distance interstate HVDC transmission projects like SOO Green can often take a decade or longer to complete in the U.S. Despite SOO Green’s protracted gestation, I’m still convinced that building long-distance transmission inside interstate highway and railroad rights of way can get the projects built faster. **New York fast-tracks renewables to snag expiring federal tax credits** New York just joined [Colorado](https://www.cpr.org/2025/08/27/xcel-energy-projects-vanishing-federal-tax-credits/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [California](https://www.enr.com/articles/61318-california-speeds-renewables-projects-to-get-us-tax-credits-before-they-expire?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and [Maine](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/maine-fast-track-tax-credits?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in fast-tracking renewables projects so they can quality for federal tax credits under the accelerated expiration timeline enshrined in the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill. "Recognizing the near-term need for power to meet increasing electricity demand as well as economic development needs and the importance of adapting to shifting federal policies, Governor Hochul is launching a new solicitation for renewable energy and directing state agencies to work together to responsibly advance shovel-ready renewable energy projects as quickly as possible. These efforts are designed to support New York ratepayers by using sunsetting federal clean energy tax credits to bring down costs," according to a September 26 New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) [press release](https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Newsroom/2025-Announcements/2025-09-26-Governor-Hochul-Directs-State-Agencies-To-Accelerate-Renewable-Energy-Development?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). According to NYSERDA, the new "solicitation is designed to advance late-stage large-scale renewable energy projects ready to commence construction in New York." Eligibility applications for the [Large-Scale Renewables Solicitation](https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Large-Scale-Renewables/RES-Tier-One-Eligibility/Solicitations-for-Long-term-Contracts?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) are due on October 21 and final proposals are due on December 4. **Heat pumps slash fuel oil use in Maine** In one of my first stories here at Quitting Carbon, published last November, I wrote "[forget what you’ve heard, heat pumps can thrive in the cold](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/)." And perhaps the best case study I know of proving that point is the success of the [heat pump market](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-to-accelerate-the-u-s-heat-pump-market/) in Maine. Gov. Janet Mills (D) has set a goal of [installing 275,000 heat pumps statewide by 2027](https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/news/governor-mills-announces-reduction-heating-oil-reliance-maine-2025-09-30?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=When%20the%20new%20goal%20is%20reached%2C%20the%20number%20of%20heat%20pumps%20installed%20in%20Maine%20homes%2C%20businesses%2C%20and%20public%20buildings%20during%20the%20Governor%27s%20time%20in%20office%20would%20reach%20275%2C000), after an initial goal of 100,000 installations was achieved two years early in July 2023. For the past decade, public officials in the state have been urging Mainers to swap out fossil fuel-burning boilers and furnaces for electric heat pumps. That effort, backed by state and federal incentives, is working. "New federal data from U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey show about half of Maine households still use heating oil as their primary source of heat, but that share has fallen nearly 20% since 2018," [reported WMTW's Jon Chrisos this week](https://www.wmtw.com/article/maine-households-turn-to-electric-heat-pumps-as-oil-use-falls/68141897?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "At the same time, electricity use for home heating has nearly doubled." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/10/videoframe_8279.png) [Credit](https://www.wmtw.com/article/maine-households-turn-to-electric-heat-pumps-as-oil-use-falls/68141897?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): WMTW. **Bonus 1: Inspiration from Uruguay** The Washington Post's Allyson Chiu recently [profiled](https://wapo.st/4gzNqUa?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Ramón Méndez Galain, a university professor who become Uruguay's energy secretary and from 2008 to 2015 led the country's push to decarbonize its power grid. "In the years that Galain served as the country’s top energy official, a period that spanned two administrations, Uruguay installed dozens of renewable energy plants. Within just five years after he took over, the country was able to almost entirely decarbonize its grid, with 98 percent of its energy coming from renewable sources," Chiu writes. Last month, Galain was recognized for his work with a [$4 million award](https://www.climatebreakthrough.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025-Award-Announcement.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the San Francisco-based philanthropy Climate Breakthrough. "His new vision," writes Chiu, "is to see Uruguay’s success story replicated in other countries." To that end, Galain serves as executive director of Ivy, an environmental nonprofit that advises governments across Latin America on how to transform their energy sectors. **Bonus 2: Say no evil** The Trump administration's Department of Energy keeps adding terms to a banned word list. "The Energy Department has added 'climate change,' 'green' and 'decarbonization' to its growing 'list of words to avoid' at its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy," Politico's Zack Colman [reported last week](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/28/energy-department-climate-change-emissions-banned-words-00583649?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "In addition to 'climate change' and 'green,' EERE forbid officials from using 'emissions' to avoid the implication that they are a negative," he wrote. "Other terms officials must ditch include 'energy transition,' 'sustainability/sustainable,' 'clean' or 'dirty' energy, 'Carbon/CO2 Footprint' and 'Tax breaks/tax credits/subsidies.'" ### Trump claims offshore wind is worthless. This project proves the opposite is true. URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-claims-offshore-wind-is-worthless-this-project-proves-the-opposite-is-true/ Last updated: 2025-09-24T12:30:52.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* President Donald Trump and his minions in the Cabinet would have you believe that offshore wind projects aren’t worth building. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum went on CNBC earlier this month to say that "[you don’t know when the wind’s gonna blow](https://www.eenews.net/articles/burgum-celebrated-wind-power-then-trump-tapped-him-to-kill-it/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=telling%20CNBC%20last%20week%20that%20%E2%80%9Cyou%20don%E2%80%99t%20know%20when%20the%20wind%E2%80%99s%20gonna%20blow.%E2%80%9D)." "Secretary Burgum is in agreement with President Donald Trump that protecting our energy security means ensuring the American people aren’t reliant on designed to fail energy sources, such as wind, which is why the Department of the Interior recently ended special treatment for these unreliable energy sources,” Interior Department spokesperson Aubrie Spady [told Climate Wire’s Scott Waldman](https://www.eenews.net/articles/burgum-celebrated-wind-power-then-trump-tapped-him-to-kill-it/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Aubrie%20Spady%20said%20in%20a%20statement). Unreliable? Hardly. The truth is the Trump administration’s [war on offshore wind](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/) is not just misguided; it is being waged despite evidence proving that the technology is already providing benefits to ratepayers and to the grid in the Northeast. This summer marked one year since the Danish energy giant Ørsted turned on [South Fork Wind](https://southforkwind.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, off the coast of Long Island, New York. The project, which includes a dozen 11-megawatt turbines, has been fully operational since July 2024\. Ørsted built South Fork Wind in a 50/50 partnership with Eversource Energy. Contrary to Trump and Burgum’s sky-is-falling rhetoric, the performance of South Fork Wind thus far is reinforcing why offshore wind capacity is so valuable, especially in regions like the Northeast where available land onshore is scarce. "In its first full year of operation, South Fork achieved a 46.4% net capacity factor," [according to](https://us.orsted.com/renewable-energy-solutions/offshore-wind/south-fork-wind-report?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) a [report](https://cdn.orsted.com/-/media/www/docs/corp/us/factsheets/sfwreport%5Fweb%5Fvf.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published last Friday by Ørsted. "South Fork Wind achieved a 53% net capacity factor for the first half of 2025 – comparing favorably to the latest annual U.S. EIA data \[for\] New York's natural gas plants (53%), land-based wind farms (22%) and PV solar (16%)," Kevin Hansen, Ørsted’s head of government and market affairs, New York, [wrote on LinkedIn last week](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kevinmhansen%5Ftoday-%C3%B8rsted-released-our-first-year-report-activity-7374440890083278848-g8sm/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/09/South-Fork-Wind_Capacity-Factor-Graphic_Orsted.png) [Credit](https://us.orsted.com/renewable-energy-solutions/offshore-wind/south-fork-wind-report?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): "Energy That Works: South Fork Wind," Ørsted. According to Ørsted, not only is South Fork Wind matching the annual uptime of the Trump administration’s most-favored energy resource, fossil gas-fired power plants, it is also delivering power to the grid when it is needed most. "When a record-breaking heat wave caused the NYISO to declare a major grid emergency in the early evening of June 24, South Fork Wind delivered at an 87% net capacity factor," wrote Hansen. Overall, the project generated power for the grid 92% of the time during the first half of this year. "While South Fork averaged solid energy production throughout each month in its first year, offshore wind output tends to peak during winter months, when natural gas demand for heating is highest," according to the new Ørsted report. "The project also generates more electricity in the afternoon and evening, complementing solar energy’s daytime and summer production well. This generation pattern bolsters year-round grid stability and helps to meet daily peak load during the late afternoon." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/09/Average-Hourly-Generation_South-Fork-Wind_Orsted.png) [Credit](https://us.orsted.com/renewable-energy-solutions/offshore-wind/south-fork-wind-report?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): "Energy That Works: South Fork Wind," Ørsted. Offshore wind is already proving to be a much-needed resource for New England grid operators. But what about its supposedly ruinous economics? "Under this administration, there is not a future for offshore wind because it is too expensive and not reliable enough," Burgum [told an audience at the Gastech conference in Milan, Italy, earlier this month](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/11/offshore-wind-renewables-energy-trump-burgum.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=%E2%80%9CUnder%20this%20administration%2C%20there%20is%20not%20a%20future%20for%20offshore%20wind%20because%20it%20is%20too%20expensive%20and%20not%20reliable%20enough%2C%E2%80%9D%20Burgum%20told%20an%20audience%20at%20the%20Gastech%20conference%20in%20Milan%20on%20Wednesday). But here again, [as I wrote last week](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-oil-majors-and-the-ev-supply-chain-managed-decline-of-gas-grids-research-roundup-and-more/#:~:text=Offshore%20wind%20saves%20money%20over%20gas), the administration is dead wrong. "If the 3.5 GW \[gigawatts\] of wind energy projects currently contracted offshore New England had been operational last winter, it could have offset the surge in natural gas prices that season and saved ratepayers a total of $400 million on their energy bills," Utility Dive’s DiGangi [wrote last month](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/offshore-wind-new-england-natural-gas-prices-trump/758899/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) about a [report](https://renew-ne.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/RENEW%5FValue-of-Wind%5FJuly-2025-FINAL.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from Daymark Energy Advisors. Katherine Hamilton, the co-host of Latitude Media’s "Open Circuit" podcast, [noted on the show’s September 12 episode](https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-circuit-why-trumps-wind-war-could-do-lasting-damage-to-us-energy-investment/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=It%E2%80%99s%20not.%20The%20fixed%20price%20contracts%20are%20between%20seven%20and%2015%20cents%20a%20kilowatt%2Dhour.%20Revolution%20Wind%20is%209.80%20cents%20a%20kilowatt%2Dhour.%20That%20is%20not%2034%20cents%20a%20kilowatt%2Dhour.) that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has claimed that electricity from U.S. offshore wind projects [costs as much as 34 cents a kilowatt-hour](https://insideclimatenews.org/news/22092024/robert-f-kennedy-jr-environmental-hero-to-outcast/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Kennedy%20said%20that%20offshore%20wind%20is%20three%20times%20more%20expensive%20than%20the%20electricity%20produced%20from%20wind%20farms%20based%20on%20land.). "It’s not," said Hamilton. "The fixed price contracts are between seven and 15 cents a kilowatt-hour. Revolution Wind is 9.80 cents a kilowatt-hour. That is not 34 cents a kilowatt-hour." ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The administration's dishonesty about offshore wind should not come as a surprise. "The Trump administration is really just relying on political talking points to push back on renewable energy that have little or no basis in fact," Dave Anderson, policy and communications manager for the Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog organization focused on the fossil fuel and utility industries, [told Canary Media's Kathiann M. Kowalski last month](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/land-use/trump-interior-order-fossil-fuel-misinformation?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). As Burgum made clear, if the Trump administration has its way, offshore wind won’t have a future in the United States. But the fanatical zeal with which the White House is waging its [war against offshore wind](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/) is a tell. The administration – and its fossil fuel allies – know a threat when they see it, and they’re trying to kill the offshore wind industry before it’s as immovable as a turbine foundation pounded into the seabed. ### What I’m reading: Oil majors and the EV supply chain, managed decline of gas grids, research roundup, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-oil-majors-and-the-ev-supply-chain-managed-decline-of-gas-grids-research-roundup-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-09-19T21:53:30.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Welcome back to another recap of highlights from what I’ve been reading. In the final section, I include a roundup of important recent reports and studies that I think are worthy of your attention. Enjoy the weekend. And thanks, as always, for reading. **Major offshore wind conference canceled** Just how bad are things for the U.S. offshore wind industry? I recently reached out to the American Clean Power Association (ACP) to ask about press registration for its flagship Offshore WINDPOWER conference. Thinking the press registration was a formality, I had already booked flights and a hotel to cover the conference, which was to be held next month in Boston, for Quitting Carbon. I had reported from the same conference in Providence, Rhode Island, in 2022. So, imagine my surprise when I received the following reply: “Based on input from our members, we have decided not to hold the Offshore Windpower 2025 conference in Boston, Mass. on Oct. 7-8,” Jason Ryan, ACP’s deputy director for media relations, emailed me on September 9. I had been eager to hear firsthand how the companies and states directly affected by the [Trump administration’s war on the offshore wind industry](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/) planned to respond in the coming months. **Oil majors venture into the EV battery supply chain** Oil and gas companies are beginning to make investments in pieces of the supply chain for electric vehicle batteries. An ExxonMobil subsidiary [applied for a lithium royalty](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2025/06/04/arkansas-oil-and-gas-commission-receives-exxonmobil-lithium-royalty-application/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission in early June. (In November 2023, ExxonMobil [announced plans to produce lithium](https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/news/news-releases/2023/1113%5Fexxonmobil-drilling-first-lithium-well-in-arkansas?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) sourced from deposits in southern Arkansas’ [Smackover Formation](https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/lithium-smackover-formation?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by 2027, a target since pushed back to 2028.) The week before, the Commission had approved a 2.5% lithium royalty rate for a joint venture between Canada-based Standard Lithium and the Norwegian energy giant Equinor. ExxonMobil “signed a non-binding agreement to supply lithium from its proposed Arkansas project to South Korean EV battery maker SK On,” [Reuters reported last June](https://www.mining.com/web/exxon-south-koreas-sk-on-sign-non-binding-deal-for-lithium-supply/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/09/LithiumNewsReleaseMap-7_0--1--1.png) Lithium deposits in the Smackover Formation. [Credit](https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/lithium-smackover-formation?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): U.S. Geological Survey. Chevron is entering the lithium business, too. “Chevron USA, a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, [became on Tuesday](https://www.chevron.com/newsroom/2025/q2/chevron-enters-domestic-lithium-sector-to-support-us-energy-security?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the latest oil major to enter the lithium market in the United States with the acquisition of lease rights to about 125,000 net acres in northeast Texas and southwest Arkansas,” [Mining.com’s Cecilia Jamasmie reported on June 17](https://www.mining.com/chevron-joins-oil-majors-in-us-lithium-production-push/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ExxonMobil also plans to produce another key EV battery material, graphite. Under a deal announced last week, “the oil giant will buy a production facility, a research center and other assets from Superior Graphite, a privately held Chicago company, for an undisclosed price,” [reported the New York Times’ Rebecca F. Elliott](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/business/energy-environment/exxon-mobil-graphite-electric-vehicles.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “We fundamentally see the demand for batteries and electric vehicles and, increasingly, in large-scale energy storage solutions increasing over the longer term,” Dave Andrew, Exxon’s vice president of new market development, told Elliott. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Winding down fossil gas grids responsibly** The managed decline of fossil fuel assets and infrastructure in the coming decades demands proactive, thoughtful policymaking. For policymakers wondering how and where to begin such a process, there’s no better primer than an [essay published this week](https://medium.com/@jan.rosenow/managed-decline-regulating-gas-grids-when-gas-ends-40453c0e49e1?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by energy transition expert [Jan Rosenow](https://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/person/prof-jan-rosenow?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on “regulating gas grids when gas ends.” Rosenow is the leader of the energy program and professor of energy and climate policy at the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute. “Fortunately, some countries are taking decisive steps to proactively manage the gas grid phase-out,” writes Rosenow. One of the examples he cites – [no surprise!](https://www.amazon.com/Quitting-Carbon-Denmark-Transition-Low-Carbon-ebook/dp/B01F0LRKWY?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – is Denmark. > “In Denmark, well-established heat planning mandates that gas and district heating networks do not overlap. The country has a decommissioning fund to cover the costs of removing gas supplies from homes and offers a scheme for free disconnections for private residences. By 2030 heating with fossil gas in Denmark will no longer be allowed.” Rosenow also flags the rulemaking processes underway at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to manage the state’s transition away from fossil gas. Among the solutions he mentions is the targeted removal of local gas distribution grids – the subject of my February [conversation](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-start-pruning-its-fossil-gas-network/) with the Building Decarbonization Coalition’s Beckie Menten. “The gas transition is going to be a *major* issue that the CPUC has to really grapple with,” Menten told me. “A more coordinated and fair transition is possible,” concludes Rosenow. > “We need to move away from treating gas networks as permanent infrastructure and instead treat them as a temporary bridge to a climate-neutral future. By implementing clear policies for decommissioning, updating depreciation rules, and ensuring alignment with climate goals, we can ensure a just transition that protects consumers and avoids wasting billions on outdated fossil fuel infrastructure.” **Research roundup** With each day, another wave of reports and studies rolls in and floods my inbox. Here are some that are worth your time: **Geothermal projects can heat buildings in Alaska:** Geothermal heating can work even in the extreme cold of Alaska, according to new [research](https://www.nrel.gov/news/detail/program/2025/nrel-modeling-shows-geothermal-and-borehole-thermal-energy-storage-can-reliably-heat-buildings-in-extreme-cold?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). “Published on June 17 in the journal [Energy & Buildings](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778825007662?via%3Dihub&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the feasibility study examined a 20-year period in which borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) – a system that stores heating or cooling energy underground – could reliably supply heating to two U.S. Department of Defense buildings in Fairbanks, Alaska,” wrote NREL’s Hannah Halusker. “This paper demonstrates that even cold subsurface conditions – like those in Alaska, where 50% to 90% of the ground has permafrost – can be used for heating. A geothermal heat pump system can supply higher efficiency if we consider seasonal or storage-system-integrated operations,” said NREL geothermal research engineer Hyunjun Oh. **Here come grid-responsive heat pumps:** Electric heat pumps are already three to five times more energy efficient than the fossil fuel-fired heating equipment they replace. The next generation of heat pumps may come equipped with batteries, too. Carrier “has begun its first field trials of battery-enabled HVAC systems to test how they can store and shift energy when the grid needs it most,” the HVAC equipment manufacturer said in a Wednesday [press statement](https://www.corporate.carrier.com/news/news-articles/202509%5Fcarrier-powering-future-energy.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Through these trials, Carrier is assessing how its next-generation HVAC system – pairing more efficient variable-speed heat pumps with battery storage – can help reduce peak demand by shifting energy use from on-peak to off-peak periods, providing greater grid flexibility and resilience,” the company added. (A hat tip to Regulatory Assistance Project’s Jaap Burger for [flagging this news on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/jaapburger.eu/post/3lz2le57jws2y?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com).) **Don’t expect gas turbines to get cheaper anytime soon:** The Trump administration may *want* gas-fired power plants to be used to meet rising U.S. power demand but the reality on the ground says otherwise. There is a global, multi-year backlog of the turbines used to generate power in gas-fired power plants. According to new research, don’t expect the recent price spikes for turbines to ease anytime soon. “Demand for gas turbines is soaring – and the price of a combined-cycle gas turbine is too, new research finds. Projects slated for completion in 2030 or 2031 are now ‘routinely reporting costs of $2,000 per kilowatt or more,’ a jump of as much as 75% over near-term prices,” Latitude Media’s Lisa Martine Jenkins [reported on Wednesday](https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/gas-turbine-prices-are-up-and-arent-going-down-anytime-soon/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The findings come from a new [report](https://gridlab.org/gas-turbine-cost-report/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) co-published by GridLab, Energy Futures Group, Component Reliability Consultants, and Halcyon. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) “As a point of comparison,” added Jenkins, “projects that are slated to come online in the coming years reported costs of between $1,116 per kW and $1,427 per kW.” So, why don’t the largest gas turbine manufacturers – GE Vernova, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Siemens Energy – simply make more turbines? Heatmap’s Matthew Zeitlin [reported earlier this month](https://heatmap.news/energy/mitsubishi-heavy-industry-gas-turbines?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on the global gas “turbine crisis,” adding context to reporting from Bloomberg that found Mitsubishi Heavy Industries “aims to double its capacity to build gas turbines over the next two years.” But ramping up their manufacturing capacity quickly could prove challenging for the turbine makers. “All in all, if more machines can be manufactured, more skilled and engineering labor will be needed. This is the part that really complicates the actual timeline,” Bobby Noble, senior program manager of gas turbine research and development at the Electric Power Research Institute, [told Utility Dive’s Diana DiGangi](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/mitsubishi-gas-turbine-manufacturing-capacity-expansion-supply-demand/759371/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Offshore wind saves money over gas:** The Trump administration says one of the reasons why it is justified in shutting down the offshore wind industry is that power from the projects is more expensive than from its preferred fuel, natural gas. Not so, according to two new studies. “If the 3.5 GW \[gigawatts\] of wind energy projects currently contracted offshore New England had been operational last winter, it could have offset the surge in natural gas prices that season and saved ratepayers a total of $400 million on their energy bills,” [wrote](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/offshore-wind-new-england-natural-gas-prices-trump/758899/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Utility Dive’s DiGangi last month about a [report](https://renew-ne.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/RENEW%5FValue-of-Wind%5FJuly-2025-FINAL.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from Daymark Energy Advisors. Similarly, CT Mirror’s John Moritz [reported last week](https://ctmirror.org/2025/09/09/revolution-wind-project-new-england-ratepayers/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that “Electric customers across New England could be saddled with up to $500 million in additional annual supply costs if work does not resume on the nearly-completed Revolution Wind project, officials with Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said.” **Solar + storage continues to set records in Texas:** The Trump administration is pushing fossil gas power plants as the primary solution to quickly supply new power to the grid; despite the challenges I noted above. What is being deployed quickly? Solar and batteries. And right now, no place in the U.S. better highlights that dynamic than Texas. New [analysis](https://ieefa.org/resources/summer-solar-and-battery-storage-records-texas?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) does a good job of capturing the Texas solar and storage boom. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/09/2025-09-15-IEEFA-ERCOT-solar-wind-battery-generation-records-2023-2025-v3-452x236.jpg) “Solar set a new ERCOT record (last Tuesday) on Sept. 9, generating almost half of total demand in the fast-growing Texas electricity market while providing more than 40% of the state’s electricity for seven straight hours, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,” wrote IEEFA’s Dennis Wamsted and Seth Feaster on Wednesday. “The results clearly show that if you build it, solar will perform,” they added. Battery energy storage systems have set four discharge records this month. “The latest occurred last Thursday, Sept. 11, sending 7,741 MW, or 10.6% of total power demand back into the grid in the early evening—and preventing the need for a comparable amount of fossil fuel generation,” wrote Wamsted and Feaster. **Bonus 1: Why are you** [**paying so much for electricity**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/)**?** One answer, [courtesy of New Yorker cartoonist Paul Noth](https://www.newyorker.com/cartoon/a61401?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-05-092749.png) **Bonus 2: When I *almost* met Robert Redford** In the spring of 2019, the energy think tank RMI invited me to attend an [e-Lab Accelerator](https://rmi.org/our-work/electricity/elab-electricity-innovation-lab/elab-accelerator/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) project bootcamp it was convening at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah. I [reported on the multi-day event for Greentech Media](https://rmi.org/insight/regulatory-solutions-for-building-decarbonization/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). I was embedded with a team of experts assembled by the [Sacramento Municipal Utility District](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/postcard-from-the-future-sacramentos-rancho-seco-clean-energy-park/) to figure out how to integrate [electrification](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/) into its existing energy efficiency programs for low-income households. Another team included the founders of the non-profit [HEET](https://www.heet.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which is now partnering with utilities to launch [thermal energy network](https://buildingdecarb.org/resource-library/tens?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) pilots [in Massachusetts](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/geothermal/networked-geothermal-advocates-optimistic-despite-massachusetts-setback?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). I'll never forget the setting of the resort at the foot of Mount Timpanogos in the Wasatch Range. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/09/IMG_20190503_132004507_HDR.jpg) The Sundance Mountain Resort. Credit: Justin Gerdes. And I'll never forget when Robert Redford showed up. All of the project teams were busy in brainstorming sessions, writing on whiteboards. And then someone noticed the then-82-year-old Redford standing on the deck outside the room. Which sent every woman in the room *swooning*. I remember him coming into the room on a break, reading some of the posters and whiteboards and chatting with a few of the participants – alas, I was not one of them. I don't know how the Sundance Resort was selected to host the e-Lab Accelerator event. Perhaps it had something to do with Redford's lifelong environmental activism and [commitment to conservation at the resort](https://www.sundanceresort.com/conserve/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). But it seemed clear that the actor, director, independent film champion, and environmentalist cared about the clean energy transition, too. ### How solar repowering can reach its potential URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/how-solar-repowering-can-reach-its-potential/ Last updated: 2025-09-12T12:30:17.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* I published a story in May asking if it is [time to repower the first wave of large solar projects](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/is-it-time-to-repower-the-first-wave-of-large-solar-projects/)? In the wind power industry, repowering [is already commonplace](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/27/wind-power-trump-climate-change-energy-policy.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Confronted with aging equipment but convinced that their investment can continue to make a profit, project owners decide either to replace components on individual turbines such as the blades, gearboxes, and hubs, or to replace the site’s turbines entirely with new more powerful models,” I wrote. “Repowering can present project owners with a win-win opportunity: more power on the same footprint with fewer turbines, using an existing connection to the grid.” I have been curious to learn whether the same dynamics that have turned wind repowering into a mature business are beginning to appear in the solar industry, too. In my earlier story, I mentioned that a team of researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was busy [looking into the solar repowering market in the U.S](https://research-hub.nrel.gov/en/publications/sips-on-quotpv-repoweringquot-quantifying-the-impact-of-pv-system?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). I recently spoke with two of those researchers, [Heather Mirletz](https://research-hub.nrel.gov/en/persons/heather-mirletz?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [Silvana Ovaitt](https://research-hub.nrel.gov/en/persons/silvana-ovaitt?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), to get an update on their work. “Repowering is a nascent practice in PV, with more questions than answers regarding how much and to what extent it is happening,” Mirletz and Ovaitt wrote with their colleagues [Brian Mirletz](https://research-hub.nrel.gov/en/persons/brian-mirletz?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [Matthew Prilliman](https://research-hub.nrel.gov/en/persons/matt-prilliman?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in a [paper](https://ieee-pvsc.org/ePVSC/mobile/show%5Fpresentation.php?abstractno=1151&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) presented at a technical conference in Montreal in June. “At the utility scale in the U.S., repowering remains uncommon due to significant economic and logistical barriers,” they added. “While there is growing interest, repowering is often prohibitively expensive, with most cases driven by reliability issues such as failures of inverters, backsheets, and trackers.” I spoke with Mirletz and Ovaitt about some of those barriers and also about opportunities such as the potential to install battery energy storage systems when repowering solar projects. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/09/mirletz.webp) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/09/silvana-ayala-pelaez.webp) NREL solar PV researchers Heather Mirletz (left/above) and Silvana Ovaitt (right/below). Credit: NREL. **Based on the industry experts you talked to, you estimated that solar repowering projects cost 10% to 30% more than greenfield projects. Does a similar price premium exist for wind repowering projects?** **Heather Mirletz:** Wind had a very clear business case where there's only certain sites that have a really nice wind resource. And their efficiency increases were essentially an order of magnitude more than the efficiency increases we are seeing in PV. We're continuing to get better at making more efficient modules, but it's not that same orders of magnitude jump. It's incremental. There are the re-engineering costs. Like, *We want to keep the racking, we want to keep the electrical balance of systems and all the cabling*. But that's very hard to do, and that requires a lot more engineering time to figure out the fiddly little details. It makes every project a special snowflake to the point it takes a prohibitive amount of time for engineering. You're essentially doing a decommissioning, plus a new system, which is where that extra cost comes into it. For sites in places like Europe, repowering is happening a little bit more. There's very specific sites and some of the other economics play into it a little bit differently there than it does here. As opposed to: *There's plenty of land out here in the West, let's just go build a solid farm*. You don't necessarily have that in Europe; there's fewer sites. Repowering there does make more sense because there's that restriction. **I was going to ask about the European market. It makes sense that repowering would have started there first because the utility-scale sector started earlier in markets like Spain and Germany than it did in the U.S. You mentioned the land constraints – there's just not as much land to build new projects in Europe. But there are also economic drivers. Projects in Germany are coming off their 20-year feed-in tariffs. Is that a factor as well?** **Heather Mirletz:** That would definitely be factoring into it. We haven’t studied that in detail yet, so I can't tell you exactly how, but those are all definitely relevant factors. The feed-in tariffs have a huge impact on the economics, versus the [merchant tail](https://content.next.westlaw.com/practical-law/document/I435bbacbb69111ec9f24ec7b211d8087/Merchant-Tail?transitionType=Default&contextData=%28sc.Default%29&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), where once you finish paying off the loan, and once you're done with your PPA, it's all just like bonus energy here in the U.S. **One of the key takeaways from your new research is that at least at this point in the U.S., reliability has been driving repowering, not economics. It has been equipment failures and repairs. You also refer to, in residential and commercial settings, external factors like re-roofing or remodeling a building or a building demolition.** **Heather Mirletz:** Yes, for the most part, it is reliability driven. Inverter failure is a common one across all the different sectors, residential all the way up to utility-scale. Residential and commercial can have other external factors, such as the roof or a change in lease of, say, a Walgreens. A change in lease can sometimes trigger a renegotiation of terms, and sometimes that will end up with a repower, sometimes that'll end up with decommissioning the system prematurely, just because it might blow up the lease agreement. We were also hearing of residential installers being like, *Hey, you can have a bigger system, and you can get the ITC \[federal Investment Tax Credit\] if you do it now*. People have increasing needs if they're [electrifying their home](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/). It's a restricted amount of roof space for a residential system, and so the efficiency matters more. At utility-scale, it's pretty much all reliability – the inverters or trackers or the module itself is triggering the “Should we repower?” question. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Getting back to that cost premium of 10% to 30% for repowering compared to a greenfield project – which comes in at between $1 and $2.50 a watt. Do you expect those numbers to go down in the coming years?** **Silvana Ovaitt:** That's a good question. One way that they can come down is if the new solar fields go up. There's definitely a desire from people who are doing this to facilitate things like the interconnection permit waits. If it makes the interconnection negotiation easier or nonexistent, that will definitely bring down those numbers. Some of the cost is also just inactivity, waiting for things to be able to proceed forward. If the interconnection permit goes towards the path of making it easier, that will improve the economics. There's also talk from manufacturers on perhaps establishing a standard module size. **That could be very helpful.** **Heather Mirletz:** Another one might be if robotics gets to the point where it can be used to assemble fields. That would change the labor costs significantly, which is a large portion of the decommissioning and of the greenfield projects. If the robot is "slinging glass" – the term in the field – instead of humans, that might bring the cost down, but that's when the robots are ready, which I don't know when that's going to be. Silvana makes a really good point about interconnection, and that's something we're going to be looking at hopefully coming up here shortly, especially the utility-scale, the value of having a grid connection and a transformer. All of that may be increasing significantly because it has been relatively simple to say, *I'll just go down the road and build a new one*. **That's a good segue to my next topic. Your research refers to the significant economic and logistical barriers, especially in the utility-scale space, for solar repowering. But there is also intense pressure to add new capacity to the grid to meet the expected increased electricity demand from AI and new data centers.** **It seems to make a lot of sense to add more capacity at large solar farms that have existing grid connections. But you also cite factors at work there – interconnection costs and permitting. If you have existing interconnection rights, it should be easier, right? You should be able to add capacity at the same site, unless you're adding more than you had agreed to at the outset with the off-taker and the grid operator?** **Heather Mirletz:** That's the key – if you are adding more. Our understanding is that in California you can have a plus 10% to whatever your grid interconnect is. And usually, if you were going to repower an entire site, you're going to be significantly more than 10%. That brings us to another future work item that we're hoping to do, which is: Okay, but if you put a battery there, then you could repower and use the same site. And let's store that and feed it out at different hours of time. **Take California as an example. If you were to exceed that 10% capacity increase you mentioned, would the project developer lose its place in the interconnection queue and have to start over? Would you have to re-enter the queue with other projects, even though you have an existing site and interconnection agreement?** **Heather Mirletz:** That is our understanding. That is a major barrier for a lot of the utility-scale projects. They're like, *You don't want to deal with that*. That's a whole lot of money that they're leaving on the table. **Silvana Ovaitt:** Owners and plant managers try to do as much as they can under the flag of “repair” because that does not trigger most permits. If it can just be a one-to-one module swap, that will not require any other permits. But if you start doing more building or adding more capacity, you start to get into that permit area, which then adds to the difficulty. **Heather Mirletz:** Say, an inverter fails. It's a very classic failure. There's a lot of troubles with replacing the inverter, because the modules are continuing to change and evolve with time. You might have a massive voltage management issue with your system, and you can't get a new inverter at the voltage of your original system, or they just aren't replacing parts. We've heard there's a lot of proprietary parts and software that they just don't want you tinkering around in there. Then there's the module itself, the [backsheet](https://www.envistaforensics.com/knowledge-center/insights/articles/pv-module-reliability-issues-understanding-backsheet-degradation-and-claim-disputes/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). That's one more really good trigger, especially if you get into warranty claims. It can drag on trying to figure out who's responsible for what aspects of it, and whether it could be repaired in place with a covering. Trackers is also a big issue. The classic one we hear about is the two-axis tracker goes non-functional. The other really big one is because the modules have been getting bigger, they don't fit the same on trackers. Some of the trackers you can, as Silvana will attest, move the racking system, and others you can't. And some of the tracker companies are willing to work with you, and some of them aren't. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Then there's all the contracts Silvana was talking about. Those long interconnection queues you might get bumped to the back of it, the re-engineering costs, everybody's time to figure out all those fiddly details and the grid interconnection of whether you're allowed to expand beyond that 10%. One of the other ones we were hearing was: You don't want to piss off your landowner. If you have a land lease agreement, you have a vested interest in maintaining a good relationship with them. If you were to come to them and say, "I don't need half of this land, I'm going to only pay you half what I was before," that's bad blood right there. We want that social license to operate. That's really important. You're breaking a contract. And then there is the tax credits, the ITC. Previously, it has been the same as the wind rule. If you have 80% new material, then you [qualify for the ITC credit](https://www.cohnreznick.com/insights/retrofitting-wind-solar-energy-property-key-considerations?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). There's a balancing of how much you replace; you replace it, you get the ITC credit. But it costs more to replace more of the system, and if you're digging up cabling, that's a lot of money and time and effort. The balance of that frequently does not work out at the utility-scale. **I wanted to quickly return to storage. Here in California, a lot of big, early utility-scale solar projects do not have storage. Might that be a driver for repowering? Project owners could see the value in adding several hundred megawatts of storage to their project. You could reduce curtailment and provide more flexibility to the grid with batteries – even if you increased the nameplate capacity of the solar farm.** **Heather Mirletz:** You have touched upon the thing that we are pitching right now to get funded to go research. You hit the nail on the head. That is 100% something I think will change the economics of it. We don't know how yet; it is entirely probable that that would help. It also might be cost prohibitive. We're not sure yet. **You touched on the federal tax credit changes with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill and its earlier phaseout of the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credits for solar and wind power. Have you started to think about what the implications could be for solar repowering?** **Heather Mirletz:** The first one that occurred to us – again, we have not actually done this work yet – is that batteries did not get their tax credit cut, and so that might lend itself to hybridization, which is part of why we're so interested in looking into the battery-repowering confluence. Similarly, if you can't get the modules to build and you can't get the permits to build a new site, then the value of that interconnection point becomes significantly more valuable. **Regarding the commercial solar sector, your research found that it's very dependent on utility costs and the location. What are the implications for solar repowering in markets like California, Hawaii, and New England with electricity rates that are** [**double or more the national average**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/)**?** **Heather Mirletz:** Those areas potentially have a higher probability of doing repowering. Because of that, we are working on building tools so people can do an evaluation. With this project, and one that's still underway, we're trying to plug that into software. Eventually, there will be a tool where people could input their utility rates, input their estimates for what a new system would cost, and what it cost to decommission, based on local labor rates. Our findings are that if your utility rates are higher, then it is more likely that the system would pay back sooner. It will give you a higher net present value, which are the metrics that we're hearing from industry are important to them. ### What I’m reading: Explaining Trump's war on wind and solar, electric aviation milestone, all-electric buildings update, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-explaining-trumps-war-on-wind-and-solar-electric-aviation-milestone-all-electric-buildings-update-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-09-06T17:21:56.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* With this [What I’m Reading](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/what-im-reading/) newsletter, we’re back to its regular schedule. I aim to publish these roundups every other Friday. With my recent travels, I had to shift things around a bit. As I [previewed in my last roundup](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-scotland-approves-massive-offshore-wind-farm-u-s-offshore-wind-under-assault-wave-energy-in-spain-and-more/), I was recently in Corvallis, Oregon, to report on a [marine energy conference](https://umerc-us.org/events/110075?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) put on by the [Pacific Ocean Energy Trust](https://pacificoceanenergy.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (POET) and the [University Marine Energy Research Community](https://umerc-us.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (UMERC). In case you missed it, I published a dispatch from the conference, on my [visit to the PacWave South testing facility](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/oregon-testing-facility-aims-to-jumpstart-the-u-s-wave-energy-industry/). I have another short item from the conference below. Before we get to the roundup, I have a quick favor to ask. If you’ve come to appreciate this newsletter, please consider sending it to a friend or colleague or sharing a link to a favorite **Quitting Carbon** story on social media. Google’s AI tools are [making it harder for media outlets](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/22/google-users-are-less-likely-to-click-on-links-when-an-ai-summary-appears-in-the-results/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to benefit from search traffic (because of "AI Overviews," fewer Google browsers are clicking through to news stories), so recommendations from committed readers like you are more important than ever in helping others discover [**Quitting Carbon**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/). Thank you! And, thanks, as always, for reading. **Explaining the Trump administration's war against wind and solar power** Last week, I [shared a link on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/justingerdes.bsky.social/post/3lxb44uqjgs2g?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to a U.S. Department of Energy [press release](https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/energy-department-celebrates-national-hydropower-day-advancing-american-energy?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) announcing financial support for a series of hydropower R&D projects. I noted in my post that it affirmed something that came up time and again at the POET/UMERC marine energy conference in Oregon. "At least so far," I wrote, "Trump's antipathy for renewables has not been directed at hydropower and marine energy." The two sectors appear to have been embraced as part of the Trump administration’s American “energy dominance” agenda. But why? "Their antipathy appears limited to the technologies that pose a near-term threat to an unnecessary gas expansion. Existing hydro has mostly already been uprated. SMR, conventional nuke, new hydro, marine kinetic energy sources will all take years to develop. Wind, solar, storage – not so much," wrote Kristina Costa, the White House director for Inflation Reduction Act implementation in the Biden administration, [in a reply to my post](https://bsky.app/profile/slashklc.bsky.social/post/3lxb4un6c422c?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). A marine energy industry veteran said something very similar to me at the Oregon conference (during an informal, off-the-record breakfast conversation). The Trump administration is abiding the marine energy industry, the source said, because wind and solar power threaten fossil gas’ standing as the largest single-source of electricity on the U.S. grid today – wave energy, for now, does not. So, does it explain the Trump administration’s [all-out assault on wind and solar power](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/) I wrote about last week? That is, can it be traced to the oil and gas industry’s political spending on behalf of Trump and Republicans in Congress, and a determination to slow the energy transition? Or is it tied to Trump’s notorious loathing of wind power? You may recall that during the 2024 campaign Trump [pledged to do the oil and gas industry’s bidding](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/climate/trump-campaign-funding-oil-industry-tax-breaks.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) if it raised $1 billion to help return him to the White House. The New York Times [tracked $75 million in direct donations to Trump and his campaign committees from the oil industry](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/01/climate/oil-gas-donations-trump.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) during the 2024 election cycle. On the other hand, there is Trump promising in an August 20 Truth Social [post](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115061417084982814?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): "We will not approve wind or farmer destroying Solar." During a three-and-a-half-hour-long (!) Cabinet meeting last week, Trump [said](https://bsky.app/profile/factpostnews.bsky.social/post/3lxcxc2q5f72i?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), "I'm trying to have people learn about wind real fast. And I think I've done a good job but not good enough because some countries are still trying and they're destroying themselves. I hope they get back to fossil fuel." "Windmills – we're just not gonna allow them. They are ruining our country," [he added](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lxcwheozmk22?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In the end, I suspect it’s a bit of both. The oil and gas industry *is* wielding its influence with sympathetic GOP lawmakers and Trump administration officials. *And* members of Trump’s obscenely obsequious Cabinet are tripping over themselves to adopt policies or act in ways that win them the Dear Leader’s favor. Regarding the latter, we [learned on Wednesday](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/climate/trump-administration-offshore-wind.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.jU8.F0px.20Oe06AxCVQG&smid=url-share&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), thanks to reporting from the New York Times' Maxine Joselow, Lisa Friedman, and Brad Plumer, that direction in the Trump administration's war against offshore wind is coming directly from the top, led by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Trump administration cancels $427 million grant for Humboldt offshore wind terminal** In the column I published last Friday, I [argued](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/) that the Trump administration’s war on wind and solar power will continue until the targeted industries mount a legal and political counterattack strong enough to act as a deterrent. Shortly after that column went live, the assault continued. The U.S. Department of Transportation [canceled $679 million in federal funding](https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-terminates-and-withdraws-679-million?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for a dozen infrastructure projects intended to support offshore wind development. The biggest loser in the purge by far was the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District, which had been [awarded a $427-million grant by the Biden administration in January 2024](https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/news-coverage/offshore-engineer-californian-port-gets-427m-boost-for-new-offshore-wind-infrastructure/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to support construction of the [Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind and Heavy Lift Marine Terminal](https://humboldtbay.org/humboldt-bay-offshore-wind-heavy-lift-marine-terminal-project-3?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on a spit of land just west of downtown Eureka in Northern California. Plans call for the facility to be the primary assembly and staging area for floating turbines that will be towed to wind farms about 30 miles offshore Humboldt Bay. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/09/Humboldt-Bay-Offshore-Wind-and-Heavy-Lift-Marine-Terminal_Master-Plan.png) [Credit](https://humboldtbay.org/sites/humboldtbay2.org/files/7591.21%20HBHRCD%20Multipurpose%20Terminal%20Replacement%20RFQ%2020211118%5FWithAttachments.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District. “The Harbor District is currently working with the State and other partners to determine our next steps. … We have every intention of continuing the project,” the harbor district [responded in a statement](https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2025/aug/29/harbor-district-responds-trump-administrations-pul/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/09/IMG_20220818_114008917_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/09/IMG_20220818_114845469_HDR.jpg) Proposed site for the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind and Heavy Lift Marine Terminal on the Samoa Peninsula in Northern California. Here's what it looked like from the town of Samoa when I visited in August 2022\. Credit: Justin Gerdes. **Assault on offshore wind continues ... but resistance emerges** The Trump administration didn't stop with the offshore wind infrastructure grant terminations. Over the past week, the U.S. Department of Justice filed motions indicating that the Interior Department planned to reconsider the Biden administration's approvals for [SouthCoast Wind](https://southcoastwind.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and New England Wind [1](https://www.newenglandwind1.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [2](https://www.newenglandwind2.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), wind farms planned for waters offshore Massachusetts. For a rundown of all the Trump administration's anti-wind actions, check out the comprehensive [timeline](https://heatmap.news/politics/trump-anti-wind-timeline?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Heatmap's Emily Pontecorvo published yesterday. According to a source at one of Washington, D.C.’s most influential energy lobbying shops, the Trump administration’s anti-wind push is set to continue. “We are watching for more in the offshore wind space as soon as this week when we may see an industry-wide offshore wind stop work order,” Bracewell’s Frank Maisano wrote in his September 2 newsletter. The Trump administration's war on wind power has met little resistance thus far. But that's starting to change. A coalition of Democratic state attorneys general had [filed suit in early May](https://www.notus.org/policy/state-lawsuit-trump-offshore-wind-development?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) seeking to block the [memorandum](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/temporary-withdrawal-of-all-areas-on-the-outer-continental-shelf-from-offshore-wind-leasing-and-review-of-the-federal-governments-leasing-and-permitting-practices-for-wind-projects/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) signed by President Trump on Inauguration Day that withdrew federal offshore wind leasing areas and paused permitting reviews for onshore and offshore wind projects. A federal court hearing was scheduled for the case yesterday afternoon in Boston. I’ll report back after U.S. District Judge William Young issues a ruling in the coming weeks. Also yesterday, the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut as well as the Danish energy giant Ørsted [filed separate lawsuits](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/offshore-wind/orsted-states-sue-trump-revolution-halt?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) seeking to lift the stop-work order issued against the Revolution Wind offshore wind farm two weeks ago. "The Stop Work Order is invalid and must be set aside because it was issued without statutory authority, in violation of agency regulations and procedures and the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, and is arbitrary and capricious," Revolution Wind LLC, a joint venture between Ørsted and Skyborn Renewables, wrote in a [complaint](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.284486/gov.uscourts.dcd.284486.1.0.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) In my [column last week](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/), I asked why the business community hadn't stepped up to defend the offshore wind industry. "Where is the Chamber’s statement condemning the freezing of a multi-billion-dollar offshore wind project that was putting thousands of Americans to work and adding much-needed electricity to the grid?" I wrote. Well, on Wednesday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce *finally* got involved, issuing a [statement](https://www.uschamber.com/economy/we-need-permitting-certainty-from-start-to-finish?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from Senior Vice President for Policy Martin Durbin: > However, we’re concerned about recent decisions to issue halt work orders on offshore wind projects that already have permits, some of which are far along in construction. Not only does this inject significant uncertainty into the infrastructure development process, but it invariably increases the price of the projects and risks raising the cost of electricity, diminishing our ability to meet growing demand. > > While new environmental and defense concerns can certainly arise after a permit has been issued, permitted energy projects of any type shouldn’t be halted at such a late stage, and project sponsors should have a safe harbor once the requisite permits have been issued. America needs every possible electron it can get, from any source, to ensure affordable and reliable energy. The Chamber has consistently opposed efforts by the government to pick energy winners and losers, and revoking wind permits today opens the door to uncertainty for all types of energy projects in the future. **Electric aviation pioneer launches battery pack manufacturing** In June, I [previewed the commercial launch of the B23 Energic](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/a-glimpse-of-the-future-of-aviation/), a two-seat, all-electric plane produced by the Czech manufacturer Bristell and Swiss electric propulsion startup H55. Last week, H55 [announced the opening](https://h55.ch/en/h55-accelerates-north-american-expansion-with-new-aircraft-battery-pack-manufacturing-facility-in-canada/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of a battery pack production site in Longueuil, Quebec, its first facility in North America. More than 100 of its systems have already been sold on the Bristell B23 Energic platform. According to the company, H55 “is set to deliver its electric propulsion systems and battery modules for the Bristell B23 Energic ordered this year, while also serving major customers including CAE, Pratt & Whitney Canada, and [Harbour Air](https://www.energymonitor.ai/transport/zero-emission-all-electric-flight-is-closer-than-you-think/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Certification of its 100kW electric propulsion system is expected in the near term, with first deliveries slated for 2026.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/09/IMG_20250614_113659195.jpg) The Bristell [B23 Energic](https://h55.ch/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Flyer%5FB23%5FEnergic%5FEU.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) all-electric plane parked on the taxiway at San Carlos Airport, June 14, 2025\. Credit: Justin Gerdes. **All-electric buildings update** I recently shared the story of how I [retrofitted my house to replace all the fossil gas-burning appliances with electric models](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/). Jurisdictions here in the U.S. and around the world are adopting policies mandating or encouraging all-electric buildings in new construction, too. **New York, Massachusetts, and Colorado** At the end of July, New York regulators approved the state’s [all-electric building standard](https://dos.ny.gov/7172025-rule-text-part-1240-energy-code?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “making New York the first state in the nation to prohibit gas and other fossil fuels in most new buildings,” [reported](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/carbon-free-buildings/new-york-finalizes-gas-ban?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Canary Media’s Alison F. Takemura. “The state’s rules will apply to new structures up to seven stories tall and, for commercial and industrial buildings, up to 100,000 square feet beginning Dec. 31, 2025\. Buildings bigger than that will need to be built all-electric starting in 2029.” The move came not long after New York state lawmakers had voted to repeal “a decades-old rule incentivizing new gas connections,” Takemura [reported in June](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/fossil-fuels/new-york-repeal-gas-hookup-incentive?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Currently, building owners who are within 100 feet of an existing gas main line can get a new gas hookup at no out-of-pocket expense; instead, the costs of these new connections are spread across the entire utility customer base. The bill, [A8888](https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A8888?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in the Assembly and [S8417](https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S8417?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in the Senate, now awaits Gov. Kathy Hochul’s review.” Massachusetts regulators [approved similar rules last month](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/fossil-fuels/massachusetts-gas-hookup-cost-reform?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). According to Canary Media's Sarah Shemkus, the officials “[issued an order](https://fileservice.eea.comacloud.net/V3.1.0/FileService.Api/file/aeeihejhj?uRXzsILsjxK5GZlirOGyh/Qhs/2b91Ji2Ak1vuq3aS6PcSxI+blU344Khxm+qpOeg0hKFj9M9l/xQR8+/8GqPvdGgrFe6XR6ngIfa80wd3rxFD8G4j981M2Rna9aVTXA&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) changing who pays when a new customer wants to connect to the gas system, shifting the burden from gas utility consumers as a whole to the household or organization that requests the hookup. Utilities have 30 days from the date of the order to file plans that reflect the new payment guidelines for consideration by regulators.” [Make a donation](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support) In Colorado, the state’s energy office adopted a new Model Low Energy and Carbon Code on Tuesday that [encourages all-electric homes](https://www.cpr.org/2025/09/02/colorado-new-building-code-energy-efficient-electric-homes/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The new code takes effect on July 1, 2026. “Colorado’s updated codes also tweak standards to encourage the adoption of all-electric heat pumps,” reported Colorado Public Radio’s Sam Brasch. “The new rules don’t mandate a shift away from natural gas heating. The standards instead set a single energy efficiency target for all-electric and mixed-fuel buildings so heat pumps can compete with fossil-fuel-based systems on a level playing field,” he wrote. **San Francisco** The City and County of San Francisco had already required most new buildings to be all-electric. City lawmakers took the first step last month to extend the same requirements to existing buildings that are substantially renovated. “Last week, the city and county’s Board of Supervisors completed the first of two votes to pass the [All-Electric Major Renovations Ordinance](https://sfgov.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7449406&GUID=B139B7FF-FB8D-4D12-A7B0-9C7C1DFEDBD6&Options=&Search=&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com),” Takemura [reported on August 8](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/carbon-free-buildings/san-francisco-renovations-gas-ban?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). San Francisco officials are aiming to approve the new ordinance before October 1, when a statewide pause on building code updates takes effect. **Australia** Meanwhile, in Australia, the City of Sydney voted in June to ban indoor fossil gas appliances in new residential developments at the end of this year, Joshua S. Hill [reported at Renew Economy](https://reneweconomy.com.au/city-of-sydney-backs-plan-to-ban-gas-from-new-build-homes-despite-intense-corporate-lobb/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In the state of Victoria, Solstice Energy, a regional utility, “says it will support its customers to go all-electric or switch to bottled gas, ‘rather than continuing to raise prices’ for the supply of gas through its existing network of pipelines,” [reported Renew Economy’s Sophie Vorrath](https://reneweconomy.com.au/find-a-better-option-utility-says-it-can-no-longer-afford-to-supply-piped-gas-in-regional-areas/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The utility told customers “it will shut down the gas network supplying 10 Victorian towns by the end of 2026, because it is no longer economically viable.” This comes after the state’s Labor government announced in late June that “from May 2027, owner-occupied households will be required to replace end-of-life gas hot water systems with electric heat pumps or other efficient alternatives. In rental properties, both gas hot water systems and gas heaters must be replaced with efficient electric alternatives at end of life, from March 2027.” **Bonus 1: Restoring peatlands to capture CO2 *and* stop tanks** European countries bordering Russia are discussing wetland restoration projects with a double purpose: trap CO₂ and bog down tanks, Semafor's Natasha Bracken [reported on Tuesday](https://www.semafor.com/newsletter/09/02/2025/semafor-net-zero-us-wind-crisis-gains-speed?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=5-,Trapping%20CO2%20and%20tanks,-Olivier%20Morin/Getty). > A spokesperson for Estonia’s climate ministry [told Politico](https://www.politico.eu/article/estonia-considers-restoring-ailing-bogs-protect-against-vladimir-putin-peatland/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that early discussions with the Ministry of Defense have already begun, and the defense and environment ministries of Poland and Finland have [also said](https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-defense-kyiv-ukraine-nato-eu-bogs-poland-war-germany/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) they are considering restoring peatlands for both security and climate reasons. A large amount of bogs have been drained for cropland, but closing the ditches that dry them out can quickly re-flood the land, turning them back into natural bogs. > Defense and climate rarely go hand in hand, but this initiative might allow governments to kill two birds with one stone: Diminish the number of dried-out bogs currently releasing carbon in much of Europe, and potentially help fortify a few NATO borders. **Bonus 2: Thanks for *not* avoiding this news!** Combine AI's pernicious effects on search, as noted above, with readers' fleeting attentions spans, and it's no surprise we journalists can be pessimistic about the future of our industry. On readers' fickle attention, it's not just an American problem: "Globally, news avoidance is at a record high, according to [an annual survey](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2025/dnr-executive-summary?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism published in June. This year, 40% of respondents, surveyed across nearly 50 countries, said they sometimes or often avoid the news, up from 29% in 2017 and the joint highest figure recorded," [reported the Guardian's Josie Harvey](https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2025/sep/01/news-avoidance-high-anxiety?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on Monday. "The number was even higher in the US, at 42%, and in the UK, at 46%. Across markets, the top reason people gave for actively trying to avoid the news was that it negatively impacted their mood. Respondents also said they were worn out by the amount of news, that there is too much coverage of war and conflict, and that there’s nothing they can do with the information." Those bleak findings are all the more reason why I am so thankful so many of you are choosing to spend some of your valuable time each week with this newsletter. Again, a sincere thanks for reading. ### Trump has declared war on wind and solar power. It’s time for the industries to fight back. URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-has-declared-war-on-wind-and-solar-power-its-time-for-the-industries-to-fight-back/ Last updated: 2025-08-29T12:30:08.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Last Friday, the Trump administration launched a major escalation in its war on wind power. The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) [issued a stop-work order](https://orsted.com/en/company-announcement-list/2025/08/revolution-wind-receives-offshore-stop-work-order--145387701?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for Revolution Wind, a $6.2-billion, 704-megawatt project under construction offshore Rhode Island and Connecticut. In April, the administration had [issued a stop-work order](https://www.empirewind.com/2025/04/17/equinor-suspends-offshore-construction-activities-for-the-empire-wind-project/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for the Empire Wind project offshore New York, where at-sea construction had just started, only to [lift the order a month later](https://www.equinor.com/news/20250519-empire-wind-project-resumes-construction?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). But for Revolution Wind, the stop-work order arrived when the project was 80% complete. The developer, the Danish energy giant Ørsted, had already installed all turbine foundations and 45 of 65 wind turbines. The project was scheduled to start delivering power to 350,000 New England homes by next spring. The only [justification given by BOEM](https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/directorsorder-20250822pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for the unprecedented action was vague “concerns related to the protection of national security interests of the United States.” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum [went on CNN this week to claim](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lxdvreabc22f?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that “there’s concerns about radar relative to undersea … drones. People with bad ulterior motives to the United States would launch a swarm drone attack through \[a\] wind farm, the radar gets very distorted.” This came despite the Defense Department concluding in 2023 that the project posed “negligible and avoidable” natural security impacts. > OLLINS: But the Pentagon reviewed this wind project in 2023 & found that there were negligible national security impacts BURGUM: In particular there's concern about radar relative to undersea drones...people with bad ulterior motives to the US would launch a swarm drone attack through wind farms > > — [Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [2025-08-27T01:44:40.652Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3lxdvreabc22f?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) The Trump administration didn’t stop there. In a court filing registered last Friday, the Justice Department said Interior [plans to rescind the federal approval](https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-generate-c4304600-81bf-11f0-abeb-7d735356e3b7.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for US Wind's [Maryland Offshore Wind Project](https://uswindinc.com/maryland-offshore-wind-project/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by September 12. Whether it is to reward its fossil fuel industry backers and to delay the energy transition, or to feed Trump’s disdain for wind and solar power, it’s clear this administration is determined to smother the industries. The wind and solar industries clearly weren’t prepared for this onslaught. What are they prepared to do to fight back? **Losing the political war** No matter the reasons for Trump’s assault, the wind and solar industries need to acknowledge that the White House has declared war on their companies and employees, and they must respond with overwhelming force. I [described in February](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/wake-up-california-trump-is-coming-for-your-offshore-wind-industry/), months before the issuance of the first stop-work order, my incredulity at the California offshore wind industry’s apparent lack of alarm over the threat the new Trump administration posed to their industry. It was time then – and even more so now – for offshore wind and the other targeted industries to adopt a wartime footing to protect their interests. Despite the wind and solar sectors’ phenomenal growth over the past 15 years, they have been dramatically outspent by fossil fuel incumbents when it comes to advancing their agendas in Washington – a disparity that proved costly in the fight over the GOP budget reconciliation bill. “When you are deploying twice as much CapEx per year as the oil and gas sector, which in and of itself is the largest oil and gas sector in the entire world with 14 million barrels a day of drilling, and you spend 1/20th of the budget on influence as the oil and gas sector did, you brought this on yourself,” said Jigar Shah, the director of the Department of Energy’s loan office during the Biden administration and co-host of Latitude Media’s “Open Circuit” podcast, on the show’s [July 14 episode](https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-circuit-americas-building-bottleneck-threatens-the-energy-transition/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), shortly after the passage of the Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). “We do not have the political power necessary to thrive and to meet the economic needs of our country. And so people need to understand what that means. That doesn’t mean Democrats, by the way, it just means that for all of these places, they were so afraid of Donald Trump that they were willing to destroy the economics of their district and vote for Trump’s bill. That is a wake-up call if I’ve ever seen one,” said Shah. Shah’s fellow co-host, Katherine Hamilton, chair of the Washington, D.C.-based consultancy 38 North, replied that voters need to hold members of Congress responsible for voting to cut clean energy – especially the two-dozen House Republicans who made such a show about supporting the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy tax credits, only to all fold and vote to eviscerate those tax credits in the OBBB. “They need to be held accountable. There has to be pain felt about taking these votes when they wrote letters after letters clutching their pearls and saying, ‘Oh, we’ll never vote for a bill that does any harm to our constituents,’ whether it was for Medicaid cuts or whether it was for clean energy cuts, and they all got in line and voted,” said Hamilton. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Mobilizing for the fight ahead** The wind and solar industries should have gone on offense sooner. “It is clear now that the best thing the US wind industry could have done to secure its ongoing health & growth– by FAR, not even close --is to prevent Donald Trump from winning the election. Instead it listened to consultants, rhetorically humped the leg of 'bipartisanship,' & is getting fucked,” Volts’ David Roberts [wrote on Bluesky on Tuesday](https://bsky.app/profile/volts.wtf/post/3lxd4amja6k2w?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). > It is clear now that the best thing the US wind industry could have done to secure its ongoing health & growth-- by FAR, not even close --is to prevent Donald Trump from winning the election. Instead it listened to consultants, rhetorically humped the leg of "bipartisanship," & is getting fucked. > > — [David Roberts (@volts.wtf)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:twjze4qqf6fgxz33ct52wlnl?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [2025-08-26T18:07:55.386Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:twjze4qqf6fgxz33ct52wlnl/post/3lxd4amja6k2w?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) I would have put it … more delicately, but Roberts’ analysis is correct. Far too many interests with much to lose chose to play it safe during the last election, even with so much at stake. Trump did not hide his hostility for wind power before and during the 2024 presidential campaign. But now that Trump 2.0 is trying to destroy large-scale wind and solar power in the U.S. – especially the beleaguered offshore wind sector – the project developers, manufacturers, and investors that have worked so hard to build these industries need to mobilize the resources to safeguard their future. Already, U.S. renewable energy investment in the first half of the year declined by 36% from the second half of 2024, [according to a new analysis from BloombergNEF](https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-energy/global-renewable-energy-investment-reaches-new-record-as-investors-reassess-risks/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Wind and solar interests should dig deep to close the gap with the fossil fuel incumbents’ outlays for influence in Washington, D.C.** An [analysis](https://climatepower.us/news/new-report-oil-and-gas-industry-spent-450-million-to-influence-trump-and-the-119th-congress/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the advocacy group Climate Power “found the oil industry had spent $450 million on a combination of donations, lobbying and advertising during the 2024 election cycle,” reported the New York Times’ Lisa Friedman. **They should wage lawfare to uphold approved project permits and to enforce contracts.** Ørsted’s [statement in response to the Revolution Wind stop-work order](https://orsted.com/en/company-announcement-list/2025/08/revolution-wind-receives-offshore-stop-work-order--145387701?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) said the company “is evaluating the potential financial implications of this development, considering a range of scenarios, including legal proceedings.” When Equinor received its stop-work order for Empire Wind, it [responded with this](https://www.empirewind.com/2025/04/17/equinor-suspends-offshore-construction-activities-for-the-empire-wind-project/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): “Empire is engaging with relevant authorities to clarify this matter and is considering its legal remedies, including appealing the order.” Weak. Neither statement signaled that the companies were girding for a fight. The companies prepared these milquetoast responses despite the Trump administration pursuing such maximalist outcomes based on flimsy legal reasoning. “The rationale is shockingly thin,” Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, [told the New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/climate/trump-wind-farms-energy.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Would the administration have thought twice about issuing the Revolution Wind stop-work order had the offshore wind industry responded more assertively to the Empire Wind work stoppage? We’ll never know, but it’s time to test the premise. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) **They should proactively counter the aggressive, well-funded, fossil-fuel industry-backed nationwide anti-renewables misinformation campaigns that have** [**started to influence Trump administration policies**](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/land-use/trump-interior-order-fossil-fuel-misinformation?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)**.** Given oxygen by a proliferating network of astroturf groups, these misinformation campaigns have spurred the adoption of bans on wind and solar projects in local jurisdictions across the country. “We have over [20% of all the counties in the United States now that have banned solar and wind deployment on their land](https://heatmap.news/politics/laws-restricting-renewable-energy?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). And for a long time, the solar and wind industry were like, ‘We don’t care because we can work on the other 80% of counties.’ Well, it’s time to care. It’s time to actually care,” said Shah on "Open Circuit." **They should inspire and organize people across the country to step up to protect renewable energy.** Bill McKibben and Fossil Free Media’s September 21 [Sun Day](https://www.sunday.earth/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) “Earth Day for clean energy” [is a good start](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/national-sun-day-action-solar-mckibben?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **They should lock arms and find common cause with the larger business community and their fellow clean energy companies.** The day after Trump’s inauguration, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a [statement](https://www.uschamber.com/energy/u-s-chamber-applauds-president-trumps-actions-to-improve-energy-security-and-affordability?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) praising the “steps taken by President Trump to increase domestic energy production and enhance energy security.” “With energy demand increasing at home and abroad, it is critical that we unleash American energy to benefit consumers and our allies,” said Marty Durbin, president of the Chamber’s Global Energy Institute. Where is the Chamber’s statement condemning the freezing of a multi-billion-dollar offshore wind project that was putting thousands of Americans to work and adding much-needed electricity to the grid? Some clean energy sectors – hydropower and [marine energy](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/oregon-testing-facility-aims-to-jumpstart-the-u-s-wave-energy-industry/), geothermal energy and nuclear power – appear to be favored by the administration – for now. But companies in these sectors would be making a mistake if they believe they can evade Trump’s ire indefinitely, or follow the lead of the universities, white-shoe law firms, and media companies that have attempted to appease him with settlements. [Make a donation](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support) As North America’s Building Trades Unions President Sean McGarvey [said](https://nabtu.org/press%5Freleases/nabtu-statement-on-revolution-wind-stop-work-order/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in response to the Revolution Wind stop-work order: “If President Trump can do this to an almost-finished energy project, he will do it to more projects in other sectors, too, and every owner, investor, and contractor at every project stage should be deeply concerned.” The business community – clean energy companies and their D.C.-based trade associations as well as powerful lobbying groups like the Chamber and the Business Roundtable – should join forces to demand that the Trump administration uphold the rule of law, honor contracts, and restore regulatory certainty. **A governing majority for climate action** The wind and solar industries have grown so large that they threaten the decades-long dominance enjoyed by the fossil fuel incumbents. Now they need to act like incumbents themselves and zealously defend and advance their interests in state capitals and in Washington, D.C. Some tax deductions used by the oil and gas industry are many decades old. The federal intangible drilling costs tax deduction [dates to 1916](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33578.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Two%20oil/gas%20tax%20code%20preferences%20embodied%20this%20policy%3A%20%281%29%20expensing%20of%20intangible%20drilling%20costs%20%28IDCs%29%20and%20dry%20hole%20costs%2C%20which%20was%20introduced%20in%201916%2C). The companies committed to climate action – solar and wind, yes, but also advanced geothermal and next-generation nuclear, energy storage and marine energy, energy efficiency and electric mobility – need to come together to build a political operation as powerful as the one that has enabled the oil and gas industry to preserve a key tax break for more than a century. It will take building long-term relationships not just with current members of the U.S. House and Senate but also with the city councilmembers, mayors, county commissioners, state legislators, and governors who are next in line to join them in Washington. It will take, in short, building a governing coalition capable of and willing to check this president, or any future president, if he or she dares to block climate action. ### Oregon testing facility aims to jumpstart the U.S. wave energy industry URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/oregon-testing-facility-aims-to-jumpstart-the-u-s-wave-energy-industry/ Last updated: 2025-08-22T12:30:35.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Spend a few minutes gazing at waves on the horizon on any ocean coastline and it's easy to imagine that floating machines tethered to the sea floor could capture some of the power of the never-ending swells rolling to shore. The machines would then send carbon-free electricity to the shoreside grid round the clock throughout the year. But turning these machines of the imagination into dependable, long-lasting power-generating devices in the physical world has proven to be quite challenging. A soon-to-open facility located along Oregon's central coast aims to ease the industry's growing pains and to accelerate the development of devices that can withstand the punishment that comes with operating in the open ocean. Sometime next year, the first tenant of Oregon State University's [PacWave South testing facility](https://pacwaveenergy.org/south-test-site/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) will plug a wave energy converter into a connector waiting at one of four berths occupying two square nautical miles of ocean seven miles from shore. The event will mark a significant milestone in the [U.S. and global push to commercialize wave energy](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-scotland-approves-massive-offshore-wind-farm-u-s-offshore-wind-under-assault-wave-energy-in-spain-and-more/#:~:text=Australian%20wave%20energy%20startup%20pushes%20towards%20commercialization%20in%20Spain). [According to the U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-25-million-cutting-edge-wave-energy-research?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=In%202016%2C%20DOE%20partnered%20with%20Oregon%20State%20University%20to%20build%20the%C2%A0PacWave%C2%A0South%20test%20facility%2C%20which%20will%20be%20the%20nation%E2%80%99s%20first%20accredited%2C%20grid%2Dconnected%2C%20pre%2Dpermitted%2C%20open%2Dwater%20wave%20energy%20test%20facility.%C2%A0%C2%A0), the facility "will be the nation’s first accredited, grid-connected, pre-permitted, open-water wave energy test facility." Last week, on a tour organized by the [Pacific Ocean Energy Trust](https://pacificoceanenergy.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and the [University Marine Energy Research Community](https://umerc-us.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), I visited the shoreside landing site of PacWave's four subsea cables as well as the facility where up to 20 megawatts (MW) of wave energy will be fed to the onshore grid and engineering teams will optimize their inventions for operation at sea. Here's a look at the shoreside components of the new facility. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/08/IMG_20250814_151104564_HDR-1.jpg) The Pacific Ocean as seen from the Driftwood Beach State Recreation Site near Newport, Oregon. Credit: Justin Gerdes. The subsea cables for PacWave South's four wave energy testing berths come ashore beneath the parking lot for the Driftwood Beach State Recreation Site just a few miles south of Newport, Oregon. The parking lot was closed to the public for almost a full year as crews drilled boreholes first straight down before, using horizontal directional drilling, turning both to the west (under the beach and then out to sea) and to the east (from the beach and under Highway 101 to a shoreside operations facility). Installation of the nearly 50 miles of cables took about 27 months and was completed in October of last year. Manufacturing of the subsea and terrestrial cables, which took 19 months, was completed by Nexans in Norway. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/08/IMG_20250814_161931733_HDR-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/08/IMG_20250814_161236300_HDR.jpg) Photo order refers to web view: Cross-section views of the subsea and terrestrial cables (left) and a back-up subsea cable (right) for the PacWave South testing facility. Credit: Justin Gerdes. Once operational, electricity from devices being tested at PacWave South's four ocean berths (up to 5MW from each berth) will be fed to the shoreside grid at the project's Utility Connection and Monitoring Facility (UCMF). Construction of the 18,000-square-foot facility at the site of a former Christmas tree farm took two years and was completed in spring of this year. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/08/IMG_20250814_161126134_HDR-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/08/IMG_20250814_160549619.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/08/IMG_20250814_160742340.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/08/IMG_20250814_162559174.jpg) Photo order refers to web view: Entrance sign for PacWave South's Utility Connection and Maintenance Facility (upper left); power and fiber optic data connectors for future UCMF tenants (upper right); a back-up battery energy storage system (lower left); and one half of a subsea connector from Danish underwater technology company MacArtney (lower right). Credit: Justin Gerdes. All that PacWave South needs now is its first tenants. The likeliest candidates are two startups [contracted by the Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-25-million-cutting-edge-wave-energy-research?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to test wave energy converters at the facility: California-based [CalWave](https://calwave.energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and Charlottesville, Virginia-based [C-Power](https://cpower.co/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Ocean testing is scheduled to begin in 2026. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/08/IMG_20250814_163121967.jpg) One of four tenant workshop bays at PacWave South's Utility Connection and Maintenance Facility. Credit: Justin Gerdes. The launch of open-water testing at PacWave South next spring or summer will mark a major achievement for the U.S. marine energy industry. It has certainly been a long time in coming. Feasibility studies for PacWave South started in 2011, followed by an arduous eight-year permitting process and then the four plus-year cable installation and UCMF [construction process](https://pacwaveenergy.org/constructionupdates/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Oregon State University had originally hoped to open the facility this year. Ongoing financial support from the Department of Energy will be critical. PacWave Director [Dan Hellin](https://pacwaveenergy.org/meet-the-team/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) told me that tenant lease payments alone will not cover the facility's expected operational costs. Federal funding accounted for much of the project's construction costs. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The second Trump administration's antipathy towards unfavored renewable energy technologies – especially solar and onshore and offshore wind – is [well documented](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/20/trump-says-us-will-not-approve-solar-or-wind-power-projects.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). But on July 7, Oregon State University was notified that the Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office had recommended ongoing financial support for PacWave South. The recommendation was approved by Energy Secretary Chris Wright. For now, PacWave South's four subsea power connectors are resting on concrete supports just above the sea floor at a depth of around 200 feet – waiting until paired with the other half of a connector on a ship beginning next year. ### Postcard from the future: Sacramento’s Rancho Seco clean energy park URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/postcard-from-the-future-sacramentos-rancho-seco-clean-energy-park/ Last updated: 2025-08-08T12:30:03.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Head west on Highway 104 from Ione, a small town at the edge of California’s Gold Country, and it doesn’t take long for the first sign of the surprise waiting on the horizon. Framed from below by the flatlands that roll west from the Sierra Nevada foothills and from above by an endless sky, two hulking towers begin to emerge. Taller than all the high-rises in nearby downtown Sacramento, the cooling towers are relics from California’s energy past. About a dozen miles west of Ione, take the left turn for Rancho Seco Recreational Area and you arrive at the site of one of California’s most fascinating energy transition stories and one that heralds what could be a second life for hundreds of legacy power plants across the country: the decommissioned Ranch Seco Nuclear Generating Station. **From nuclear power to clean energy** The Rancho Seco nuclear power plant started commercial operations in 1975\. But the plant was [troubled from the start](https://www.capradio.org/articles/2019/11/05/thirty-years-after-sacramento-voted-to-shut-it-down-rancho-seco-reinventing-itself-while-dealing-with-nuclear-past/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Design flaws and outages, including an automatic reactor shutdown in March 1978, triggered the need for costly repairs that increased the plant’s operating costs. By June 1989, customers of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the publicly owned utility that operated the plant, were so frustrated by rising bills that they voted to close the plant. SMUD decommissioned the plant, but it held on to the site and surrounding buffer zone of land. With the 913-megawatt (MW) nuclear plant offline, the utility could dedicate the site’s unused transmission capacity to other projects. SMUD turned on a 600MW [fossil gas-fired power plant](https://www.energy.ca.gov/powerplant/combined-cycle/cosumnes-power-plant?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at the site in 2006. But driven by its [2030 Zero Carbon Plan](https://www.smud.org/Corporate/Environmental-Leadership/2030-Clean-Energy-Vision?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and a goal to achieve carbon-free electricity by 2030, SMUD has pivoted in recent years to transform the Rancho Seco site into a clean energy park and recreation area. In February 2021, SMUD turned on [Rancho Seco Solar II](https://www.smud.org/Corporate/Environmental-Leadership/Power-Sources/Rancho-Seco-Solar-II-Development?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a 160MW ground-mounted solar PV farm located on land adjacent to the decommissioned nuclear plant. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/08/Jan-14_2024_I.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/08/Jan-14_2024_III-1.jpg) The Rancho Seco Solar II power plant. Credit: Justin Gerdes. In June of this year, SMUD [announced a power purchase agreement](https://www.smud.org/Corporate/About-us/News-and-Media/2025/2025/SMUD-and-DESRI-announce-640-MWh-clean--energy-storage-project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for the [Dry Creek Energy Storage Project](https://www.smud.org/Corporate/Environmental-Leadership/Power-Sources/Dry-Creek-Energy-Storage-Project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a 160MW/640 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system to be built at a site within the fenced boundary at the decommissioned nuclear power plant. Construction on the project, which will connect to the Rancho Seco Solar II substation, is scheduled to begin in June 2026. SMUD also [set aside 400 acres at the Rancho Seco site for a park](https://www.smud.org/In-Our-Community/Visit-our-Recreational-Areas/Rancho-Seco?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that hosts boating, camping, fishing, and hiking – activities that would be ill-advised near an operating coal-fired power plant and likely impossible anywhere close to an active nuclear power plant. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/08/2022-03-29-Ranch-Secco-Solar-Array_SMUD.jpg) Aerial view of the 160MW Rancho Seco Solar II solar farm and Rancho Seco Lake. [Credit](https://www.smud.org/Corporate/About-us/News-and-Media/2025/2025/SMUD-and-DESRI-announce-640-MWh-clean--energy-storage-project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): SMUD. **Second-life clean energy** The transformation underway at Rancho Seco is relevant well beyond California because the project offers a template to follow at sites across the U.S. where large thermal power plants have recently shuttered or will do so soon. At a time when utilities need all the carbon-free electricity developers can build, as fast as they can add it to the grid, what better place to build new clean energy projects than on already disturbed land, at sites with an existing connection to the grid? Nearly 400 coal-fired power plants in the U.S. [have either retired or have proposed to retire with a specific retirement date](https://coal.sierraclub.org/campaign?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), according to the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. Many of those power plant sites could be repurposed to host clean energy facilities just like Rancho Seco. The same opportunity awaits the coal plants that remain. Based on reported planned retirements, 145GW of coal-fired power capacity [will still be online in the U.S. by the end of 2028](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65744&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=the%20total%20operating%20capacity%20of%20U.S.%20coal%2Dfired%20power%20plants%20is%20scheduled%20to%20fall%20from%20172%20gigawatts%20%28GW%29%20in%20May%202025%20to%20145%20GW%20by%20the%20end%20of%202028), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Even existing thermal power plant sites could be enlisted to perform double duty by hosting renewable energy projects and batteries. “Gas plants are running less often as California cuts its planet-warming emissions, leaving their grid-connected transmission wires mostly unused,” Mike O’Boyle, the acting policy team director at think tank Energy Innovation, [wrote in a Los Angeles Times op-ed last week](https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2025-07-31/california-renewable-energy-federal-incentives-deadline?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. “Building solar and wind projects adjacent to these gas plants could use this existing ‘surplus’ infrastructure to add massive amounts of clean energy, rather than waiting five years for grid upgrades to unlock the same potential.” O’Boyle cites a UC Berkeley [report](https://www.repowercalifornia.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) finding that “15.7 GW of California thermal capacity operates at less than 15% capacity factor, leaving grid connections unused most of the time and creating immediate opportunities for surplus interconnection.” In the Mid-Atlantic region, where PJM Interconnection, the grid operator, is [struggling to add new renewable energy capacity and grappling with surging electricity prices](https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07082025/inside-clean-energy-pjm-utility-prices-soar/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), adding solar or wind power plants and batteries at the sites of some of the dozens of recently shuttered large thermal power plants could supply much-needed power to the grid and provide utility bill relief for households. Be it with rooftop solar or onshore wind, electric vehicles or grid batteries, California has often led the U.S. in energy innovation. As one of my favorite sayings puts it: “[California is America, but sooner](https://www.wired.com/story/california-will-keep-moving-the-world-forward/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=%E2%80%9CCalifornia%20is%20America%2C%20but%20sooner%2C%E2%80%9D%20the%20USC%20sociologist%20Manual%20Pastor%20has%20said.).” The transformation of Rancho Seco demonstrates that California could once again show other states and the world the path to the clean energy future. ### What I’m reading: Scotland approves massive offshore wind farm, U.S. offshore wind under assault, wave energy in Spain, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-scotland-approves-massive-offshore-wind-farm-u-s-offshore-wind-under-assault-wave-energy-in-spain-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-08-01T22:51:18.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* In case you missed it, on Monday I published a story on [my journey to get off fossil fuels in my home](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/) in Northern California. I heard from readers on social media who wanted to know more about how much the transition to an all-electric home cost. Stay tuned! In part two, I’ll go into more detail on the costs, the incentives that helped to reduce those costs, and what it’s like living in an all-electric home. Until then, here is an offshore wind- and marine energy-themed roundup of highlights from what I’ve been reading. Please help spread the word about Quitting Carbon by [sharing this newsletter](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/) with friends, colleagues, and anyone else who is interested in the energy transition. Thanks, as always, for reading. **Scotland defies Trump, approves massive offshore wind farm** The Trump administration is doing everything it can to kill the U.S. offshore wind industry (more on this below). Trump himself made clear on his recent golfing junket to Scotland just how much he loathes wind turbines, calling the turbines spinning near his Aberdeenshire golf course "[some of the ugliest you've ever seen](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c15l3knp4xyo?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=On%20his%20latest%20visit%20to%20Scotland%2C%20he%20described%20those%20turbines%20as%20%22some%20of%20the%20ugliest%20you%27ve%20ever%20seen%22.)." Just days after Trump left the country, Scottish officials told Trump to, well, go pound sand in one of his golf course bunkers by approving what could be the world’s largest offshore wind farm. “Located around 38km east of the Scottish Borders coastline, the Berwick Bank project is set to be one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world, boasting enough capacity to power every household in Scotland around twice over, or 17 per cent of all UK homes,” BusinessGreen’s Michael Holder [reported yesterday](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4517115/worlds-largest-scottish-government-grants-consent-huge-1gw-offshore-wind-farm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Project developer SSE Renewables “said delivery of the project would also be subject to it securing a Contract for Difference from the government in next month's auction, as well as reaching a final investment decision.” The UK’s Labour government said that approval of the 4.1-gigawatt project “meant 28GW of offshore wind capacity had now secured planning consent with potential to be up and running in the next five years, which would be enough to support its 2030 clean power goals,” according to Holder. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Offshore wind under assault in the U.S.** Meanwhile, back in the U.S., Trump’s Cabinet is busy turning his anti-wind rhetoric into policy. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued an [order](https://www.doi.gov/document-library/secretary-order/so-3437-ending-preferential-treatment-unreliable-foreign?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on Tuesday aiming to root out what it called the “preferential treatment” for wind and solar power. “The Order calls for identifying policies biased in favor of wind and solar energy and halting support for energy supply chains controlled by foreign rivals,” according to an Interior Department [statement](https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/department-interior-curbs-preferential-treatment-wind-energy?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Leveling the playing field in permitting supports energy development that’s reliable, affordable, and built to last,” said Burgum. What does this look like in practice? Well, the next day, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the federal government’s offshore energy regulator, [rescinded all designated Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf](https://www.boem.gov/newsroom/notes-stakeholders/boem-rescinds-designated-wind-energy-areas-outer-continental-shelf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “By rescinding WEAs, BOEM is ending the federal practice of designating large areas of the OCS for speculative wind development, and is de-designating over 3.5 million acres of unleased federal waters previously targeted for offshore wind development across the Gulf of America, Gulf of Maine, the New York Bight, California, Oregon, and the Central Atlantic,” BOEM said in a statement. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) This action could make it much harder for California and other coastal states to rely on offshore wind to help achieve their long-term climate and clean energy targets. “The order doesn’t withdraw the 583 square miles of ocean off Northern California that the Biden administration leased to energy companies, but it does [hamper future leases](https://apnews.com/article/offshore-wind-energy-deb-haaland-34a91a39d3ceefbb0e65c66becd4fc74?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) off California and other states that companies had hoped to sign,” Politico’s Alex Nieves andIan M. Stevenson [reported on Thursday](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2025/07/31/a-climate-governorship-if-you-can-keep-it-00487773?nname=california-climate&nid=00000189-315c-d8dd-a1ed-797dc9f10000&nrid=0000014e-f0f7-dd93-ad7f-f8f771890001&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Julia%20Nikhinson/AP-,TURBULENT%20WATERS,-%3A%20The%20Trump). This all comes even as Americans’ support for offshore wind energy is clear. Seventy-five percent of Californians (and 77% of likely voters) "support allowing wind power and wave energy projects off the California coast," according to a [survey](https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-the-environment-july-2025/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) conducted last month by the Public Policy Institute of California. **Could the Northeast turn to Canada for offshore wind?** The situation is now so dire – “conservative activists have petitioned the Trump administration to take away the permits for an **operating offshore wind project** \- Vineyard Wind,” Heatmap’s Jael Holzman [reported yesterday on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/jael.bsky.social/post/3lvc7lblx4s2b?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (emphasis in original) – that Northeast states may resort to buying offshore wind power from projects in Canada if they can’t build it themselves. “With the Trump administration creating roadblocks to Massachusetts’s push to meet its climate goals, the Healey administration is eyeing Canadian offshore wind to bring more clean energy to the state, and a key lawmaker is looking to support that effort,” CommonWealth Beacon’s Bhaamati Borkhetaria [reported last week](https://commonwealthbeacon.org/energy/could-canadian-offshore-wind-help-mass-meet-climate-goals/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Massachusetts faces a statutory deadline: It must lock in contracts for at least 5,600 megawatts of offshore wind by 2027\. In light of setbacks to wind energy in the US, Massachusetts’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs is potentially looking to procure electricity from planned offshore wind farms in Canada – a development first [reported](https://www.nationalobserver.com/2025/06/30/news/trumps-anti-offshore-wind-ire-us-states-north-atlantic-canada-clean-power?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by Canada’s National Observer.” [Make a donation](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support) Maine is interested in Canadian offshore wind, too. “With Massachusetts toying with the idea of procuring offshore wind energy from Canada, officials in Maine say they are keeping an eye on opportunities across the border as local development has been stalled,” Maine Morning Star’s AnnMarie Hilton [reported last week](https://mainemorningstar.com/2025/07/25/amid-federal-setbacks-maine-closely-tracking-development-of-canadian-wind-power/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). On Tuesday, the provincial government of Nova Scotia and federal officials in Ottawa announced that four areas off Nova Scotia’s coast had been designated for potential offshore wind development, [reported](https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/atlantic/nova-scotia-ottawa-announce-four-designated-areas-for-offshore-wind-projects/article%5F3bc9e52c-9495-514e-8e70-43bfe1b11d5d.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) The Canadian Press’ Keith Doucette. **Australian wave energy startup pushes towards commercialization in Spain** I reported in April that [California regulators are planning for the day](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-is-preparing-to-add-marine-energy-to-its-power-mix/) when power from wave and tidal energy projects could be added to the state’s grid. In Spain, a wave energy project is about to hit the water. “Western Australia-based wave energy pioneer Carnegie Clean Energy has begun development of a 6-megawatt (MW) wave energy array – its biggest yet – that is expected to be built in the Bay of Biscay in Spain,” Joshua S. Hill [reported at Renew Economy on Monday](https://reneweconomy.com.au/carnegie-begins-work-on-its-biggest-array-as-wave-energy-pioneer-edges-towards-commercial-viability/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The project will use Carnegie’s Ceto technology, named after an ancient Greek sea goddess, and will consist of six 1 MW commercial-scale Ceto units. They will connect into the Biscay Marine Energy Platform (BiMEP), located off the coast of the Basque Country, which is an open-sea test infrastructure for wave energy technologies, offshore wind turbines, and auxiliary equipment, and boasts four 5 MW cables connected to the local grid,” Hill added. In a few weeks, I’ll be attending the joint [University Marine Energy Research Community Annual Conference + Ocean Renewable Energy Conference 2025](https://pacificoceanenergy.org/orec/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at Oregon State University in Corvallis. Watch for dispatches from the conference, including field tours to the [O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory](https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/wave-lab?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [PacWave](https://pacwaveenergy.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) open ocean wave energy testing facility in Newport, later this month. **Bonus 1: "A taste of fossil fuel freedom"** What might help to reinforce the message that offshore wind is a desperately needed solution to the climate crisis? Perhaps some star power. On Wednesday, Swedish energy giant Vattenfall [released in ad as part of campaign](https://group.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/pressreleases/2025/vattenfall-and-samuel-l.-jackson-present-wind-farmed-seaweed-snacks-a-delicacy-grown-at-a-wind-farm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) featuring actor Samuel L. Jackson. "These giants are standing tall against fossil fuels. Rising out of the ocean like a middle finger to CO2," says Jackson in the ad. A hat tip to climate scientist David Ho for [sharing a link to the video on Bluesky this week](https://bsky.app/profile/davidho.bsky.social/post/3lv73yzpdic2h?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Bonus 2: Courage amid unspeakable tragedy and loss** The floodwaters that swept through the Texas Hill Country on July 4th left devastation in their wake, [with at least 135 confirmed deaths](https://www.nytimes.com/article/texas-floods-kerr-county.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), including 37 children. But the death toll could have been even worse had it not been for the courage and heroism displayed by the young counselors at Camp Mystic, a summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River. A week after the flood, the Washington Post's John Woodrow Cox [recounted the bravery of one of those counselors](https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/07/12/texas-flooding-survival-camp-mystic-counselor/?pwapi%5Ftoken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzUyMjkyODAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzUzNjc1MTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3NTIyOTI4MDAsImp0aSI6ImJkOWYzMGIwLWRmYjktNGExMy05ODE1LTIxYTE2ZDM4OTg5YiIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9pbnZlc3RpZ2F0aW9ucy8yMDI1LzA3LzEyL3RleGFzLWZsb29kaW5nLXN1cnZpdmFsLWNhbXAtbXlzdGljLWNvdW5zZWxvci8ifQ.AuEIxUGeTEdxnNoTeboCGAcgVeIxqkYsLyCLd4dRbhE&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), Ainslie Bashara, 19, who led her Giggle Box of 16 “littles,” as her 8- to 10-year-old female charges were known, to safety in the dead of night. Here's Cox's description of the girls' escape as floodwaters surged just outside their cabin: > A staffer outside removed the window screens and left, presumably to aid other cabins, so Ainslie rushed to her dresser and pulled out a headlamp her dad had given her to read nighttime devotionals. She turned on the porch light and peered through the window at the water below, believing it couldn’t be deeper than a foot or so. > “Okay, we’re going to go out,” she told the girls around 3 a.m., but the first in line, a 9-year-old, was afraid to jump. > So out Ainslie leaped, and when her bare feet touched the ground, the water, rushing past with such force it felt like rapids, crested at her waist. If the girl had gone first, Ainslie realized, she would have been swept away. > Stunned by the cold, Ainslie caught her balance as her co-counselors inside kept the girls calm and coaxed them through the window. The pair eased the first girl out to Ainslie, then a second, then a third. All of them were crying. They clung to Ainslie — her arms, back, waist, hair — as the former dancer slogged through the current toward a dry pavilion about 30 yards away. ### I now live in an all-electric home. You can, too. URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/at-my-all-electric-home/ Last updated: 2025-07-28T12:30:07.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Each week in this newsletter, I write about the projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. I wouldn't be publishing a newsletter worthy of the name "Quitting Carbon" if I wasn't willing to take action to get off fossil fuels and reduce emissions in my life and in my own home, too. So, I am thrilled to share that as of June 24, when a technician from Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) shut off the fossil gas supply to my home, I now live in an [all-electric home](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/). As anyone who has retrofitted an existing home to get off fossil fuels will tell you, the [process is never easy](https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/what-does-it-take-to-electrify-everything-in-your-home?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Here's how I did it. **The scope of the challenge** My home was built in late 2007 in Concord, California. My wife and I moved into the home in March 2008\. Concord's proximity to San Francisco Bay means that the weather is beautiful much of the year, helping to keep energy consumption in check. The home was built as part of an infill project and is just a 10-minute walk from a Bay Area Rapid Transit station as well as Concord's downtown. And because of California's stringent building energy code, [Title 24](https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/building-energy-efficiency-standards?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the home was more energy efficient than new homes built just about anywhere else in the U.S. at the time, with double-paned windows, a tight building envelope, and ample insulation in the exterior walls and attic. Every home in the community also came equipped with a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system – which was quite novel at the time. So far, so good. But the developer also outfitted my home, and all the others in the development, with gas-fired furnaces, water heaters, and kitchen cooktops. Despite California's [deserved reputation as a climate champion](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-californias-cleaner-grid-uk-and-poland-energy-transitions-research-roundup-and-more/#:~:text=100%25%20clean%20energy%20is%20powering%20California%20more%20each%20day), [gas still dominates for end uses](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=52999&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) like residential space heating, water heating, and cooking in the state. I knew it could take years, but I was determined to eventually stop burning fossil fuels in my home. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **The beginning of the transition** In April 2022, I noticed a red light I hadn't seen before coming from the inverter for the PV system that came installed with the house. After a long, frustrating troubleshooting process with representatives from SunPower on the phone and in person in my garage, the problem was diagnosed: the inverter had failed. The power generated by the rooftop PV system was no longer being fed to the home, and on to the grid at midday peaks. That was one early, key lesson learned (see more lessons learned – and advice – in the box below). Most homeowners don't know this (including my neighbors, for whom the same inverter failure is now occurring at their homes) but if your rooftop solar system has a central inverter, you have a single point of failure, and the inverter will almost certainly fail before the PV modules on your roof do. I was told you can expect about 15 years of life from a central inverter, which was almost precisely how long my home's inverter lasted. Our first critical decision point had been reached. It was impossible to replace the failed inverter – it wasn't being made any longer. The solar modules atop the house, a roof-integrated SunTile array manufactured by PowerLight and SunPower, and made to look like clay roofing tiles (you can see them in the lead photo at the top of this story), were likewise no longer being manufactured. Plus, the SunTile systems [installed as a standard feature](https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/solar/lennar-bay-area-announces-opening-of-157-solar-powered-homes-49851/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) throughout the development had been under-powered at just 2.5 kilowatts (kW). We decided to invest in a new system, and to go bigger. **Powering my all-electric home** I knew we'd need to install a larger PV system to offset the increased power demand that would come with shifting major appliances from gas to electricity. Several people I trusted recommended a highly-rated local solar installer, \*[Ambrose Solar](https://www.ambrosesolar.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The company has been installing solar on rooftops since 2017 and is based just 45 minutes from my home. Another selling point for me was that Ambrose planned to use quality components, including high-efficiency SunPower modules and Enphase microinverters attached to each solar panel, backed by a 25-year warranty. We installed 10 425-watt M Series SunPower panels for a system rated at 4.25 kWp (DC). The original plan was to install all 10 panels in one array, on the same footprint as the existing SunTile system. But one of the Ambrose engineers saved us time and money by proposing a creative work-around before the installation. Rather than remove the existing SunTile PV system, which would have required us to pay to install new shingles on that section of the roof, Ambrose suggested to split the 10 panels into two arrays, and simply keep the SunTile system in place (you can see the remnant SunTile system, as well as four panels from the new mounted PV system, in the lead photo at the top of the story). We secured the interconnection go-ahead from PG&E and turned on the new PV system in July 2022\. With the more powerful PV system in place, we were ready for the next phase of our project. **Picking a contractor and scope of work** Not long after our new PV system came online, Democrats in Congress and the Biden administration accelerated the timeline for our home electrification project by passing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August 2022\. The IRA not only made the federal tax credit for rooftop solar installations more generous (worth 30% of the cost of the system, up from 26% previously), it also included a tax credit worth up to $2,000 to cover the cost of installing heat pumps. We had been saving for our project, but the more lucrative federal incentives made it a much easier decision to act sooner. In August 2023, I reached out to a contractor I knew from my reporting, Larry Waters at Electrify My Home (read more about Waters and Electrify My Home below). I had mentioned to Waters that I was ready to move ahead with my home retrofit – there were the new IRA incentives *and* I was increasingly worried that our gas-fired tank water heater, which was original to the home, wasn't going to last much longer. "You’re doing this at the perfect time – unless your water heater is leaking," he had replied. "The big rebates are kicking in on these end of October." I completed an online form and uploaded photos of my water heater and electrical panel at Electrify My Home's website. A few days later, Waters and I spoke via Zoom for a virtual assessment and he prepared a preliminary estimate for our project. The next month, he did an on-site assessment to take measurements and inspect the existing equipment in my home. We agreed on a revised scope of work based on that assessment and my project was added to Electrify My Home's calendar. The final scope of work included line items with descriptions of and pricing for all the equipment to be installed as well as the local, state, and federal incentives available to bring down the total cost. Some of the incentives were instant rebates, which were reflected in the final quote, while others such as the federal heat pump tax credit, we would apply for when we filed our annual federal tax return. Three months later, an Electrify My Home crew arrived at my home and got to work. **Out with the old, in with the new** Because of the preparation ahead of time, once the crew arrived, the work proceeded quickly. By the end of the first day, the old gas-fired tank water heater was gone, replaced by a 66-gallon tank State electric heat pump water heater (model [HPSX-66-DHPT 200](https://www.statewaterheaters.com/products/smart-hybrid-electric-heat-pump-with-anti-leak-technology-premier-al-smart/hpsx-66-dhpt-200/100350409.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)). The new water heater rests atop the same pedestal in the garage where the old gas-fired water heater had been. Next to our side yard patio, the crew removed the air conditioner and replaced it with a Daikin FIT air-source heat pump (model [DZ6VSA3010AB](https://daikincomfort.com/products/heating-cooling/whole-home-systems/heat-pumps/daikin-fit-heat-pump-dz6vs?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)). In the attic, the crew removed the gas-fired furnace and installed a Daikin air-handling unit (model [DV36FECC14](https://daikincomfort.com/products/heating-cooling/whole-home-systems/air-handlers-coils/dvfec?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) in its place. We chose a ducted heat pump, which enabled us to re-use much of the existing ductwork from the original central HVAC system. The crew had to modify some of the ductwork in the attic, doing so, as the scope of work put it, "to modify for enhanced performance with a heat pump, which functions differently than a furnace." This work included "dampers, sealing, and adjustments to maximize airflow and reduce static pressure." Also in the attic, the crew added blow-in insulation to reach an R-value of R50\. They buried the ductwork under insulation, wherever possible, to reduce thermal losses. And they sealed any gaps or penetrations (e.g., wall caps, wire holes, can lights and fans, and interstitial cavities). 🚨 Coming soon: In part two of this story, I will report on the performance of my all-electric home and how it has impacted my bills. Electricians were busy on the project, too. They installed a circuit from the electrical panel to the heat pump water heater along with a box with a fused disconnect. And they ran an electrical conduit from the kitchen to the electrical panel to enable the installation of an induction cooktop. This last task was quite complicated. It involved running the conduit through and then along an exterior wall, routing it into the garage and then running it above the garage door and on to the electrical panel. The original electric oven and gas cooktop in our kitchen had been installed flush with a wall that faces our neighbor. Because part of that exterior wall also serves as the border of the neighbor's patio, we had to ask our (very patient and accommodating!) neighbor for permission to have an electrician enter their patio to install the electrical conduit. This step was critical, however, because it was the last upgrade required to fully electrify our home. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/07/IMG_20250721_183923634.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/07/IMG_20241114_122227909-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/07/IMG_20250721_170939518_HDR-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/07/IMG_20250714_184519191_HDR-2.jpg) From upper left: The six-panel solar PV array above the garage and master bedroom; the heat pump water heater in the garage; the air-source heat pump on the side patio; and the induction cooktop in the kitchen. Credit: Justin Gerdes. --- **Advice and lessons learned** **Search for a specialist electrification contractor:** I cannot stress this one enough. When I was ready to start the retrofit project in my home, I knew exactly who I was going to contact: Larry Waters. Seven years ago, Waters had helped my friend [Justin Guay](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/the-next-frontier-for-an-energy-transition-pioneer-bidirectional-ev-charging/) fully electrify his former home in the San Francisco Bay Area. I [profiled Justin's project for Greentech Media](https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/what-does-it-take-to-electrify-everything-in-your-home?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Waters went on to launch a company called [Electrify My Home](https://electrifymyhome.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that specializes in all-electric retrofits, serving much of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Most importantly, I was confident Waters' experienced crew of certified technicians would install my new equipment correctly. The [Contractor Finder](https://www.switchison.org/contractor-finder?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at the Building Decarbonization Coalition's [The Switch Is On](https://www.switchison.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) website can help you locate a licensed contractor near you that is "specially trained in energy efficiency and electric technologies." **Be proactive and replace your water heater on your terms:** Do yourself a favor and make a plan to replace your aging water heater. More than 90% of water heater swap-outs are [emergency replacements](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/taking-the-emergency-out-of-water-heater-replacement-and-slashing-emissions/#:~:text=The%20problem%20for%20the%20planet%20is%20that%20more%20than%2090%25%20of%20these%20swap%2Douts%20are%20emergency%20replacements.). You don't want to risk being without hot water for multiple days if your water heater fails. Some local jurisdictions have launched loaner programs that give homeowners critical time to select a water heater that is better for the planet, as I [reported here at Quitting Carbon last November](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/taking-the-emergency-out-of-water-heater-replacement-and-slashing-emissions/). If your water heater is reaching the end of its expected life (10-15 years), get ahead of a potential failure and install a new unit that works for you *and* does not burn fossil gas. **Be prepared for disruption:** If you replace one or more space- or water-heating appliances, you will very likely have multiple technicians working in your home for two or more days. If you work from home, prepare to have crew members coming and going from your garage and climbing the ladder to and from the attic, making noise that could disrupt your Zoom calls or presentations. We boarded our dog Coco, who doesn't respond well to strangers in the house, during our project. You might want to have portable heaters or fans at the ready, too, depending on the season, if your work is scheduled over multiple days. **If you've been debating a home electrification project, act now:** If you've thought about installing a new air-source heat pump or heat pump water heater, adding attic insulation or replacing your gas-fired stove or cooktop with induction models, now is the time to act. The Republican budget reconciliation bill signed by Donald Trump on July 4 eliminates the federal tax incentives for rooftop solar installations (Residential Clean Energy Credit, [25D](https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/residential-clean-energy-credit?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) and residential energy efficiency and electrification upgrades (Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, [25C](https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/energy-efficient-home-improvement-credit?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) at the end of this year. Canary Media's Alison F. Takemura recently published a [great overview of the soon-to-expire federal incentives](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/electrification/use-tax-credits-evs-home-before-gone?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that could help to defray the cost of your project. --- **Shutting off the gas** By the time the Electrify My Home crew completed our project, which was just before Christmas 2023, we were living in an all-electric-ready home. The only gas-fired appliance remaining was the kitchen cooktop. Because I was so determined to stop burning an open flame in the house, we stopped using the gas cooktop once the retrofit project was completed – so we have been gas-free since December 2023\. We were somewhat limited in our cooking during this time, without a full set of cooktop burners. But we got by with the electric oven, microwave, a [Duxtop](https://duxtop.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) portable induction cooktop burner (model 9600LS/BT-200DZ), and a Ninja multicooker (model [Foodi PossibleCooker PRO](https://www.ninjakitchen.com/products/ninja-foodi-possiblecooker-pro-zidMC1001?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)). But because Electrify My Home had installed the electrical conduit to the kitchen, a 240-volt plug was waiting for a new induction cooktop – whenever we were ready. By spring of this year, we were ready to take the final step and replace the gas cooktop. The model I eventually selected, a 30" GE Profile built-in, touch control induction cooktop (model [PHP9030DTBB](https://www.geappliances.com/appliance/GE-Profile-ENERGY-STAR-30-Built-In-Touch-Control-Induction-Cooktop-PHP9030DTBB?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)), was a drop-in replacement for our existing GE Profile gas cooktop. We were now *so* close. The last gas-burning appliance had been replaced. All that was left was to plug it in. The technician from a local appliance retailer plugged in the new induction cooktop ... and no lights came on. It would not turn on. We went into the garage, and walked up to the electric conduit feeding the induction cooktop. The technician pulled out a voltage tester – the line was not live. I contacted Electrify My Home. The operations lead got back to me right away. In the notes for our project, the electrician who had installed the electrical conduit and 240-volt plug for the induction cooktop wrote that as a precaution he had not wanted to activate the line before a new cooktop was installed. One of the company's electricians came to the house the next afternoon. Within a half-hour, he had activated the circuit for the induction cooktop at our electrical panel. He came into the kitchen and we tested the burners – the power was on, and we were ready to cook. The next day, I called PG&E and asked them to stop billing us for gas service, and the representative scheduled an appointment for gas shut off at our home. Less than two weeks later, a technician arrived to turn off the gas. At long last, we were officially living in a gas-free home. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/07/PG-E_Service-Report_Gas-Shut-Off_June-24_2025-3.jpg) Success! The PG&E work order to shut off the gas meter to my home. Credit: Justin Gerdes. All-electric homes are [faster and cheaper to build](https://buildingdecarb.org/building-back-better-all-electric-homes-of-the-future?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=All%2Delectric%20homes%20are%20not%20only%20safer%2C%20healthier%2C%20and%20more%20climate%2Dresilient%20than%20homes%20that%20are%20powered%20by%20methane%20gas%2C%20but%20they%E2%80%99re%20also%20faster%20and%20cheaper%20to%20build.) than [mixed-fuel homes](https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/BUILD%5FFAQ-Electrification%5F2022-01-06.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). But we don't have time to wait for the entire housing stock to turn over and be replaced with new all-electric construction. If we are to have any chance of achieving net-zero emissions by mid-century, homeowners must retrofit millions of existing homes in California, and tens of millions nationwide, to get rid of gas-burning appliances and [replace them with zero-emission electric heat pumps and induction cooktops](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/). I hope that reading about my experience makes every retrofit to come just a little bit easier. We have no time to lose. *\*Note: I was not paid to mention or to recommend any of the manufacturers or contractors included in this story.* ### What I’m reading: California's cleaner grid, UK and Poland energy transitions, research roundup, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-californias-cleaner-grid-uk-and-poland-energy-transitions-research-roundup-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-07-21T12:30:55.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* It’s wonderful to have so many new readers [**subscribe**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) to Quitting Carbon since my last roundup. For those of you who are receiving this newsletter for the first time, welcome! I publish these [bi-weekly roundups](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/what-im-reading/) to highlight important energy transition updates and trends you might have missed or that didn’t get much coverage elsewhere in the media. Please help spread the word about Quitting Carbon by [sharing this newsletter](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/) with anyone in your life who is as much of an energy nerd as all of us are. These roundups typically arrive in your inbox on Fridays, but I was under the weather at the end of last week, hence the delay. Thanks, as always, for reading. **100% clean energy is powering California more each day** It is well known that California is a world leader in clean energy. Even so, I think many people would be surprised to learn just how quickly the world’s fourth-largest economy is transitioning to a zero-carbon grid. “More than 9 out of 10 days so far this year have been powered by 100% clean energy for at least some part of the day in California. In 2025, California’s grid has run on 100% clean electricity for an average of 7 hours a day,” according to a [press release](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/07/10/california-scores-more-clean-energy-records-9-in-10-days-this-year-partially-powered-by-100-clean-energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) issued by the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom (D) on July 10. California added approximately 7,000 megawatts of clean energy to its grid last year, “representing the largest single-year increase in clean energy capacity added to the grid in state history.” And much more clean energy is on the way. Last month, the California Energy Commission approved the Darden Clean Energy Project. Located in Fresno County, the project includes 1,150 megawatts (MW) of solar power capacity and up to 1,150MW (4,600 megawatt-hours) of battery storage – it will be “the largest battery energy storage system in the world,” according to the CEC. The project is the first to be permitted under an [opt-in streamlined certification process](https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/topics/power-plants/opt-certification-program?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for clean energy projects established by [AB 205](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202120220AB205&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in 2022. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/07/California-scores-more-clean-energy-records_-9-in-10-days-this-year-partially-powered-by-100-clean-energy.jpg) [Credit](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/07/10/california-scores-more-clean-energy-records-9-in-10-days-this-year-partially-powered-by-100-clean-energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. **After Labour’s first year, checking in on the UK’s energy transition** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/07/IMG_20220924_170334765_HDR.jpg) The Palace of Westminster, home to the UK Parliament, London. Credit: Justin Gerdes. It has been one year since Keir Starmer’s Labour government took power in the UK, so I thought it would be a good time to check in on recent energy transition milestones in the country. There have been some setbacks – the government recently [refused to back](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4515532/bitterly-disappointed-government-refuses-support-xlinks-morocco-uk-solar-project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the Xlinks project, which would have sent solar power from Morocco to the UK via subsea cables, for example – but the overall trendlines for the UK’s net-zero transition are positive. **Solar:** I’ve written here about recent moves by Labour to boost solar deployment. The government promised new rules that would [mandate rooftop solar panels for new homes in England](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-trumps-guarantee-for-fossil-fuel-projects-uk-solar-home-mandate-worlds-largest-electric-ferry-and-more/#:~:text=Solar%20panels%20to%20be%20mandatory%20for%20new%20homes%20in%20England), said it [may require solar to be installed at car parks](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-gas-stoves-increase-cancer-risk-california-new-construction-going-all-electric-balcony-solar-coming-to-the-u-s-and-more/#:~:text=UK%20may%20require%20solar%20car%20parks), and [signaled it would legalize balcony solar installations](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/bringing-small-modular-solar-to-the-masses/#:~:text=Also%20in%20June%2C%20the%20UK%20government%20announced%20a%20safety%20review%20to%20allow%20the%20installation%20of%20plug%2Din%20solar%20systems%20in%20the%20country.). The government [released a Solar Roadmap at the end of June](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4515619/uk-solar-roadmap-government-sets-vision-solar-rooftop-revolution?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that outlines the steps required to increase the UK’s installed solar capacity from a little more than 18 gigawatts (GW) today to 45 to 47GW by 2030. At the beginning of this month, developers turned on the UK’s largest solar farm, the Cleve Hill Solar Park. The 373 megawatt (MW) facility, the first solar and battery storage project to be approved as a [Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project](https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), is more than four times larger than the next largest UK solar project, [reports BusinessGreen’s Stuart Stone](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4515751/benchmark-373mw-cleve-hill-site-uks-largest-operational-solar-farm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The UK [set a solar generation record](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4516200/uk-france-set-solar-generation-records?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of 14GW after midday on Tuesday, July 8, with solar accounting for 40% of the electricity mix. **EVs:** The UK has recently become one of the world’s best-performing EV markets. In June, electric models [accounted for a record 25% of new car sales](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4515858/firmly-crossed-tipping-point-evs-account-cars-sold-june?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). And EVs’ market share is set to jump higher after the government [revived the UK’s grant scheme last week](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4516309/vital-boost-government-revives-electric-car-grant-scheme-gbp650m-fund?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Drivers across the UK will soon be able to take advantage of discounts worth up to £3,750 \[$5,028\] on dozens of new electric vehicle (EV) models, after the government today announced a new £650m fund designed to encourage more motorists to switch to zero emission cars,” reported Stone. **Wind and steel:** The UK has long been a world leader in offshore wind. Recent moves by the government aim to accelerate deployment in the sector. Ed Miliband, the UK’s Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, said earlier this month that the state-owned [Great British Energy](https://www.gbe.gov.uk/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) “is weighing up multimillion pound stakes in six floating offshore wind projects,” [reported Politico’s Charlie Cooper](https://www.politico.eu/article/ed-miliband-gb-energy-investment-six-floating-offshore-wind-project/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “If given the go-ahead, these projects would likely represent the firm's biggest intervention in the U.K. renewables market to date.” And last week, the government [announced reforms ahead](https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/further-reforms-to-the-contracts-for-difference-scheme-for-allocation-round-7/outcome/further-reforms-to-the-cfd-scheme-for-ar7-government-response-to-policy-proposals-published-july-2025-accessible-webpage?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of the upcoming round of its Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme for renewable energy procurement. Among the changes were extending the term of CfD payouts from 15 to 20 years, allowing applications from offshore wind projects without full planning approval, and permitting applications from onshore wind repowering projects, as [reported by Carbon Brief’s Simon Evans](https://bsky.app/profile/drsimevans.carbonbrief.org/post/3ltz33ez6s22c?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on Bluesky. Also last week, Tata Steel started construction on a £1.25bn electric arc furnace project at the Port Talbot steelworks site in South Wales. “The project has secured £500m of government backing and is set to be commissioned at the end of 2027,” [reported BusinessGreen’s Amber Rolt](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4516343/tata-steel-uk-breaks-ground-gbp-25bn-electric-arc-furnace?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Once operational it is expected to reduce Port Talbot's carbon emissions by around 90 per cent compared to its previous operations, delivering emissions savings of five million tonnes of CO2 a year, which are equivalent to around 1.5 per cent of the UK's total direct CO2 emissions.” Labour cannot take credit for all these milestones. The Tories had been in power for the previous 15 years before Keir Starmer’s victory, after all. But by reinvigorating the UK’s energy transition, Labour appears to be nudging the country towards achieving its long-term climate goals. “The UK government’s official climate advisers are now ‘more optimistic’ that the country can hit its emissions targets than they were before the Labour government was elected in July 2024,” a team at Carbon Brief [wrote last month](https://www.carbonbrief.org/ccc-uk-climate-advisers-now-more-optimistic-net-zero-goals-can-be-met/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) ahead of the launch of the Climate Change Committee’s 2025 [progress report](https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/progress-in-reducing-emissions-2025-report-to-parliament/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Europe’s coal heartland is turning to solar and offshore wind** For decades, Poland has been at the heart of Europe’s coal economy, with the fuel dominating its energy mix. But that’s [beginning to change](https://ember-energy.org/data/electricity-data-explorer/?entity=Poland&metric=pct%5Fshare&chart=trend&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Poland recorded its highest-ever solar power contribution at a little more than 20% last month, according to [data](https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/solar-is-eus-biggest-power-source-for-the-first-time-ever/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the Ember think tank. Contributions from solar and wind pushed coal’s share of Poland’s power mix to a record low (42.9%) in June. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/07/Share-of-electricity-generation-in-Poland_Trend-over-time_Ember.png) Earlier this month, the developers of [Baltic Power](https://balticpower.pl/en/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), Poland’s first offshore wind farm, installed the first of 76 Vestas 15-megawatt turbines. Baltic Power is expected to be commissioned in 2026. “With a capacity of 1.2 GW, the Baltic Power wind farm will generate 4 TWh of electricity annually, covering three per cent of Poland’s energy demand and powering over 1.5 million households, while reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 2.8 million tonnes per year, according to the developer,” Adnan Memija [reported at OffshoreWIND.biz](https://www.offshorewind.biz/2025/07/07/first-turbine-up-at-1-2-gw-baltic-power-offshore-wind-farm-in-poland/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/07/blp-wtg9-1.jpg) The first 15-MW turbine installed at Baltic Power offshore wind farm. [Credit](https://balticpower.pl/news/baltic-power-confirms-first-successful-installations-of-the-offshore-wind-turbines-for-poland-s-first-offshore-wind-farm/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Baltic Power. **Research roundup** More announcements for reports and studies arrive in my inbox each day than I could cover in multiple lifetimes. Here are several recent reports that merit your attention: **Cheap** **window heat pumps:** A new [study](https://www.aceee.org/research-report/b2506?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) finds that “window-mounted heat pumps now provide a lower-cost option than any previous technology” for apartment buildings. “Heat pumps – especially cutting-edge technologies like window-mounted models – offer the most cost-effective and scalable way to fully decarbonize heating in apartment buildings,” said Steven Nadel, executive director of ACEEE and the study’s lead author, in a statement. **EVs are cleaner than ICE cars and getting cleaner:** “Europe’s electricity mix is getting cleaner, and with it, the climate advantage of electric cars is growing,” finds new [research](https://theicct.org/pr-electric-cars-getting-cleaner-faster/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the International Council on Clean Transportation. “Battery electric cars sold today produce 73% less life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than their gasoline counterparts – even when factoring in production. That’s a 24% improvement over our 2021 estimates. In contrast, other powertrains, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids, show only marginal or no progress in reducing their climate impacts.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/07/PR-figure_ICCT.png) [Credit](https://theicct.org/pr-electric-cars-getting-cleaner-faster/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): ICCT. **Germany’s agrivoltaics potential:** In a previous newsletter, I [highlighted](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-agrivoltaics-us-solar-boom-global-ev-deployment-and-california-dreaming/#:~:text=Agrivoltaics%20are%20booming%20%E2%80%93%20and%20promoting%20biodiversity%3A) the agrivoltaics boom underway here in the U.S. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems recently completed an [evaluation of Germany’s agrivoltaics potential](https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/de/presse-und-medien/presseinformationen/2025/fraunhofer-ise-ausgruendung-flaechenpotenzial-fuer-agri-photovoltaik-in-deutschland-uebertrifft-ausbauziele-fuer-klimaschutz.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Some 500 gigawatts (GW) of peak solar power capacity could be installed on Germany’s agricultural land – 100 GW over the country’s 2040 photovoltaic expansion targets.” The study is the first of its kind in Germany to consider all types of agricultural land, according to Fraunhofer ISE, as [reported by Clean Energy Wire](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/german-agri-photovoltaic-potential-far-surpasses-2040-solar-targets-report?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Here’s what the Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill means for the U.S. energy economy:** “We estimate the law will increase national average household energy bills by $78-192 and increase total industrial energy expenditures by $7-11 billion in 2035,” finds an [analysis](https://rhg.com/research/assessing-the-impacts-of-the-final-one-big-beautiful-bill/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published recently by the Rhodium Group think tank. “The OBBB will cut the build-out of new clean power generating capacity by 53-59% from 2025 through 2035\. All told, the law puts more than half a trillion dollars of clean energy and transportation investment at risk of cancellation.” ### Bringing small modular solar to the masses URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/bringing-small-modular-solar-to-the-masses/ Last updated: 2025-07-11T15:28:20.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Until recently, if you wanted to invest in solar power, your options were rather limited. If you own your home, you could install a system on your roof. If you rent, you could purchase a share of the output from a community solar project. But the [steep decline in the cost of solar photovoltaic modules over the past decade](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/dean-solon-create-energy-manufacturing?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=A%20decade%20ago%2C%20solar%20module%20costs%20started%20to%20plunge%2C%20and%20the%20price%20of%20solar%2Dgenerated%20power%20fell%20along%20with%20it.) has unlocked a new opportunity in the sector. Call it "modular," "portable," "plug-in," or "balcony" solar but the concept is largely the same. Super cheap solar makes it possible to deploy systems comprising a module or two on a patio, in a backyard, or, yes, on a balcony. The systems can typically be installed by the homeowner or renter, without a permit, at a fraction of the cost of a conventional rooftop PV system. Balcony solar has famously taken off in Germany, where [more than a million units have been installed](https://www.heise.de/en/news/One-million-balcony-power-plants-in-Germany-10439636.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), according to a registry maintained by the country’s Federal Network Agency. Last month, IKEA [started selling balcony solar kits in Germany](https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/06/25/ikea-begins-offering-balcony-solar-kits/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). For around $500, customers can buy a system that includes two 450-watt (w) solar modules, cables, an 800w microinverter, and a mounting kit. For around $1,500, customers can buy a more powerful system with a 1.92 kilowatt-hour battery. Also in June, the UK government [announced a safety review](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/environment/article/plug-in-solar-panels-uk-homes-xxhwf5chr?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to allow the installation of plug-in solar systems in the country. It has taken longer for the micro solar phenomenon to gain traction here in the U.S. As I [wrote in May](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-gas-stoves-increase-cancer-risk-california-new-construction-going-all-electric-balcony-solar-coming-to-the-u-s-and-more/#:~:text=Balcony%20solar%20coming%20to%20the%20U.S.%3F), Utah’s governor recently signed legislation authorizing the installation of portable solar systems in the state and the non-profit [Bright Saver](https://www.brightsaver.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) has started installing the systems in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. To get a better sense of where the sector is headed and what it is offering to customers, I reached out to [Meghan Wood](https://www.linkedin.com/in/woodmeghan?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), co-founder of the modular solar startup [Raya Power](https://rayapower.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Wood and her co-founder, [Nicole Gonzalez](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemgc/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), are working to bring a modular, “plug-and-play” solar plus battery storage system to the market by the end of this year. The system, according to the company, can be installed “in less than 2 hours, no skilled labor required,” for around $3,500 upfront or financed. “We’ve seen a lot of excitement about the product and what it can unlock in places that couldn't access solar before,” Wood told me. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. **What motivated you and your co-founder to launch Raya Power?** I became passionate about climate after traveling while I was an undergrad and seeing climate impacts firsthand. I wanted to do more but didn't fully understand how. I ended up building a relationship with the Nature Conservancy in Canada while I was at Bain & Company and worked with them on regenerative agriculture. I loved what we were doing but I wanted to have a deeper understanding of the climate problems we were facing, so I looked for a master's program and was lucky enough to come across the [joint MBA and M.S. in sustainable energy at Stanford](https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/academic-experience/joint-dual-degrees/e-iper?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). It is really hard to get people to adopt climate solutions. A lot of them have a ton of barriers and aren't accessible to everyday people. I felt like there wasn't anything for everyday people other than recycling or tracking your carbon footprint. Getting EVs or solar panels was challenging. I couldn't convince my family or friends to adopt them. I started thinking about: How could we think of a better business model or innovation on the product side to make a better offering for one of these solutions? What got me excited about solar was this physical asset that could give you a positive return on investment; that seemed like something you could get people bought in on. [Subscribe to Quitting Carbon](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) Initially, I was really excited about utility-scale solar. It was more efficient from a capital perspective. But what you lose in utility solar is a lot of that empowerment, giving people a way to make a difference and have resilience and bill savings at their home. And there are challenges in terms of interconnection queues and land siting. Whereas, you have your own roof available, or your own backyard available. Why can't you put solar in? I started looking into residential solar and saw that only 40% of the cost was the hardware. The rest was the soft costs – customer acquisition, installation, permitting, design. I was at a classmate's wedding while I was at Stanford, and I was introduced to Nicole Gonzalez, my co-founder, because she also was very passionate about solar. We talked for a few hours about residential solar and how there had to be a better way of getting it to people. Nicole comes at this from firsthand experience having family in Puerto Rico during major hurricanes and not being able to reach them for weeks and witnessing recurring grid collapse. She had been looking for ways to solve that problem in Puerto Rico, and for other communities that face similar problems. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **You've written that “solar isn't as accessible as it should be.” What flaws do you see in the traditional rooftop solar model?** When we started talking to people, the main issue was you had to own your home with residential solar. You needed a new enough roof because the system was going to be there for the next 20 plus years. You had to know you were going to stay in your home – if you are going to purchase the system outright, for 10 years to get the return on investment, or 20 plus years if you're doing a contract or to be able to sell to the next person. It just added a hurdle there. At the same time, there were all these people who didn't own their homes, or didn't have a new roof, weren't going to be there for the next 10 years, who thought about their utility bill a lot, but they felt like they didn't have many options to reduce it. We were seeing solutions in the do-it-yourself space. That alongside what we see happening in Germany with balcony solar. These different models, where you can make smaller systems make economic sense. The way we were selling it in the U.S. wasn't working. The core hardware of rooftop solar is commoditized. It's a sales company either selling you on the financing or on the maintenance or on their brand reputation. And so, as a customer, you can evaluate a few different options, but now for a company, they're spending a lot of money to work with you to design a system, and at the end, you could still back out. All of these hurdles and and market dynamics lead to high customer acquisition costs, leading to companies spending $5,000 or more to get a customer. If you spent $5,000 to get a customer, you have to put a big system on the roof, because you can't install a $3,000 system, it doesn't make economic sense. And then when you put a big system in, if there are no batteries, you have to sell back to the grid. **What will the experience look like for your customers? Where will they install the system? How big will the system be? How long will the installation take? How will they pay for the system?** We're still not fully public with all the information, but we have designed our system to avoid the complication of existing solar installations and to not require a roof for installation. We envision a world that's close to IKEA, where you could set it up yourself, or you could pay someone to install it for you. It's more of a one-size-fits-all system that you can scale, but not requiring the custom designs, permitting, or electrical work. The system should take a couple hours to install. You can bring it with you, if you're a renter, and move it to your next place. There are a lot more decision points open to you when you create the system more like an appliance. Customers can buy the system outright. The cost will start at one-tenth of a rooftop solar installation. We're working with partners to develop different financing options so we can reach people who would need to pay for it monthly and start saving from day one. We’re also building relationships with philanthropic groups, looking for government funding opportunities, where we can reach the lower income communities. **You're aiming for a permit-free installation. A customer won’t need to go to their city or county to get a building permit?** That's the goal of how we're designing it. It may vary by municipality as we begin scaling. We are working with expert groups to ensure that we design the system to avoid the need for a permit. Instead, it will be more like backyard patio furniture, rather than an actual structural change to the home. That's been top of mind for us, to make it more accessible and not have to go through that additional hurdle. **Do any technological or regulatory hurdles need to be overcome to make modular solar more mainstream in the U.S.?** We have designed our system within the confines of existing regulation in the U.S. today to ensure that we can safely get to customers from Day 1\. Most of the rules stem from safety concerns, which are important to ensure a robust, long-lasting industry. Unless you're super "DIY," people don't really interact with solar and batteries, so having them feel safe and capable as we make this more accessible and scale this industry is critical. In terms of "balcony" or "plug-in" solar, there is still a gap in regulation here, where, in Germany, over the past 10 years, they've worked to solve that. They've made it a lot more progressive in that you are allowed to plug in a certain amount of electricity back feeding an existing outlet at your home. Landlords can't say no. Utilities have to be on board. That's all really progressed in parts of Europe. They also have product certifications for safety. [Make a donation](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support) In the U.S., those are lacking. There needs to be an equivalent type of safety standard developed at a testing laboratory, like UL. Having a new certificate for plug-in solar would help kickstart the balcony solar market in the U.S. **I own a rooftop solar system, which required interconnection and net-metering agreements with my utility. Will your customers not have a net-metering relationship with a utility? Will they get credit for power sent to the grid? Or is the power generated all consumed onsite? How is it reflected in a customer’s utility bill?** Our system is focused on self-consumption at the home. Given the smaller size of system and paired battery, there is less of a need to sell excess production back to the grid. Once you get into the interconnection, you're adding soft costs. You're adding the cost of someone coming out and looking at the system, the installation, someone putting that permit in at the utility. Having to do that on a small system makes the economics really tough to pay off. **You've said that part of the goal in founding Raya Power was shaped by the experience of your co-founder, wanting to empower people in their home or apartment. Can you talk about why you see markets like Puerto Rico and the Central Valley here in California as focus areas for Raya Power?** In Puerto Rico, outages are a huge problem. Diesel generators are the main option people have right now if they can't afford a full rooftop solar installation. Otherwise, they may have a battery backup with a foldable solar panel, which they place outside specifically in an outage. Diesel generators are known for their required maintenance, frequent issues, loud noise, and fumes. We have heard many concerns for elderly parents relying on diesel generators given the safety risks that come with using them. Battery backup systems require daily or hourly interaction to ensure they are charging and running desired appliances with extension cords running around the house. And, for the rest of the time when there is not an outage, they sit in a closet. Having an alternative to that is a strong motivator in Puerto Rico, in addition to bill savings for electricity. An outage is of critical importance, especially for low- and moderate-income homes. If your fridge goes, everything in your fridge goes, too. If the outage lasts more than a day, that can be a couple of hundred dollars. Keeping the fridge on, keeping a fan on are critical factors in an outage. As outages continue to increase with natural disasters and grid demands from AI and data centers, we believe there will be more areas where outage resilience for core appliances is really important. In the Central Valley, we have heard of households not turning their air conditioners on when they needed to, living in super-hot temperatures, because running the air conditioner is so expensive. Raya can help not just make a bill impact, but also a health impact by being able to keep an air conditioner running. None of these use-cases are centered on climate-consciousness. It's a knock-on effect, which is awesome. Everyone gets this climate solution they didn't even realize was a climate solution. That gets me excited. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/07/Meghan-Wood-and-Nicole-Gonzalez_Raya-Power.png) Raya Power co-founders Meghan Wood (left) and Nicole Gonzalez. Credit: Raya Power. **It's a very challenging time for rooftop solar in the U.S. There have been bankruptcies of large players in the sector. The federal tax credit for rooftop solar was eliminated in the Republican budget reconciliation bill. Where do you see Raya Power in that landscape?** It's definitely a tough time for rooftop solar. It started with the new net-metering laws. But different geopolitical or macro-level impacts have made things even worse for the industry. It's a great time for new tech like ours to come into the market where you don't need the traditional interconnection agreements and the large-scale financing that is required to make the economics of these big systems make sense. Uncertainty around tariffs and tax credits is making traditional solar much more challenging. **What comes next for Raya Power as you grow from pilot to commercial scale?** We're in internal prototyping now and plan to launch our customer pilots in the fall. I’m really excited to run those and refine our product design and supply chains. We're actively building relationships with different partners to reach our customers at scale and to help with the financing side. In our customer design reviews and partnership calls, we’ve seen a lot of excitement about the product and what it can unlock in places that couldn't access solar before. We wish we had a team of 50 people to work on Raya, and look forward to the day when that happens. **Are you able to mention who you're working with to manufacture the systems?** Not yet! The design of the product is still proprietary. We will have more public info to share in 2026 when we launch the product to the market. ### What I’m reading: Trump targets DOE's national labs, heat pumps can replace your AC, LNG exports and your utility bill, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-trump-targets-does-national-labs-heat-pumps-can-replace-your-ac-lng-exports-and-your-utility-bill-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-07-03T12:30:07.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* For those of you who recently subscribed, welcome! I use these bi-weekly roundups to highlight important energy transition updates and trends you might have missed. If you like what you read here, please [share this newsletter](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) with anyone in your life who is interested in the energy transition. I hope you’re able to relax and enjoy the July 4th break. As for me, I’ll be spending the long holiday weekend, and some time afterwards, in San Luis Obispo. Watch next week for another Q&A, this time with the co-founder of a startup in the portable solar power space. Thanks, as always, for reading. **Southern California air-quality regulators punt on zero-emission appliance rules** In my last roundup, I [promised to report back](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-socal-regulators-vote-on-landmark-zero-emission-appliance-rules-renewable-energy-is-a-competitive-advantage-offshore-winds-added-value-and-more/#:~:text=Southern%20California%20air%2Dquality%20regulators%20to%20vote%20on%20zero%2Demission%20appliance%20rules) on the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s then-imminent vote on proposed rules that would have accelerated the transition to zero-emission space- and water-heating appliances in the greater Los Angeles region. After a five-hour meeting on June 6, the board voted 7-5 to reject the rules. “The decision, driven mostly by concerns about affordability, was a rare rebuke of measures proposed by the agency’s staff, which came after years of compromise and efforts to scale back what originally was a mandate phasing out the polluting heaters,” [reported](https://calmatters.org/environment/2025/06/gas-water-heaters-furnaces-phaseout-la-basin-aqmd-rules/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) CalMatters’ Alejandra Reyes-Velarde. “The board voted 7-4 to send the two proposed rules back to a committee, which means any new version likely won’t be considered until next year.” **Trump’s budget would slash funding for DOE’s national labs** The U.S. Department of Energy’s [network of 17 laboratories](https://www.energy.gov/national-laboratories?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) is a national treasure on par with the National Park System. The national labs should be among the last places Congress or the White House looks to make cuts in the federal government budget. But as I [argued in a recent column](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/chris-wright-is-allowing-the-department-of-energy-to-be-dismantled-before-his-eyes/), Energy Secretary Chris Wright appears unable or unwilling to stand up to the White House to shield his department from potentially devastating cuts to staffing and funding – including at the national labs. Energy Wire’s Brian Dabbs and Christa Marshall [reported last week](https://www.eenews.net/articles/how-chris-wright-is-remaking-the-national-labs/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on the deep cuts planned for the labs in the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal. “Despite Wright’s consistent plaudits of the lab network, the Trump administration’s budget proposal takes an [ax to the NETL \[National Energy Technology Laboratory\] budget](https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2025-06/doe-fy-2026-laboratory-table-v1.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), cutting $305 million — or 32 percent — from current levels. It slashes programs on hydrogen, vehicles, bioenergy, transmission, methane mitigation, carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere, carbon utilization and point-source carbon capture research,” write Dabbs and Marshall. They went on: “At a hearing this month with Wright, Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) said the budget would cut $2.75 billion across all labs. ‘Our nation’s scientific and energy leadership is on the line,’ Heinrich said, adding that the cuts could cause more than 7,700 job losses.” “The budget request would slash funding at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory from current levels by more than 56 percent, from $687 million to $300 million. Within that, funding for wind, solar and hydrogen technology research would be zeroed out. Support for efficiency research on buildings at the lab would fall by more than 90 percent.” Layoffs have already hit, or are looming, at the national labs. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory [fired 114 staff in May](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/05/donald-trump-doge-layoffs-national-renewable-energy-laboratory-nrel/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). And Sandia National Laboratories announced plans last week to lay off hundreds of employees by early fall. “The plan will reduce Sandia’s workforce of nearly 17,000 by between 1% and 3%, which would represent 170 to 510 workers,” [reported](https://www.abqjournal.com/business/article%5F01887014-f612-43b9-a3fe-20d93d95cbe2.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the Albuquerque Journal’s Megan Gleason. “The layoffs could possibly stem from a lack of funding for renewable energy work in the labs’ proposed fiscal year 2026 budget. The proposed budget shows $0 in areas such as geothermal, wind and solar technologies.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Remember: Heat pumps can replace your AC, too** Last week, I published a Q&A with Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships’ Dave Lis about [what can be done to accelerate heat pump sales](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-to-accelerate-the-u-s-heat-pump-market/). Among the feedback I received on social media about the interview was a plea from heat pump expert and home performance specialist [Nate Adams](https://www.natethehousewhisperer.com/blog?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to remind my readers that heat pumps can replace their air conditioner, too, not just their fossil fuel-fired boiler or furnace. “One giant item that wasn’t discussed: we sell about 5 million one way ACs a year in the U.S. that block decarb for 10-20 years. We need 100% heat pump penetration regardless of backup fuel to make a real dent,” Adams [wrote on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/energysmartwv.bsky.social/post/3lsrpwsgdjc2g?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “It's THE missed opportunity imo. Every 6 seconds a new one way AC starts up, until that system dies in 10-20 years, there is virtually no chance to decarb that home,” he [added](https://bsky.app/profile/energysmartwv.bsky.social/post/3lstvmnktlc2t?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Almost all discussions around home decarb focus on early adopters which are less than 20% of the market at best. Needs to change.” “I'm a broken record on this, but frankly we're both going to be long dead before we decarb homes, maybe 2070-2080 timeframe. Possibly later. It's human, not technical. 2050 was possible if we'd done AC to HP with the [HEATR Act in 2022](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/4139?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Maybe 1 in 10\. Now more like 1 in a billion,” [Adams concluded](https://bsky.app/profile/energysmartwv.bsky.social/post/3lstvoyqqtk2t?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **The U.S. LNG export boom could drive up your electricity bill** The Trump administration’s determination to boost U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) could be yet another inflationary administration policy (along with tariffs, the pending GOP budget reconciliation bill, and the mass deportation of agriculture and service sector workers) that increases costs for consumers. It’s clear from the administration’s [rhetoric](https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-issues-lng-export-authorization-port-arthur-phase-ii-advancing-president-trumps?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that it [sees LNG exports as an unalloyed win](https://www.energy.gov/articles/secretaries-wright-burgum-join-jera-and-us-lng-producers-finalize-agreements-expected-add?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=goals%20moving%20forward.%E2%80%9D-,BACKGROUND,-%3A). “President Trump and Secretary Wright have been hard at work to expand U.S. LNG exports by removing regulatory burdens left by the previous administration,” the administration wrote in a June 11 Department of Energy [press release](https://www.energy.gov/articles/secretaries-wright-burgum-join-jera-and-us-lng-producers-finalize-agreements-expected-add?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). But have Trump and his advisers stopped to consider what their headlong rush to export LNG will mean for American consumers? Perhaps they should read the latest forecast from their own analysts at the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). “The Henry Hub spot price in our forecast averages about $4.00 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) in 2025 and $4.90/MMBtu in 2026, compared with $2.20/MMBtu in 2024,” according to the [Short-Term Energy Outlook](https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) released on June 10. “Higher natural gas prices in 2025 and 2026 are the result of strong export growth that persistently outpaces U.S. natural gas production.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-06-10-091855-1.png) I’m surprised that Trump’s apparatchiks at the Energy Department headquarters haven’t scrubbed that last line from EIA’s website. Absent an increase in domestic fossil gas production that offsets the volume of LNG sent overseas, gas-fired power plants, factories, and other large U.S. gas users will be left competing for a declining share of a more expensive commodity. “Energy Information Administration (EIA) data proves that LNG export volumes are highest during our winter peak heating season months of November through February which accelerates a reduction in U.S. inventory, increasing the price on natural gas and electricity and reduces reliability,” the Industrial Energy Consumers of America trade association said in a March 19 [policy statement](https://www.ieca-us.org/wp-content/uploads/03.19.25%5FLNG-Inventory-Policy-to-Insulate-the-US-Market-from-LNG-Export-Impacts.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (PDF). For Americans served by regulated utilities that deliver gas to homes and businesses or generate electricity from fossil gas, it won’t take long for rising gas costs to be reflected in their monthly bills. Utilities simply pass their fuel costs on to ratepayers. In a serendipitous twist for the energy transition, a domestic gas market squeezed by LNG exports just so happens to make gas-fired electricity’s competitors – cheap wind and solar power – even more competitive. As I wrote in a [column](https://www.energymonitor.ai/opinion/opinion-lng-exports-are-backfiring-on-the-us-oil-and-gas-industry/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for Energy Monitor back in October 2021: > LNG exports are sending an increasing share of the US’s natural gas production overseas, exposing the domestic market to higher global prices. Surging gas prices make renewables even more attractive. [Upgrade to paid](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) **Bonus: “Agents of green transition”** Speaking of Energy Monitor, during my last two years there, I was the [managing editor](https://www.energymonitor.ai/author/justingerdes/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), responsible for the first line edit of most features. One of the best parts of the job was opening stories for the first time and discovering how our talented team of reporters had molded ideas pitched in our weekly team meetings into deeply reported features. I always looked forward to opening a new story from my friend and now former colleague [Oliver Gordon](https://www.oliver-gordon.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a supremely gifted prose stylist and storyteller who published some of our most popular stories, including explainers on everything from [nuclear fusion](https://www.energymonitor.ai/sectors/power/can-nuclear-fusion-power-the-race-to-net-zero/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to [pumped hydro energy storage](https://www.energymonitor.ai/tech/energy-storage/pumped-hydro-resurfaces-as-a-net-zero-stalwart/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to [low-carbon steel](https://www.energymonitor.ai/sectors/industry/the-four-horse-race-to-decarbonise-steel/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Now writing with the support of the Institute for Human Rights and Business, Ollie recently published a dispatch from Gujarat, India, “[Agents of green transition](https://www.just-stories.org/stories/agents-of-green-transition-gujarats-women-salt-farmers-signal-a-cleaner-fairer-future-for-informal-workers%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com),” profiling the women who toil in the region’s salt flats. Here’s how he opens the story: > As you reach for the salt shaker at dinner tonight, pause for a moment to consider those fine white crystals. They may represent the final stage of a journey that starts in a harsh, unforgiving world few ever see. > These crystals could well derive from the blistered salt flats of Surendranagar, in the western reaches of the Indian state of Gujarat. For generations, families like Manguben Dhirubhai Jaga’s have toiled from dawn to well past dusk in the 45ºC heat and blinding sun to produce one of the world’s most essential and undervalued minerals. And thanks to climate change, their lives are only getting tougher. Keep reading to fully appreciate Ollie’s [vivid prose and striking photographs](https://www.just-stories.org/stories/agents-of-green-transition-gujarats-women-salt-farmers-signal-a-cleaner-fairer-future-for-informal-workers?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Journalists keep searching for ways to continue doing what we love, despite all the [headwinds facing the industry](https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/02/chatgpt-referrals-to-news-sites-are-growing-but-not-enough-to-offset-search-declines/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The path I found is [publishing this newsletter](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/about/). I am thankful that Ollie has found a way to keep sharing his stories with the world, too. ### Here's how to accelerate U.S. heat pump sales URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-to-accelerate-the-u-s-heat-pump-market/ Last updated: 2025-06-27T22:07:26.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Heat pump sales are [on the rise](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/heat-pumps/heat-pumps-keep-widening-their-lead-on-gas-furnaces?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in the United States. From April 2024 through March of this year, 4.2 million electric heat pumps were sold in the U.S., and heat pumps outsold gas furnaces by 28%, according to a [market tracker](https://rmi.org/insight/tracking-the-heat-pump-water-heater-market-in-the-united-states/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) maintained by the clean energy think tank RMI. Even so, challenges remain in getting heat pumps installed in tens of millions of homes and businesses, as will be needed to [decarbonize U.S. buildings](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/) by mid-century. [Soaring electricity rates](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/) nationwide, resistance from contractors, and a confusing name are among the factors preventing heat pumps from selling even faster. To get a better sense of where the U.S. heat pump market stands and where it is headed, I reached out to one of the most knowledgeable experts I know in the sector, [Dave Lis](https://neep.org/dave-lis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Lis is director of technology market transformation at [Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships](https://neep.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (NEEP), a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that convenes stakeholders and shares best practices to advance the energy efficiency market across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. NEEP recently published a [Northeast market assessment](https://neep.org/sites/default/files/media-files/neep%5Fne%5Fhigh%5Fperformance%5Fhvac%5Fmarket%5Fassessment%5Ffinal%5F%5F0.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (PDF) that digs into regional heat pump trends. The report finds that air-source heat pump sales across New England and New York increased by 250% over an eight-year period (2013 to 2021). Because the Northeast has outpaced the rest of the U.S. in heat pump deployment, the region has much to teach the rest of the country. Lis and I spoke about why the Northeast heat pump market is so strong, what can be done to address the electricity affordability challenge, the potential loss of federal tax credits for heat pumps, and whether the name “heat pump” should be dropped. “The talk of the region over the last six to 12 months has been about this issue of affordability,” Lis told me. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. [![Dave Lis, director, technology market transformation, NEEP. Credit: NEEP.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/06/lis_dave_2024-1.jpg)](https://neep.org/dave-lis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [Dave Lis](https://neep.org/dave-lis?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), director, technology market transformation, NEEP. Credit: NEEP. **One of the key takeaways from NEEP’s market assessment report is that the Northeast has outpaced the rest of the country with its heat pumps sales. What is the region doing right?** There's a very robust landscape of promotional and incentive programs that are reducing upfront costs for installations. Marketing and education around heat pumps to consumers – largely through the efficiency programs throughout the region – have raised more awareness of the opportunities. The incentives help with reducing costs. The region is home to a lot of delivered fuels. There's an additional cost driver in that. And frankly, there has been, over the last 10 years, a growth of interest in cooling and heat pumps. A lot of the ductless technologies are a really good retrofit for folks looking for cooling. This has been a more recent development, but in the middle of last year Northeast states [signed on to a multi-state agreement](https://www.nescaum.org/documents/2.7.24-nescaum-mou-press-release.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (PDF) through NESCAUM, which is a regional organization of air quality agencies. Those states committed to a 65% heat pump market share goal by 2030. **One big challenge is affordability. In California and in the Northeast, electricity rates are double the national average. With new large electrical loads in the home, such as an air-source heat pump or** [**heat pump water heater**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/taking-the-emergency-out-of-water-heater-replacement-and-slashing-emissions/)**, there's concern over consumers bearing the cost of making that switch. Some jurisdictions are rolling out special rates for heat pumps. Can you talk about solutions that address affordability concerns?** There's a couple of different flavors to the affordability question. For many years, it was oil versus electricity, and heat pumps versus existing oil and propane equipment was very economically beneficial. That has shrunk as electric prices have jumped up, and some of the oil and propane prices have come down. In most analyses, that tends to still be a cheaper way to go. It always saves a lot of energy, and a lot of money compared to existing electric resistance. Existing natural gas customers are the next frontier, and the economics, in many cases, are negative in terms of operational economics. The biggest approaches to addressing that have been developing heat pump-specific rates. A couple of jurisdictions in Maine already have them available to customers. There's been some quick action in Massachusetts. Unitil has a [heat pump rate](https://unitil.com/ma-heat-pump-rate/en?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and one of the larger utilities in Massachusetts, National Grid, had their heat pump-specific rate [approved by regulators](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/heat-pumps/massachusetts-winter-electric-rate-discount?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Regulators%20then%20ordered%20National%20Grid%20to%20do%20the%20same%3B%20that%20proposal%20was%20approved%20in%20February), and they plan on rolling that out in November. Eversource, the other big utility in Massachusetts, is expected to have heat pump-specific rates [available to customers by the next heating season](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/heat-pumps/massachusetts-winter-electric-rate-discount?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Eversource%20to%20submit%20its%20own%20such%20plan%20by%20May%2015%20and%20committed%20to%20moving%20the%20proposal%20through%20the%20regulatory%20process%20quickly%20enough%20to%20make%20a%C2%A0new%20rate%20effective%20for%20the%20coming%20winter). These would be seasonal rates. It's mainly focused on a reduced kilowatt-hour winter rate, behind the idea that a lot of usage would be at night, when wholesale electricity prices are cheap, so it's more reflective of the actual cost of procuring that electricity to make it available to customers. NEEP has gotten a lot of requests for technical assistance around rates. Rates are a complex and complicated mechanism. It does have a lot of unintended consequences when you push on different levers with rates. [Electrification](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/) and efficiency and managing existing peaks with rates can be a multi-variable challenge. The heat pump rate has emerged as a pretty clean way of sending customers a more positive economic signal to save money by running their heat pump. That's an exciting area as we think about trying to improve the value proposition for consumers to adopt heat pumps. If we can make that a stronger economic argument, we will see more adoption. We also have a lot of systems in the field today that are dual system or dual fuel. Customers have a heat pump, but they still have their existing fossil heating system. With that signal, it might, from a behavioral standpoint, drive those users to use heat pumps more than they are today. Shifting that usage from fossil fuel over to heat pumps would be another good result from a better rate. If we can reduce the overall heating and cooling loads of homes and buildings with weatherization, then, even if the operational economics is flat, or even a little bit worse, you are likely to see a reduction in bills. If you're able to reduce that heating need, that customer is going to come out ahead of where they were before. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Continuing with affordability, federal tax credits have been available to reduce upfront costs for heat pumps and other energy efficiency measures. It's looking increasingly likely that these tax credits will not survive in the budget reconciliation bills being negotiated by House and Senate Republicans. How concerned are you about the potential loss of those tax credits?** It might have less of an impact in a region like the Northeast that has a foundational landscape of programs that are helping to defray some of those costs. That doesn't negate the fact that a lot of market actors were excited that we were going to be able to stack those additional incentives, through tax credits and some of the [HEAR](https://www.rewiringamerica.org/research/ira-guide?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) rebates, onto existing programs. There would certainly be disappointment to see those go. **A question I hear all the time is how do we get around the fact that “heat pump” is just a bad name? How difficult is it for NEEP to educate consumers that heat pumps can both heat and cool your home? Is it a lost cause to change the name?** NEEP has developed a market transformation strategy for air-source heat pumps going back to 2014 and in that strategy there were calls for considering or thinking about new names, or just how heat pumps were presented to consumers. This issue of a disconnect, or a name that doesn't necessarily resonate strongly with consumers, has been on the minds of market actors and folks that are interested in developing this market for well over a decade now. If there was some breakthrough, or something creative in the naming that the industry, whether it's manufacturers or contractors or advocates, I'd support it and the states in the Northeast and the actors here in the Northeast would, too. In the meantime, we need to continue the general education around trying to dispel some of the myths and create some basic understanding of what the technology can do. Increasing the organic familiarity with consumers, seeing their neighbors adopt the technology and get practical experience with the technology, realizing, *Oh, it's not as foreign a concept or a piece of equipment as I thought*, grounds what “heat pump” is in their minds. For a long time, people say “heat pump,” and they just can't really attach it to something in somebody's home. Connecting a heat pump to solutions that mean something to consumers, who for the most part have developed a positive perception of them, is huge. **Speaking of myths that persist about heat pumps, one you're familiar with is that heat pumps don’t work in extreme cold. Has there been progress in dispelling that myth considering how much heat pumps have improved in recent years and the success of** [**cold-climate models**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/) **in markets like Maine?** Contractors are the ones who are often leading with this message of: "You don't want to rely on this technology by itself, particularly at low temperatures." They're very risk averse. They're going to need to have a lot of experience with this technology. The new contractors in the heat pump space are delivering that message regularly to consumers. That's unfortunate. But on the flip side, because the market has grown, it's not quite as niche a technology as it was a decade ago in the Northeast. There's just enough of your neighbors and your relatives who have adopted heat pumps and have [seen the performance at low temperatures](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/) and can communicate that to their networks. There's nothing more powerful than a neighbor or somebody in your family or friend group that vouches for new technology. On the program side, we're seeing a shift that will support greater awareness and confidence in [low-temperature performance](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/). Programs are moving away from a partial displacement model – incentivizing heat pumps that can be used in conjunction with an existing system or not. Several programs in the Northeast have been applying sizing requirements to some of their larger rebates. By sizing a system to meet a home or building’s entire heating load, there should be more confidence and more awareness to the consumer this is a whole-home solution. There's no need to toggle back to a second system. That's going to drive more of these whole-home systems and confidence that if it's 5˚F or 0˚F out, my heat pump is operating. It's keeping the house warm. I'm not sacrificing anything. **Is there a jurisdiction that is doing really well with heat pump deployment? Maine justifiably gets a lot of attention. But is there another market that doesn't get enough press?** Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York, what these programs have realized is that engaging contractors and distributors, incentivizing them with real dollars, but also in partnership and education, and the investment of time, makes a really big difference. There is a growing trend around the importance of contractors. They are the front line of heat pump adoption, and if they're not aware of and confident in the solution, they're not going to steer their customers towards that regardless of whether there's a big incentive or not. They really have to believe in it. Part of the secret sauce of the programs that have really been growing is their upstream engagement with contractors and distributors and even manufacturers. Instead of simply offering $1,000 rebate to consumers, it's critical that the supply side really believes in it and is excited about delivering what you hope is the solution the consumer understands and wants. There are some organizations at the community level that have really helped support consumers in understanding the technology. The [HeatSmart Alliance](https://heatsmartalliance.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) supports a lot of community-based groups within towns in Massachusetts. They are volunteer-based groups that essentially provide coaching and handholding to neighbors and folks from their communities. It's very unbiased; nobody's selling anything. It is a way of educating about the technology and helping customers navigate the buying process, understanding what they should be asking for, what systems might be most appropriate for their homes, and hearing it from an unbiased perspective. Massachusetts is rolling out fossil-free new construction in some towns with the [Municipal Fossil Fuel Free Building Demonstration Program](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/municipal-fossil-fuel-free-building-demonstration-program?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In those towns, new homes are going to be built without fossil fuels. Those are typically the easiest applications to apply air-source heat pumps and other heat pump technologies. To formalize that in a code could be pretty powerful. In the Northeast, a lot of states have set a 2030 goal, which is really helpful to send that signal to the broader market that we are serious about transitioning to this technology. There's a whole suite of policies that are being considered and adopted. We talked a little bit about codes. Emission-based appliance standards that states are considering would certainly have a lot of impact on the market and are likely to move consumers to electric technologies. Building performance standards are a mechanism for the existing building stock, and we've largely seen that to date in the commercial sector. New York City has a carbon-based [building performance standard](https://www.urbangreencouncil.org/what-we-do/driving-innovative-policy/ll97/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which has driven quite a bit of electrification in the city. In New England and the rest of the Northeast region, a lot of the energy efficiency funding and dollars can be used for existing fossil customers. That fuel switching allowance has really opened a lot of energy efficiency dollars. That still is a barrier for a lot of programs outside of our region. Everything from very high-level policies down to more of that community level consumer, the market is getting boosted with financial incentives, with marketing, with education. Hopefully that's the launching point for the next five years, so we can see that continued growth happen, and in 2030 we have a success story to talk about in this market transformation effort. ### A glimpse of the future of aviation URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/a-glimpse-of-the-future-of-aviation/ Last updated: 2025-06-20T12:30:42.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Compared to the whine and roar of the planes that came before, when the plane I had come to see appeared, the first thing I noticed was the lack of noise. As the plane circled back, and glided overhead on its second pass, the plane’s electric motor gave off a soft hum. The several hundred aviation enthusiasts who lined the taxiway with me at San Carlos Airport, heads craned towards the sky, had likely come to see that morning’s finale: an acrobatics display featuring the [Sukhoi West Demo Team](https://sukhoiwest.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). I had come to see the [B23 Energic](https://h55.ch/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Flyer%5FB23%5FEnergic%5FEU.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The plane’s diminutive size – it measures just under 22 feet from nose to tail and a little more than 30 feet wide at the wings – belies its outsized role in the future of aviation. Airports are already busy reducing emissions from operations [on the ground and at the gate](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-you-should-feel-a-little-less-guilty-about-flying/). Emissions from planes in flight account for a much larger share of the sector’s overall carbon footprint and will be commensurately difficult to clean up. Travelers alive today may never fly across and between continents on fully electric planes. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a role for battery electric planes today. In fact, the B23 Energic will be used to train the next generation of European pilots beginning next year. **The Solar Impulse legacy** I was excited to see the B23 Energic in person last Saturday at the [Biggest Little Air Show](https://www.hiller.org/event/biggest-little-air-show/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) because I had seen one of its predecessors more than 15 years before. In 2009, on a press tour for European journalists (I was based in Copenhagen at the time), I got a look at the Solar Impulse – a solar-powered plane that would become the first plane to circumnavigate the world without liquid fuel – inside a hangar outside of Zurich, Switzerland. A core team from [Solar Impulse](https://aroundtheworld.solarimpulse.com/pilots-team?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), including pilot André Borschberg, brought learnings from the project to a new venture, the startup [H55](https://h55.ch/en/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). H55’s specialty is developing electric propulsion and battery management systems for existing and future airplanes. Experience the company’s founders gleaned from years spent building lightweight, super-efficient planes capable of circling the globe, powered by solar panels and batteries alone. The company’s name honors that legacy. “H55” refers both to a military hangar called hangar 55, the company’s early home in Switzerland, and to the Solar Impulse pilot Borschberg’s [record-breaking 5-day, 5-night solo flight](https://aroundtheworld.solarimpulse.com/adventure?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=5%20consecutive%20days%20and%20nights) from Japan to Hawaii in July 2015. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **The B23 Energic** The Solar Impulse project was launched to inspire and to prove that fuel-free flight was possible. The B23 Energic may not end up stirring the public’s imagination as the Solar Impulse once did. But because it soon may be the first plane many new pilots fly, it could convert the next generation of pilots into evangelists for all-electric flight. The B23 Energic is a two-seat, zero-emission trainer aircraft manufactured by the Czech plane maker BRM Aero under the [Bristell](https://www.bristell.com/bristell-energic/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) brand. For the electric version, BRM Aero took out the gas tank and combustion engine and replaced it with H55’s electric powertrain: the motor, motor controller, power distribution unit, battery management unit, and battery packs (photos #1 and #2 in the gallery below). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/06/IMG_20250614_102913338_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/06/IMG_20250614_102927764.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/06/IMG_20250614_103440531.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/06/IMG_20250614_121318795_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/06/IMG_20250614_121355135_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/06/IMG_20250614_121439858_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/06/IMG_20250614_124710781_HDR.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/06/IMG_20250614_124732928_HDR-2.jpg) The Bristell [B23 Energic](https://h55.ch/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Flyer%5FB23%5FEnergic%5FEU.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) all-electric plane on display at the [Biggest Little Air Show](https://www.hiller.org/event/biggest-little-air-show/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), San Carlos Airport, San Mateo County, California, June 14, 2025\. Credit: All photos, Justin Gerdes. H55’s “secret sauce,” Gregory Blatt told me, is making the battery storage and propulsion systems talk to each other. I spoke to Blatt, H55’s co-founder and chief marketing and sales officer, on the sidelines of the air show, which is hosted by the Hiller Aviation Museum at San Carlos Airport. H55 participated in the Biggest Little Air Show as part of a five-month, cross-country U.S. tour, with stops in Florida, Alabama, Arizona, Nevada, California, Colorado, Wisconsin, and New York. H55 is targeting the B23 Energic at flight schools, aero clubs, military academies, and private pilots. The 100-kilowatt electric motor and 49 kilowatt-hour battery pack allows for around 70 minutes of flight time. One hour of charging yields one hour of flight time. For flight schools, the big selling points are the low operating costs and quiet operation. The electricity cost for 1-hour of flight is just $7 (at 20 cents/kWh), [according to Bristell](https://www.bristell.com/bristell-energic/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Electric%20energy%20cost%20for,at%2020%20cents/kWh%29). The lack of noise means that a student pilot can talk to an instructor mid-flight without a headset. “The Bristell flies light on the stick – but the biggest difference is how quiet and smooth it is. The controls are responsive, even during taxi, and you can take your headset off mid-flight and carry on a conversation,” First Landings Aviation’s Adam Valencic [told H55](https://h55.ch/en/from-sun-n-fun-to-clean-skies-across-14-destinations-h55-wraps-up-florida-tour/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=The%20Bristell%20flies%20light%20on%20the%20stick%E2%80%94but%20the%20biggest%20difference%20is%20how%20quiet%20and%20smooth%20it%20is.%20The%20controls%20are%20responsive%2C%20even%20during%20taxi%2C%20and%20you%20can%20take%20your%20headset%20off%20mid%2Dflight%20and%20carry%20on%20a%20conversation.). H55 plans to deploy its electric propulsion systems in larger regional commuter aircraft, too. The company is partnering with engine maker Pratt & Whitney and plane maker De Havilland Aircraft of Canada on a hybrid version of a 40-seat Dash 8 turboprop plane. “The systems are designed to be able to scale up as battery density increases,” Blatt told me. He says H55 expects the B23 Energic’s entire electric propulsion system will be certified in Europe by the end of the first quarter of 2026, with the first deliveries to customers coming in the second half of the year. Deliveries to customers in the U.S. and Canada will begin in 2027. ### Special offer: Get one year of Quitting Carbon at a 40% discount URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/special-offer-get-one-year-of-quitting-carbon-at-a-40-discount/ Last updated: 2025-06-09T12:30:45.000Z Dear readers, I launched **Quitting Carbon** last year with a simple goal: provide context on the projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. There is no shortage of sites to go to for news, to scroll through headlines. But you won’t understand what is going on in the world if you rely on headlines alone. A trusted guide helps. When it comes to the world of energy, let me be your guide. I’ve reported on and analyzed the energy transition for 20 years. Pick a sector or industry – offshore wind and energy efficiency, nuclear power and marine energy, building decarbonization and microgrids – and I’ve likely either reported on it myself or edited a feature on the topic. You’re in good hands. > Justin is a long-time clean tech reporter. His expertise is just what you need to stay informed about the clean energy transition. > > — [Erica Gies / SlowWater.world (@ericagies.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ir5q4aijvya2ww6w3lttm26j?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [2024-12-31T18:51:12.786Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ir5q4aijvya2ww6w3lttm26j/post/3lempovv2nc2e?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) “If I had unlimited funds, I’d pay for all the Substacks I read,” a newsletter enthusiast [told](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/business/substack-newsletter-subscription-costs.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the New York Times’ Logan Sachon last month. “I’m a firm believer that if you’re putting in quality work, you deserve to get paid.” If you’ve come to appreciate this newsletter’s mix of original [reporting](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/reporting/), [commentary](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/commentary/), [Q&As](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/interviews/), and [recaps of what I've been reading](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/what-im-reading/), then I hope you'll feel it’s worth investing in, too. I know you don’t have unlimited funds, so this week you can take advantage of a special offer [**to get one year of Quitting Carbon at a 40% discount**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/special-offer). I have big plans for this newsletter for the remainder of this year and beyond: more reporting from the field, more dispatches from events in California and beyond, and more conversations with the policymakers and business leaders shaping the energy transition. But I can only do so with your support. **Quitting Carbon** is and will be a reader-supported publication. If independent journalism on the energy transition – that you can trust – matters to you, I hope you will consider becoming a paid subscriber. The [**40% off special offer**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/special-offer) **is good through June 13**. And if a [**paid subscription**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/special-offer) is too big a financial lift for you right now, no problem. Please consider [**making a one-time donation instead**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support). With gratitude, Justin ### What I’m reading: SoCal regulators vote on landmark zero-emission appliance rules, renewable energy is a competitive advantage, offshore wind's added value, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-socal-regulators-vote-on-landmark-zero-emission-appliance-rules-renewable-energy-is-a-competitive-advantage-offshore-winds-added-value-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-06-06T17:27:03.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* The purpose of these bi-weekly roundups is for me to share highlights from what I read every day in my work reporting on and analyzing the energy transition. My goal is to underline important events or trends you may not have read about anywhere else. If you’ve come to appreciate what you read here, please consider investing in my work by becoming a [**paid subscriber**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup). Thanks, as always, for reading, subscribing to, and sharing this newsletter. **Southern California air-quality regulators to vote on zero-emission appliance rules** By the time you read this newsletter, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is likely to have voted on new rules that would accelerate the transition to zero-emission space- and water-heating appliances in the greater Los Angeles region. As of this writing, the vote is scheduled for Friday, June 6. The proposed rules have been the focus of an intense lobbying campaign, with SoCalGas, the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, leading an effort to water down the rules, as Hilary Beaumont[reported this week for Floodlight](https://floodlightnews.org/the-gas-lobby-is-weakening-southern-californias-boldest-clean-air-plan-in-decades/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Draft rules released in October 2024 would have required that all new furnaces and water heaters installed in the region be zero emission in most residential and commercial buildings by 2026. "But in recent months, SCAQMD staff have softened the proposed rules. The current version now requires manufacturers to meet zero-emission sales targets for residential buildings, starting at 30% in 2027-28 and rising to 90% by 2036\. The rule no longer requires that all new furnaces and water heaters be zero-emission by a certain date," writes Beaumont. Despite misleading messaging from opponents, the new rules would not force home or business owners to get rid of their existing gas-fired appliances. "Notably, none of this amounts to a ban on gas appliances or a mandate to rip out functioning units. The goal here is to encourage Californians to replace their gas-powered appliances when their current units kick the bucket or if they’re ready to upgrade," write the UCLA Emmett Institute’s Evan George and Cara Horowitz in a [post](https://legal-planet.org/2025/06/05/these-socal-clean-air-rules-are-being-smeared/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published yesterday at the Legal Planet blog. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli sent a letter yesterday to SCAQMD [threatening to sue if its board votes to approve the new rules](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025/06/trump-administration-threatens-to-sue-socal-air-regulators-over-proposed-gas-heater-phaseout-00391552?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). I’ll report back on the vote in my next roundup. **Heat pumps becoming standard in Germany’s new homes** Electric [heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/) are increasingly being installed in new homes in Germany. According to the latest data from the country’s statistical office, heat pumps were installed in 69.4% of the 76,100 new homes finished in Germany in 2024, up by 5% compared to 2023. But if Germany is to hit its 2045 net-zero emissions target, heat pump installations must pick up in existing homes, too. "Homeowners [installed](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/german-homeowners-still-opt-gas-boilers-over-heat-pumps-when-changing-heating-systems?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) more gas boilers than heat pumps when replacing their heating systems in 2024, though the gap is closing. All in all, four in five residential buildings [are still heated](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/four-five-residential-buildings-germany-still-heated-oil-and-gas-energy-agency?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with oil and gas in Germany," [writes Clean Energy Wire’s Sören Amelang](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/heat-pumps-become-norm-germanys-new-homes?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Renewable energy is a competitive advantage** For more than a decade, large companies – especially tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Meta – have been among the most aggressive backers of renewable energy in the U.S. Apart from the climate benefits, these companies know that the cheapest, fastest way to add power to the grid is to install a solar or onshore wind project. States and countries that have figured this out are reaping the benefits that come with hosting low-carbon grids that get cleaner every day. South Australia has achieved a 74% share of wind and solar on its grid over the past year and is on pace to meet its target of 100% net renewables by the end of 2027\. Now, large energy users are flocking to the state, attracted by its clean grid. "According to ElectraNet, the transmission company that provides the back bone of the state’s grid, there are more than three-dozen companies that have made inquiries about setting up major business in the state and connecting into the state grid, with the specific requirement to source zero emissions and low-cost wind and solar," [reports Renew Economy’s Giles Parkinson](https://reneweconomy.com.au/dozens-of-big-industries-want-to-plug-in-to-australias-first-100-pct-net-renewable-wind-and-solar-grid/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "ElectraNet says the combined load of these 37 big industries amounts to astonishing 15 gigawatts, more than 10 times the current average load in the state, and five times the maximum demand. Far from killing industry, the state’s transition to renewables is sparking a rebirth," he writes. **Offshore wind's added value** One of the main reasons policymakers and grid operators support adding offshore wind to the grid – even if it comes at an upfront cost premium – is the power generated tends to be delivered to the grid at summer or winter peaks when it is needed most. Modeling indicates this should also be true for the offshore wind development zones planned for [California](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755008423000868?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and Australia. "The best guess for the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) for offshore wind in Australia is somewhere close to $200/MWh, which would seem to rule it out as a non-starter if that was the only consideration. So why bother?" [asks Giles Parkinson](https://reneweconomy.com.au/why-shape-and-value-are-the-key-buzzwords-for-australias-aspiring-offshore-wind-industry/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The answer, Charles Rattray, the head of Southerly Ten, the company developing the 2.2-gigawatt (GW) Star of the South offshore wind farm in Victoria, told him, is the shape and value of that output. "Rattray says modelling at Star of the South shows that its output will be strongest at two key times when electricity demand in Victoria will be the highest – in winter evenings and in the midst of summer heatwaves," writes Parkinson. Over time, adding offshore wind to the power mix should result in lower costs and a more diverse and stable grid in Victoria. "By tapping into a different weather pattern and wind profile, offshore wind increases the overall availability of Victoria’s renewable energy system, mitigating risk, and reducing power prices through a more diverse renewable portfolio," according to a Southerly Ten analysis [Parkinson cites](https://reneweconomy.com.au/tracking-coal-and-displacing-gas-offshore-wind-developers-say-they-can-blow-hard-at-the-right-time/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "During these peak hours, gas typically sets the energy prices, and therefore replacement would result in significant savings to end consumers. Over the last 10 years, 2GW of offshore wind in Victoria, would’ve replaced 70.5% of the gas required to firm up the energy profile." **Travelers ditch planes for bullet trains in China** I remain bullish on the potential for high-speed rail to flourish here in California one day – despite the delays and higher-than-expected costs – because in countries with extensive bullet train systems, like Spain and China, business travelers increasingly choose trains over planes. "More passengers shuttling between China’s two biggest cities are choosing to hop on a bullet train rather than a flight, as airlines struggle to match the convenience offered by the country’s ultra-modern high-speed rail network," Frank Chen [reported last week for the South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3311483/chinas-airlines-raise-alarm-travellers-ditch-planes-bullet-trains?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). "The shift to rail has become so pronounced on the busy Beijing-Shanghai route that China’s air travel industry has warned its market is being ‘eroded,’ with airlines scrambling to lure back customers with cheaper tickets and free limousine services." He added: "Passengers made more than 52 million trips by train between Beijing and Shanghai last year, while only about 8.6 million people took a flight between the two cities, according to civil aviation platform Hangban Guanjia." "Robust demand has turned the Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway into a cash cow for the state-owned rail operator. ... The service generated revenues of 42 billion yuan (US$5.8 billion) in 2024, up 3.62 per cent year on year, with net profits surging more than 10 per cent to 12.8 billion yuan." Here in California, Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) revised 2025-26 budget plan, released last month, proposed [setting aside $1 billion annually through 2045](https://calmatters.org/environment/climate-change/2025/05/california-governor-climate-budget-cap-trade-high-speed-rail/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20through%202045%2C%20the%20governor%E2%80%99s%20plan%20would%20earmark%20at%20least%20%241%20billion%20a%20year%20of%20the%20climate%20funds%20to%20the%20California%20high%2Dspeed%20rail%20project%2C%20which%20aims%20to%20connect%20Los%20Angeles%20to%20San%20Francisco) in proceeds from the state’s cap-and-trade program for high-speed rail. It is just the kind of budget certainty California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri said would be [needed to attract private investment to help complete the system](https://hsr.ca.gov/2025/05/15/building-smarter-faster-high-speed-rail-authority-to-advance-bold-vision-with-private-sector/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=A%20guaranteed%20minimum%20funding%20level%20will%20improve%20project%20planning%20and%20delivery%20and%20create%20options%20for%20project%20delivery%2C%20including%20potentially%20making%20the%20project%20more%20attractive%20to%20private%20capital.) – even more so after the Trump administration [threatened this week to rescind $4 billion in federal funding for the project](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/04/us/politics/california-high-speed-rail-funding.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Bonus: John Updike on Ted Williams' final game** John Updike is not remembered as a baseball writer. Novelist, essayist, and master of the short story (including "[Pigeon Feathers](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1961/08/19/pigeon-feathers?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)," perhaps the best American short story ever written), yes, but not a baseball writer. But naturally, when Updike *did* take up baseball, he produced a work that is among the most beloved and celebrated pieces of literature ever published on the national pastime. To mark The New Yorker's 100th anniversary, Louisa Thomas recently published a [remembrance](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/takes/louisa-thomas-on-john-updikes-hub-fans-bid-kid-adieu?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of Updike's canonical work, an essay from 1960 on Ted Williams' final game titled "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu." As every baseball fan knows, the game is remembered for one thing (spoiler alert!): the Red Sox legend hitting a home run in his final at-bat. Thomas quotes Updike capturing the magical moment as only he could: "No one should have anticipated what Williams had done. He was forty-two; the Red Sox were bad; the air was heavy with impending rain; and the sky was so dark that the stadium lights had to be turned on – 'always a wan sight in the daytime, like the burning headlights of a funeral procession.' But it was Updike’s insight to see that everyone *had* expected it, and in fact it was that shared expectation that held them in their seats. 'There will always lurk,' he wrote, 'around a corner in a pocket of our knowledge of the odds, an indefensible hope, and this was one of the times, which you now and then find in sports, when a density of expectation hangs in the air and plucks an event out of the future.'" ### Trump’s war on universities could set back U.S. energy innovation for decades URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-war-on-universities-could-set-back-u-s-energy-innovation-for-decades/ Last updated: 2025-05-29T12:31:07.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* The Trump administration appears not to understand that its war against the nation’s universities is in conflict with its goal to “[unleash American energy](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com).” America’s universities and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) national laboratories are the indispensable beating heart of the nation’s energy innovation ecosystem – even when homegrown clean energy technologies have been commercialized overseas. Before January 20, 2025, if you were a bright young energy researcher almost anywhere in the world looking to earn a Ph.D., an elite U.S. university was likely your first choice. No longer. On Tuesday, Politico’s Nahal Toosi [reported](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/27/trump-team-orders-stop-to-new-student-visa-interviews-as-it-weighs-expanding-social-media-vetting-00370501?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the “Trump administration is weighing requiring all foreign students applying to study in the United States to undergo social media vetting.” “In preparation for such required vetting, the administration is ordering U.S. Embassies and consular sections to pause scheduling new interviews for such student visa applicants,” she wrote. Also on Tuesday, the Trump administration said it [plans to cancel the remaining $100 million of federal government contracts](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/us/harvard-trump-federal-funds.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with Harvard University. Combine these moves with the administration’s previous ones to [slash research grant funding to American universities](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/22/upshot/nsf-grants-trump-cuts.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [revoke student visas](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/us/students-trump-ice-detention.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and it’s no surprise that the best and brightest international students are now looking to advance their careers elsewhere. “One of the USA's superpowers has been the ability to attract the brightest from around the world to study here, many of whom then stay and add so much to our country. This new overt hostility to international students and universities in general is already destroying this remarkable advantage,” Jesse D. Jenkins, an assistant professor at Princeton University, [wrote Tuesday on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/jessedjenkins.com/post/3lq6cqq3zgs2d?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). > One of the USA's superpowers has been the ability to attract the brightest from around the world to study here, many of whom then stay and add so much to our country. This new overt hostility to international students and universities in general is already destroying this remarkable advantage. > > — [Jesse D. Jenkins (@jessedjenkins.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mpwajc42svvrwbxnuiym62vq?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [2025-05-27T18:24:38.249Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mpwajc42svvrwbxnuiym62vq/post/3lq6cqq3zgs2d?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Jenkins, an energy systems engineer, leads Princeton’s [ZERO Lab](https://zero.lab.princeton.edu/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (Zero-carbon Energy systems Research and Optimization Laboratory). He [added](https://bsky.app/profile/jessedjenkins.com/post/3lq6cqq46d22d?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): “In my department alone, we already lost at least one PhD admit & a senior faculty candidate this year because of it. They opted to stay abroad at high quality engineering schools. And this is just beginning. The impact on next year's cycle will be a lot worse.” “We had over 800 applicants for graduate programs this year (PhD and MSE), a record, and we offered admissions to about 50 (almost all for PhD). About 30 end up enrolling, roughly 40% of which are international students,” he [wrote](https://bsky.app/profile/jessedjenkins.com/post/3lq6tvzsslk24?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **No future in the government** The Trump administration hasn’t just yanked the welcome mat from America’s doorstep. It is also telling foreign – and American – early-career scientists there is no future for them in the federal government. Among the thousands of probationary federal employees fired at the direction of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management early in the new administration (firings [still being contested in federal courts](https://fedscoop.com/supreme-court-halts-order-reinstated-federal-workers-six-agencies/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)), many were young researchers and scientists at the Departments of Energy and Interior with less than two years of service. We will never know how many of the affected employees would have decided to spend their entire careers at federal agencies. Earlier this month, 114 staff from both research and operations, including non-probationary employees with more than two years of service, were [fired at the Energy Department’s flagship National Renewable Energy Laboratory](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/chris-wright-is-allowing-the-department-of-energy-to-be-dismantled-before-his-eyes/#:~:text=114%20researchers%20and%20scientists%20were%20fired%20at%20the%20network%E2%80%99s%20crown%20jewel%2C%20the%20National%20Renewable%20Energy%20Laboratory%2C%20on%20May%205.) (NREL). “A NREL researcher told me that any feeling of ‘security and optimism is gone,’ and pointed to a breach of trust between employees and managers. ‘They have kept us in the dark and insisted things were better than they are,’ the researcher says. ‘It’s a huge loss in terms of talent and brainpower,’” [wrote Mother Jones’ Henry Carnell](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/05/donald-trump-doge-layoffs-national-renewable-energy-laboratory-nrel/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). So many of these talented employees have been fired, accepted buyouts, or applied for early retirement that the federal government [may no longer have the capacity to advance the Trump administration’s energy policy priorities](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/musks-doge-wrecking-ball-could-topple-trumps-energy-dominance-agenda/) such as those outlined in the four executive orders Trump signed last Friday to “[usher in a nuclear energy renaissance](https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/05/president-trump-signs-executive-orders-to-usher-in-a-nuclear-renaissance-restore-gold-standard-science/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com).” “Executive Orders don’t build big infrastructure. Skilled labor, technical expertise, and innovative financing do. With DOE DOGEd and RIFed, and the Loan Program Office on a skeleton crew, this EO isn’t worth the paper it was printed on,” Senator Martin Heinrich, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, [wrote on Bluesky on Tuesday](https://bsky.app/profile/heinrich.senate.gov/post/3lq6kr753fc2h?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). > Executive Orders don’t build big infrastructure. Skilled labor, technical expertise, and innovative financing do. With DOE DOGEd and RIFed, and the Loan Program Office on a skeleton crew, this EO isn’t worth the paper it was printed on. > > — [Senator Martin Heinrich (@heinrich.senate.gov)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:67vugavgzxuc64jxpv4cqwbi?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [2025-05-27T20:48:04.081Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:67vugavgzxuc64jxpv4cqwbi/post/3lq6kr753fc2h?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **Poaching America’s talent** America’s rivals surely cannot believe their good fortune. Canada, Australia, and the European Union, among others, have pounced, more than happy to [welcome the world’s most talented researchers](https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/us-federal-research-funding-cuts-foreign-universities/3722981/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Canada launched a “Canada Leads” program in April to attract early-career biomedical researchers. Australia’s “Global Talent Attraction Program,” also launched in April, offers competitive salaries and relocation packages to scientists. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced earlier this month the E.U. “would set up a ‘super grant’ program aimed at offering ‘a longer-term perspective to the very best’ in the field” and “that 500 million euros ($566 million) will be put forward in 2025-2027 ‘to make Europe a magnet for researchers,’” [reported the Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/europe-us-science-funding-researchers-6a769e6d40c5127d59797e44a2470cfe?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). For decades, a driving force in America’s growth and prosperity has been that many foreign-born scientists end up making their homes – and launching companies – here. Forty-four percent of America’s billion-dollar startups were founded by people born outside the U.S., [found Stanford University’s Venture Capital Initiative](https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/foreign-born-entrepreneurs-drive-americas-unicorn-boom-strebulaev-stanford/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). It’s taken just four months, but Donald Trump has done incalculable damage to the U.S.’ standing as the globe’s top destination for scientists. NREL [hosts scientists from more than 70 countries](https://www.nrel.gov/careers/visas-immigration?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). I worry many of them may now decide to continue their careers outside the U.S. And for that, America would be immeasurably poorer. ### What I’m reading: Gas stoves increase cancer risk, California new construction going all-electric, balcony solar coming to the U.S., and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-gas-stoves-increase-cancer-risk-california-new-construction-going-all-electric-balcony-solar-coming-to-the-u-s-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-05-23T18:28:12.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Ahead of the long Memorial Day weekend, here is another roundup of highlights from what I've been reading. Thanks, as ever, for reading and subscribing. **Gas stoves increase cancer risk** New research reinforces why I am so determined to replace all the fossil gas-burning appliances in my home. “Gas stoves increase the chances of getting cancer, with nearly double the risk for kids than for adults. That’s the stark top-line finding of [a recent study](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389425009021?via%3Dihub&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by a team of researchers from Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley; and other organizations,” Alison Takemura [reported for Canary Media last week](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/fossil-fuels/gas-stoves-cancer-kids-risk?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). She added: “The study builds on prior work by the group that [found that gas stoves emit benzene](https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.2c09289?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a potent carcinogen also found in secondhand cigarette smoke – even when the cooking appliances are turned off.” “The only way to eliminate the exposure is to replace a gas or propane stove with a non-emitting induction or other electric stove,” Rob Jackson, senior author of the study and Earth systems professor at Stanford, told Takemura. That’s just what I plan to do in my home. After installing an [air-source heat pump](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/) and [heat pump water heater](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/taking-the-emergency-out-of-water-heater-replacement-and-slashing-emissions/) 18 months ago, just one gas-burning appliance remains – the cooktop in the kitchen – which I’m soon replacing with an electric induction model. Look for more on my journey to an all-electric home in the coming weeks. **California new construction going all-electric** Removing gas-burning appliances from my California home has required time, investment, and persistence. But in California, developers of new buildings are increasingly opting to go all-electric from the start. At an electrification summit held recently in Sacramento, California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild noted that more than 80% of new construction in the state is all-electric. “Eighty-one percent of residential line extension requests by builders to PG&E \[Pacific Gas and Electric\] and SDG&E \[San Diego Gas and Electric\] were electric-only, with 75 percent of commercial line extension requests also electric-only. Together, 80 percent of residential, commercial, and mixed-use building line extension requests by builders to PG&E and SDG&E were electric-only,” the energy commission’s media team wrote in a April 15 [blog post](https://www.calenergyblog.com/post/cec-s-electrification-summit-builds-clean-energy-partnerships-among-policy-leaders-manufacturers-a?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **UK may require solar car parks** In my last roundup, I mentioned that the UK’s Labour government would [soon release rules requiring solar to be installed atop new homes](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-trumps-guarantee-for-fossil-fuel-projects-uk-solar-home-mandate-worlds-largest-electric-ferry-and-more/#:~:text=Solar%20panels%20to%20be%20mandatory%20for%20new%20homes%20in%20England). It may do the same for car parks, too, [according to The Times’ Adam Vaughan](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/environment/article/every-new-car-park-may-have-to-be-covered-with-solar-panels-tv90h3jmz?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Solar panels could be mandated on top of new car parks across England, Wales and Northern Ireland under plans being considered by ministers,” he writes. France already adopted rules requiring small car parks to install solar panels by July 2026 and two years later for large car parks. “Officials are also exploring whether electric vehicle drivers could benefit from cheaper charging rates at car parks fitted with solar power. The government is primarily looking at new car parks but is mulling over whether to extend the proposal to existing ones as well,” writes Vaughan. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Balcony solar coming to the U.S.?** So-called “balcony solar,” typically small one- or two-panel photovoltaic systems that can be installed and plugged in on an apartment balcony, is a fast-growing phenomenon in Europe. In Germany, [more than 700,000](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-doubles-number-solar-balcony-power-plants-start-2024-agency?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) balcony solar power plants, with a combined capacity of 600 megawatts, had been installed as of October 2024, according to Clean Energy Wire. In April of that year, Germany’s electricity grid regulator simplified processes enabling tenants and homeowners to register and install new balcony solar power plants up to 800 watts. A quarter of Germans say they [already have or plan to install one of the systems](https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/quarter-germans-want-solar-systems-their-balcony-or-garden-survey?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on their balcony or in a garden, according to a survey published earlier this month. Will balcony solar take off U.S.? Perhaps. In Utah, Governor Spencer Cox (R) signed legislation ([HB 340](https://le.utah.gov/~2025/bills/static/HB0340.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) on March 25 that [permits “small portable solar generation devices”](https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/03/05/balcony-solar-gains-unanimous-bipartisan-support-in-utah/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with a capacity of 1.2 kilowatts or smaller to plug directly into a standard 120-volt wall socket, without an interconnection application, provided all hardware complies with electrical certification standards. And in California, [Bright Saver](https://www.brightsaver.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a San Francisco-based non-profit, began installations of its small, plug-in solar systems for early adopters in the greater San Francisco Bay Area last month, [reported PV Magazine’s John Fitzgerald Weaver](https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/04/25/balcony-solar-comes-to-california/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “By framing their system as an appliance rather than a construction project, the nonprofit has successfully worked with cities such as Berkeley and San Mateo to bypass permitting requirements,” writes Weaver. “If you can place it like a TV or washing machine and just plug it in, most cities agree it doesn't need a permit,” Bright Saver co-founder Rupert Mayer told him. ![Bright Saver's plug-in solar system.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-21-163502.png) [Credit](https://www.brightsaver.org/projects-7?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): Bright Saver. **Have China’s emissions peaked?** When will China’s greenhouse gas emissions peak? And how quickly can the government force emissions down from there? We *may* have an answer to the first question. “For the first time, the growth in China’s clean power generation has caused the nation’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to fall despite rapid power demand growth,” Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, writes in an [analysis](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-clean-energy-just-put-chinas-co2-emissions-into-reverse-for-first-time/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published for Carbon Brief last week. “China’s emissions were down 1.6% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025 and by 1% in the latest 12 months. Electricity supply from new wind, solar and nuclear capacity was enough to cut coal-power output even as demand surged, whereas previous falls were due to weak growth,” he writes. “The analysis, based on official figures and commercial data, shows that China’s CO2 emissions have now been stable, or falling, for more than a year.” But Myllyvirta adds an important caveat: China’s emissions “remain only 1% below the latest peak, implying that any short-term jump could cause China’s CO2 emissions to rise to a new record.” So, some good news, but let’s watch to see if the trend holds through 2025 and beyond. **Electric mobility rolls on** Despite persistent, ill-informed reporting to the contrary, the transition to electric vehicles is building momentum across the globe. The new edition of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) annual Global EV Outlook [finds](https://www.iea.org/news/more-than-1-in-4-cars-sold-worldwide-this-year-is-set-to-be-electric-as-ev-sales-continue-to-grow?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that EVs’ share of the global car market exceeded 20% for the first time in 2024. “And in the first three months of 2025, electric car sales were up 35% year-on-year. All major markets, and many others, saw new records for first-quarter sales,” according to the IEA. “Despite significant uncertainties, electric cars’ market share is on course to exceed 40% by 2030 as they become increasingly affordable in more markets.” EVs’ increasing affordability makes it easier to justify making the switch even in industrial settings such as [ports](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/game-changing-epa-grant-fast-tracks-decarbonization-at-the-port-of-oakland/). Global terminal operator SSA Marine recently converted its entire fleet of forklifts at a berth at the Port of Los Angeles from propane to electric models – “making it the company’s first terminal to run 100% zero-emissions cargo handling equipment,” Electrek’s Michelle Lewis [reported earlier this month](https://electrek.co/2025/05/07/port-of-la-terminal-just-ditched-all-propane-forklifts-for-electric/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Also, at the Port of Los Angeles, Torrance, California-based startup [Arc Boat Company](https://arcboats.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) plans to retrofit a 26-foot-long tugboat with lithium-ion battery packs and a 600-horsepower drivetrain, the Los Angeles Times’ Caroline Petrow-Cohen [reported last week](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-05-14/arc-electric-boats-at-port-of-la?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The vessel will be the first zero-emission tug to support operations at the Port of Los Angeles, Arc told Petrow-Cohen. **Bonus 1:** **A matchmaking service for USAID’s life-saving work** The wanton destruction of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) by DOGE minions acting in Donald Trump’s name stains the American conscience. But in the wake of so much needless pain and misery – we may never know how many people will die because USAID’s vital overseas work was interrupted – good-hearted Americans have stepped forward to try to limit the damage. Caitlin Tulloch is one of them. Formerly an economist at USAID, she was let go and reinstated multiple times by the agency during the DOGE-led tumult before ultimately resigning. “It was around that time that she and several colleagues, some of whom had been laid off, went on to create a special kind of matchmaking service,” NPR’s Ari Daniel [reported earlier this month](https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/05/13/nx-s1-5379905/a-matchmaking-service-with-a-twist-connecting-big-givers-to-programs-cut-by-usaid?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “They call themselves [Project Resource Optimization](https://proimpact.tools/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (PRO). The idea was simple – out of the ashes of the dismantling of much of U.S. foreign assistance, Tulloch and her team would guide philanthropists who want to help but are uncertain how to do so. They would offer advice on where to invest their money for the biggest impact,” writes Daniel. If Donald Trump and Elon Musk exemplify America at its worst, Caitlin Tulloch and her PRO collaborators represent America at its best. **Bonus 2: Teaching an endangered ibis to migrate** More inspiration. The New Yorker’s Nick Paumgarten recently embedded with a group of mostly Austrian and German scientists and volunteers, led by pilot Johannes Fritz, that is working to save the endangered northern bald ibis. Each year, the team teaches a flock of juveniles how to migrate 1,700 miles from Germany to the ibis’ wintering grounds on the southern coast of Spain. Here’s how Paumgarten [beautifully set the scene](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/02/17/the-long-flight-to-teach-an-endangered-ibis-species-to-migrate?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): “Our devastation of nature is so deep and vast that to reverse its effects, on any front, often entails efforts that are so painstaking and quixotic as to border on the ridiculous. Condor or cod, grassland or glacier: we do what we can, but the holes in the dyke outnumber the available thumbs. Fritz’s microlight brings to mind Noah’s ark, except that it has room for only one niche victim of our age of extinction. The commitment, ingenuity, and sacrifice required to try to save just this one species demonstrate how dire the situation has become, and yet the undertaking also reflects a stubborn hope that’s every bit as human as the tendency to destroy. Fervor in the face of futility: what other choice do we have? That’s the idea behind Fritz’s northern-bald-ibis project, anyway. This is what it takes, so let’s get to it.” **Bonus 3: A tribute to Tony Gwynn** I am a lifelong San Diego Padres fan. And Mr. Padre, Tony Gwynn, will always be my favorite baseball player. Had his life not been cut short by cancer, Gwynn would have turned 65 this month. To mark Gwynn’s birthday, The Athletic’s Tyler Kepner [published a moving tribute to and remembrance of the Hall of Famer](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6342757/2025/05/09/tony-gwynn-tribute-derek-jeter-advice-sliders/?campaign=13417673&source=athletic%5Fthewindup%5Fnewsletter&userId=20126986). Gwynn was unfailingly generous and humble. I remember him patiently signing every baseball or notebook for the young fans – including my brother and I – who lined up for his autograph before or after games at the Padres' Spring Training complex in Arizona. But there was nothing modest about his accomplishments on – and off – the field, writes Kepner: “Gwynn won eight batting titles in 20 seasons while collecting 3,141 hits. He could have gone 0-for-1,000 after he retired and still hit .305 – higher than the hit king, Pete Rose. Gwynn’s .338 career average is the best of anyone who spent his entire career in the integrated major leagues. Wade Boggs and Rod Carew are tied for second, 10 points behind the master. Gwynn hit .397 (50-for-126) off Greg Maddux and Pedro Martínez, with no strikeouts. John Smoltz fanned him once while giving up a .462 average (30-for-65). Gwynn owned almost everybody: forkballers (Hideo Nomo, .560), knuckleballers (Tom Candiotti, .422), Cy Young Award winners (Doug Drabek, .469), World Series MVPs (Curt Schilling, .390), Leiter brothers (Al and Mark, .452) – on and on and on. The best of Gwynn, on the field and off, was about as special as anything we’ve ever seen.” ### Chris Wright is allowing the Department of Energy to be dismantled before his eyes URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/chris-wright-is-allowing-the-department-of-energy-to-be-dismantled-before-his-eyes/ Last updated: 2025-05-15T12:30:04.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Chris Wright wasn’t the worst choice Donald Trump could have made to lead the U.S. Department of Energy. [National](https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2024/11/sierra-club-statement-nomination-oil-and-fracked-gas-ceo-chris-wright-energy?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [environmental](https://www.lcv.org/media-center/lcv-urges-senators-to-oppose-fracking-ceo-chris-wrights-nomination-to-serve-as-secretary-of-energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [groups](https://earthjustice.org/press/2024/earthjustice-statement-on-nomination-of-chris-wright-to-lead-energy-department?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) opposed Wright’s nomination, to be sure. But energy industry players were cautiously optimistic that Wright – who [studied at UC Berkeley and MIT](https://www.energy.gov/person/chris-wright?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and led a company involved in shale oil and gas development but also enhanced geothermal energy exploration – was open to supporting all forms of energy. Climate hawk and clean energy champion Martin Heinrich, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, was willing to give Wright the benefit of the doubt. “While I do not agree with Mr. Wright on a number of issues, he has committed to working with us in good faith to continue investing in our national labs in New Mexico and across the country, accelerating transmission infrastructure to meet our nation’s skyrocketing demand for clean power, and, most importantly, upholding the law and implementing Congress' vision,” said Heinrich in a January 23 [statement](https://www.energy.senate.gov/2025/1/heinrich-statement-in-support-of-wright-nominee-for-energy-secretary?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) explaining his vote to confirm Wright. For his part, Wright tried to reassure skeptical senators he was committed to expanding U.S. energy production and to reducing costs. “The security of our nation begins with energy. Previous administrations have viewed energy as a liability instead of the immense national asset that it is. To compete globally, we must expand energy production, including commercial nuclear and liquified natural gas, and cut the cost of energy,” he said in an [opening statement](https://www.energy.senate.gov/services/files/2099895A-A14F-4550-8254-9561F15C1B04?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy Committee on January 15. **The DOGE onslaught** But that was before representatives from Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) entered the Department of Energy’s (DOE) headquarters and proceeded to slash and burn their way through the department’s workforce. Thousands of DOE employees have either been fired or made to feel so unwelcome that they have accepted deferred resignation or early retirement offers – White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought has succeeded in his quest “[to put them in trauma](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBH9TmeJN%5FM&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com).” The department’s ranks are now so depleted that political leaders at the agency have resorted to [asking departing staffers to stay](https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/the-end-of-doe-as-we-know-it/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=However%2C%20the%20pressure,to%2Doffice%20requirements.) lest [no one be left to run offices and programs](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/musks-doge-wrecking-ball-could-topple-trumps-energy-dominance-agenda/). And despite any assurances Wright may have given Sen. Heinrich, DOE’s national laboratory network was not spared from DOGE layoffs. “We must protect and accelerate the work of the Department’s national laboratory network to secure America’s competitive edge and its security. I commit to working with Congress on the important missions of the national laboratories,” Wright had pledged at his confirmation hearing. Nevertheless, 114 researchers and scientists [were fired at the network’s crown jewel](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/05/donald-trump-doge-layoffs-national-renewable-energy-laboratory-nrel/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, on May 5. Meanwhile, this week Wright [announced](https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-slashes-47-burdensome-and-costly-regulations-delivering-first-milestone?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) an unprecedently aggressive plan to roll back 47 regulations that had established energy and water efficiency standards for dozens of consumer appliances. “While it would normally take years for the Department of Energy to remove just a handful of regulations, the Trump Administration assembled a team working around the clock to reduce costs and deliver results for the American people in just over 110 days,” Wright boasted in a May 12 press release. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Wright is not calling the shots** So, what’s going on? According to sources inside the department who have spoken with Latitude Media reporter Maeve Allsup, Wright is not the one calling the shots. Allsup’s [reporting](https://www.latitudemedia.com/authors/maeve-allsup/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on the chaos, upheaval, and uncertainty at DOE since DOGE’s “[hostile takeover](https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/the-end-of-doe-as-we-know-it/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Employees%20across%20agency%20offices%2C%20speaking%20to%20Latitude%20Media%20on%20the%20condition%20of%20anonymity%2C%20have%20described%20the%20last%20few%20weeks%20at%20DOE%20as%20being%20%E2%80%9Cdemoralizing%2C%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%9Csad%2C%E2%80%9D%20and%20like%20%E2%80%9Ca%20hostile%20takeover.%E2%80%9D)” is essential reading. “I don’t think people believe that Chris Wright is steering the ship here. Regardless of what he might want to do with the agency and its funding and its projects, there is no sense that he has the final say on pretty much anything,” Allsup said on the May 9 [episode](https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-circuit-fear-and-loathing-at-the-department-of-energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of Latitude Media’s “Open Circuit” podcast. She added: “People want to be hopeful. People that I’ve spoken with who are still at DOE and those who have left, really, really believe in the projects that they were working on and the impact that they could have. They believe in the mission of their offices, but I think there is some really heavy skepticism that any of that can happen in the next four years.” What – or who – else might explain the turmoil at DOE? Allsup and “Open Circuit” co-host [Katherine Hamilton](https://38northsolutions.com/team/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) see the [fingerprints of Russell Vought and Project 2025](https://www.eenews.net/articles/project-2025-seeps-into-doe-policy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – despite Trump’s many attempts during the 2024 presidential campaign to disavow the Heritage Foundation’s [government-slashing blueprint](https://www.mandateforleadership.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “So just for fun, I went back and reread the DOE section of Project 2025, and essentially everything that Chris Wright says, and he testified to the appropriations committee today, is directly from that,” said Hamilton, a former NREL employee, policy expert, and chair of the Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm 38 North Solutions. “When we started to see drafts come out of DOE, the first phase of how they planned to downsize, and they were categorizing certain offices as essential, nothing in those leaked drafts was a surprise to anyone who has read that DOE chapter of Project 2025, because that document explicitly calls for cutting offices like ARPA-E \[Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy\], OCED \[Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations\], GDO \[Grid Deployment Office\], EERE \[Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy\]. And at least in the early drafts that I saw, not a single one of the offices that Project 2025 recommends eliminating were named as essential offices under the new regime at DOE,” added Allsup. **Who’s in charge?** While it is normal for the White House to have the final say on policy priorities at federal agencies, Cabinet secretaries typically aren’t micromanaged. But in Trump 2.0, Cabinet secretaries appear to be play-acting being in charge, while the decisions that matter are made elsewhere – be it energy czar and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum [delegating the responsibility for his budget and workforce](https://www.eenews.net/articles/has-burgum-abdicated-his-authority-to-doge/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to a member of the DOGE team, or Pam Bondi [playing attorney general on TV](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/politics/pam-bondi-trump-justice-dept.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), while the real power at the Department of Justice rests with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. As for the Department of Energy, so many employees have left or been pushed out that [few will be left to implement](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/musks-doge-wrecking-ball-could-topple-trumps-energy-dominance-agenda/) Wright’s nine-point plan for DOE policy, which itself echoes Project 2025, as Energy Wire’s Christa Marshall [reported in February](https://www.eenews.net/articles/project-2025-seeps-into-doe-policy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Perhaps Wright would have been better off staying on to guide his former company, Liberty Energy. The [company’s market value has nearly halved](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/05/10/oil-price-energy-tariffs-trump/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=The%20market%20value,oil%20supply%20concerns.%E2%80%9D) since Trump was inaugurated. Considering the chaos caused by Wright's current boss’ tariff policies, Liberty might want its former CEO back at the helm. ### Is it time to repower the first wave of large solar projects? URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/is-it-time-to-repower-the-first-wave-of-large-solar-projects/ Last updated: 2025-05-08T19:12:38.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Solar is undergoing a hockey-stick growth spurt. Global solar deployment hit a record 597 gigawatts (GW) last year – a 33% increase over 2023, [according to a new SolarPower Europe report](https://www.solarpowereurope.org/press-releases/new-report-world-installed-600-gw-of-solar-in-2024-could-be-installing-1-tw-per-year-by-2030?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The past three years have seen especially rapid growth, but there is a long tail to the industry, with large-scale solar deployments starting to gain momentum around 2010\. Long enough ago that key equipment for legacy utility-scale projects – especially inverters – is reaching the end of its useful life. Is it time for the owners of these projects to borrow a page from the onshore wind industry’s playbook and consider repowering their assets? ![A new report from SolarPower Europe reveals that the world installed a record 597 GW of solar power in 2024 – a 33% surge over 2023. Credit: SolarPower Europe](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/05/GMO_Figure_1_f48c174c8b.png) [Credit](https://www.solarpowereurope.org/press-releases/new-report-world-installed-600-gw-of-solar-in-2024-could-be-installing-1-tw-per-year-by-2030?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): SolarPower Europe. **Time to repower?** On the May 2 [episode](https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-circuit-tariffs-equipment-delays-rising-costs/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of Latitude Media’s “Open Circuit” podcast, guest Michael Cembalest, chair of the market and investment strategy group for J.P. Morgan Asset and Wealth Management, was asked by co-host Stephen Lacey “how equipment shortages and rising costs are playing into the development of both renewables, storage, and gas.” “If the administration, when they claim that they’re \[primarily\] focused on excess consumption and they’re trying to not mess up intermediate business and supply chains, I don’t see any evidence of that because I see plenty of tariffs and other kinds of costs for the exact kind of capital goods that feed into the energy infrastructure,” replied Cembalest. Co-host Jigar Shah, the former director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office and founder of the pioneering solar energy company SunEdison, replied that President Trump’s tariffs could provide extra incentive for asset owners to repower their aging solar projects. “One of the arbitrages that I think is going to be fascinating over the next six years because of what you just said on the trade tariff piece is, I think, you’re going to find that Brookfield \[Renewable U.S.\] and NextEra \[Energy Resources\] are going to find that the most profitable thing for them to do is actually just repower their old solar sites that have 13% efficiency panels with 23% efficiency panels. Add four to five hours of battery storage and use the exact same interconnection point, but double the capacity factor from 25% to 50%." ![Silicon PV module technology has evolved rapidly over the last decade, including significant increases in module efficiency, making module repowering attractive. Credit: NREL.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/05/NREL_Presentation_Repowering_Panel-Efficiency.png) [Credit](https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy25osti/91745.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): NREL. What Shah referenced – “repowering” – is now commonplace in the onshore wind industry. Confronted with aging equipment but convinced that their investment can continue to make a profit, project owners decide either to replace components on individual turbines such as the blades, gearboxes, and hubs, or to replace the site’s turbines entirely with new more powerful models. Repowering can present project owners with a win-win opportunity: more power on the same footprint with fewer turbines, using an existing connection to the grid. [Onshore wind repowering](https://windexchange.energy.gov/end-of-service-guide?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) is already a gigawatt-scale business in the U.S. “To date, approximately 7 GW of onshore wind capacity has been fully repowered in the U.S., according to Wood Mackenzie, while an additional 12 GW has been partially repowered,” CNBC’s Bob Woods [reported last month](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/27/wind-power-trump-climate-change-energy-policy.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Solar repowering poised for a boom** What could this look like for the solar industry? “Many PV projects are undergoing the need for replacing components, especially given the greater efficiency of newer solar panels and the fact that inverters (which have an average normal useful life of 15 years) are in need of replacement,” a team at accounting and consulting firm CohnReznick [wrote last year](https://www.cohnreznick.com/insights/retrofitting-wind-solar-energy-property-key-considerations?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). For a frame of reference on the micro scale, think of the solar PV system you might have installed on your own roof. Three years ago, after almost exactly 15 years, the original inverter died for the rooftop solar PV system that came installed with my home. I swapped that 1.8-kilowatt (kW) system for a new 10-panel, 4.25-kW system outfitted with microinverters attached to each panel. Now imagine this same scenario but scaled up to include the large utility-scale solar projects built 15 years or longer ago. “According to projections by Wood Mackenzie, approximately 23 GW of U.S. solar – across residential, commercial, and utility scales – will approach this 15-year benchmark within the next five years. This means an average of 4.5 GW of PV projects will need new inverters every year until 2030\. Meanwhile, the PV panels and balance of plant have various useful lives with an average of 35 years,” wrote the CohnReznick team. One of the primary benefits of repowering is that the project owner has already secured an interconnection agreement with the grid operator. For new-build greenfield projects, permission to connect to the grid often requires a years-long wait. As of January 1 of this year, interconnection times for new energy projects range from 3.8 years in New England to *9.2 years* in California, [according to the analytics company Enverus](https://www.enverus.com/ebooks/2025-interconnection-queue/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **The path forward** Despite the significant potential, the near-term outlook for solar repowering is somewhat uncertain. Much depends on the fate of the Inflation Reduction Act’s federal clean energy tax credits as Republicans in Congress debate what provisions to include in their final budget reconciliation package in the coming weeks. And then there is the great unknown of what Trump will decide on any given day regarding the tariffs assessed against products, sectors, or countries. Meanwhile, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have been busy assessing the potential market. “Repowering often costs 80% of the total plant value. A repowered PV system is new in almost all respects and can leverage existing land-use, permitting, utility interconnections, and power purchase prices,” according to an analysis by a team of NREL researchers [published in 2021](https://www.nrel.gov/news/detail/program/2021/what-it-takes-to-realize-a-circular-economy-for-solar-photovoltaic-system-materials?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Repowering%20often%20costs%2080%25%20of%20the%20total%20plant%20value.%20A%20repowered%20PV%20system%20is%20new%20in%20almost%20all%20respects%20and%20can%20leverage%20existing%20land%2Duse%2C%20permitting%2C%20utility%20interconnections%2C%20and%20power%20purchase%20prices.). Another NREL team is now [undertaking a study](https://research-hub.nrel.gov/en/publications/sips-on-quotpv-repoweringquot-quantifying-the-impact-of-pv-system?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – scheduled to run through July of this year – to quantify the impact of PV system repowering on project economics, sustainability, and equity. In a [presentation](https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy25osti/91745.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) delivered for a webinar hosted by DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office last October, the research team shared insights gleaned from interviews with industry experts. “Interviewees have only seen repowering due to failures, to avoid violating contract agreements/PPAs,” wrote the researchers. “Otherwise, economically it hasn’t yet made sense, but owners have been actively looking for evaluations.” The researchers also cited potential barriers for solar repowering projects such as high re-engineering costs compared to greenfield projects, permitting hurdles, and required equipment upgrades, including “racking with changing module sizes, electrical changes that require recabling for higher power modules, and inverter changes to go from 600V to 1000V.” ### What I’m reading: Trump's guarantee for fossil fuel projects, UK solar home mandate, world's largest electric ferry, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-trumps-guarantee-for-fossil-fuel-projects-uk-solar-home-mandate-worlds-largest-electric-ferry-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-05-07T21:01:45.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* In my last roundup, I mentioned I was heading to the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) annual conference in Tempe, Arizona. I have a short dispatch from the conference at the end of this newsletter. Look for more from the conference in the coming weeks. Until then, here is another roundup of highlights from what I've been reading. **Trump administration floats paying oil, gas, and mining companies if the federal government halts projects** The Trump administration seems determined that the oil and gas industry players who backed Donald Trump’s re-election see a return on their investment. On Wednesday, the administration’s energy czar, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, said “the White House’s National Energy Dominance Council \[NEDC\] is mulling a plan to force the U.S. government to pay a penalty to energy companies if a president cancels fossil fuel or mining projects,” [reported Greenwire’s Heather Richards](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2025/04/30/burgum-wants-to-pay-fossil-companies-when-government-halts-projects-00318080?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The likely inspiration for Burgum’s proposal was the demise of the Keystone XL pipeline. President Joe Biden [revoked a key permit for the pipeline](https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/tracker/keystone-xl-pipeline/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on his first day in office. The pipeline developer canceled the project six months later in June 2021. "Future administrations should not be able to say, 'No, with the stroke of a pen we're going to kill this pipeline project,' even though that company has $3 billion in the ground,” Burgum said at the Hill and Valley Forum in Washington, D.C. "We're working on a plan at NEDC where we've got to have sovereign risk insurance – not against a foreign country but against our own.” Burgum continued: “If you put capital into a project that's related to fossil fuels or a project related to critical minerals and mining … if somebody comes along in the future administration with an executive order, if they want to wipe out what you've invested in, they've got \[to\] write you a check to pay you for your lost capital.” You might recall it was Burgum who just two weeks ago issued a stop-work order to do just what he described above – not for an oil or gas project – but for the $4.5 billion Empire Wind project off the coast of New York. I [covered Empire Wind’s now uncertain status in my last roundup](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-benefits-of-regional-transmission-trumps-assault-on-efficiency-standards-and-offshore-wind-and-more/#:~:text=Trump%20is%20serious%20about%20killing%20the%20U.S.%20offshore%20wind%20industry). The project had started at-sea construction only weeks before Burgum’s order. Now, no surprise, Equinor, the Norwegian energy giant that is building Empire Wind, is threatening legal action to save the project. “Anders Opedal, Equinor’s chief executive, called the stop order ‘unprecedented’ and ‘extraordinary’, adding that the Norwegian state-controlled company considered it ‘unlawful’. Equinor is seeking a meeting with the administration of US President Donald Trump after Norway’s finance minister Jens Stoltenberg raised the issue in Washington this month. But Opedal added: ‘We’re also considering legal options,’” the FT’s Malcolm Moore and Richard Milne [reported on Tuesday](https://www.ft.com/content/15557ca9-8531-4e03-8d74-9ef3166aeaac?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The Trump administration clearly isn’t bothered by a multi-billion-dollar energy project being killed by the federal government – as long as the project is not from one of its favored industries. **Solar panels to be mandatory for new homes in England** The UK’s Labour government will soon release rules requiring nearly all new homes to install solar panels. “Almost all new homes built in England would need to be fitted with solar panels as standard from 2027, under rules being drawn up by the government that would slash household energy bills by around £1,000 a year, according to reports,” BusinessGreen’s Michael Holder [reported on Thursday](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4413004/common-sense-decision-government-solar-panels-mandatory-homes-england?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). A similar measure [took effect in California in 2020](https://www.energysage.com/blog/an-overview-of-the-california-solar-mandate/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The rules are set to form part of the Future Homes Standard, which is expected to set out requirements for housebuilders that would cut carbon emissions from all new homes by 75 to 85 per cent compared to current regulations,” writes Holder. “In addition to requiring the installation of solar panels the standard is expected to effectively ban the installation of fossil gas boilers in new homes, providing a major boost to the [heat pump](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/) and [district heating](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-start-pruning-its-fossil-gas-network/) markets.” The rules are expected to add just under £4,000 ($5,324) to the cost of a new detached house. But homeowners would be able to recoup these additional costs within four years, according to an estimate from the MCS Foundation. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **World’s largest all-electric ferry launches in Australia** Ferries are ideally suited for electrification. The ships ply relatively short, fixed routes and the turnaround time between crossings provides time for charging. I [reported in a roundup last December](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-agrivoltaics-us-solar-boom-global-ev-deployment-and-california-dreaming/#:~:text=Closer%20to%20home,workforce%20development%20program.%E2%80%9D) that San Francisco Bay Area ferry operators had been awarded $55 million under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Ports Program to establish “the first zero-emissions fast ferry network in the country.” Now, a Tasmanian shipbuilder has announced the launch of the largest all-electric ferry built to date. “The world’s largest 100 per cent battery electric ship has been officially launched at a shipyard in Hobart and is *almost* ready for service in South American waters, where it will ferry up to 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles between Argentina and Uruguay,” [The Driven’s Sophie Vorrath reported today](https://thedriven.io/2025/05/02/this-ship-changes-the-game-worlds-largest-all-electric-ferry-launches-in-tasmania/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (emphasis in original). She added: “The vessel, originally intended to be fuelled by gas, will be equipped with over 250 tonnes of batteries and with an energy storage capacity of more than 40 megawatt-hours – four times larger than any previous maritime installation in the world.” “At 130 metres in length, Incat \[the Tasmanian ship builder\] claims the Hull 096 is not only the largest electric ship in the world, but also the largest electric vehicle of its kind ever built – and one of the most significant single export items in Australia’s manufacturing history,” writes Vorrath. **Climate and clean energy on the ballot in Australia** By the time you read this, we may know the outcome of Saturday’s national election in Australia. As in Canada, where Mark Carney’s Liberals just won another term in office, the center-left incumbent party is attempting to hold off a challenge from an opposition led by a Trump-like figure. In an [election preview](https://reneweconomy.com.au/labor-set-for-return-with-help-of-trump-and-musk-but-it-needs-dose-of-colour-from-teals-and-greens/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published today, Giles Parkinson, founder and editor of [Renew Economy](https://reneweconomy.com.au/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (your best source of news and analysis on Australia’s clean energy sector), argues that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party has earned the right to continue leading the country’s energy transition, while Peter Dutton’s hard-right Coalition should be kept out of power at all costs. “On the issues of climate and energy, and many other issues such as environment, the federal Coalition is not fit to govern, because they have no respect for the science, economics or engineering, or the impact on future generations. The current team shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near ministerial offices,” writes Parkinson. He adds: “Australia needs at least another three years to sort out, lock in, and accelerate its transition to green energy and to put some steel into its climate policies, which are still well short of what is needed to address the science.” “A minority Labor government, guided by clear, informed consideration of policy, respecting the science, and seizing the economic opportunities of the green energy transition – rather than backroom politics – is really the only hope for the country, and the generations to come,” concludes Parkinson. **Bonus: What it takes to operate a nuclear reactor** I’ve written about and reported on the energy industry for 20 years. But until last week, I had never visited a nuclear power plant. On a day-long field tour led by Inside Climate News’ Martha Pskowski, me and about 40 other journalists and other SEJ conference attendees visited the Palo Verde Generating Station, which is located about 55 miles west of downtown Phoenix. The plant’s three reactors, which came online in the mid-1980s, together have a capacity of 4,000 megawatts. The tour left a lasting impression – and I’ll write more about it later – but to start, I wanted to share just one of the day’s takeaways that stuck with me: what it takes to operate a nuclear reactor. Nuclear reactor control room operator is one of the most demanding jobs we ask any public servant to perform. And the rigorous training required for the job befits the role’s life-and-death responsibilities. ![ Inside the simulation center at the Palo Verde Generating Station.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/05/IMG_20250424_141922664.jpg) Inside the simulation center at the Palo Verde Generating Station. Credit: Justin Gerdes. In a simulator that is an exact replica of each of Palo Verde’s three reactor control rooms, the plant’s lead trainer told my group it takes 18 months of training before a prospective control room operator can be certified to work in a live reactor. And even after the operator has been certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), operators return to the simulator for a week of training *every five weeks*. The training requires a substantial investment. On the bus heading back towards Phoenix, a Palo Verde spokesperson told me it costs Arizona Public Service, the large investor-owned electric utility that runs the plant, $2 million to train each operator to achieve his or her NRC certification. With so much invested in each operator, the plant doesn’t take any chances when it comes to issues that may compromise the operator’s ability to perform his or her duties. If you get a speeding ticket off duty, the plant will know about it, the lead trainer told us. Likewise, if you are taking a prescription medication, the plant will ask you about it. A life in journalism has its drawbacks, to be sure. There is the ever-present threat of layoffs, the low pay, and the crisis of the public’s fleeting attention span. But it has its perks, too. As a journalist, I’ve climbed to the top of a wind turbine on the Danish island of Samsø, I’ve toured offshore wind farms, autonomous vehicle test tracks, and factories that produce wind turbine blades, solar panels, and electric vehicles. And now, I’ve toured a nuclear power plant, too. ### The tribal-led push to build clean energy projects in Indian Country URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/the-tribal-led-push-to-build-clean-energy-projects-in-indian-country/ Last updated: 2025-04-23T14:43:10.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Tribal lands cover 2% of the United States but account for an estimated 5% of the country’s renewable energy resources. A knotted tangle of bureaucracy, infrastructure, and tax impediments have held back tribes’ ability to harness the [bountiful renewable energy potential on their lands](https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy13osti/57748.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Among the non-governmental organizations that have worked to empower tribes to build their own clean energy projects is the Oakland, California-based non-profit [GRID Alternatives](https://gridalternatives.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). GRID’s [National Tribal Program](https://gridalternatives.org/what-we-do/tribal-program?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) dates to 2010, with the installation of its first tribal project in California. Earlier this month, GRID announced it had spun off its tribal program as an independent entity called [Tribal Energy Alternatives](https://www.tribalalternatives.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (TEA). The new organization is GRID’s first Native-led affiliate. I recently spoke with Tanksi Clairmont, TEA’s co-executive director, about the launch of the new organization and its plans for the coming months. Clairmont joined GRID Alternatives in 2019 to develop the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund, a grant-making program launched with seed funding from the Wells Fargo Foundation. She is based in Bismarck, North Dakota, while the rest of the Tribal Energy Alternatives team is spread across a dozen states. Clairmont noted that her organization will release a notice this week for tribes in six Western states to apply for funding made available under the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Solar for All (SFA) program. “This is a really good opportunity for us to uplift and showcase exactly what Solar for All can do for tribes,” she told me. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. **Tell me about the decision to launch Tribal Energy Alternatives as a stand-alone initiative. Why was it time to spin the project off from GRID Alternatives?** Since 2010 we have supported or partnered and worked with up to 85 tribes. That includes a lot of tribes in California, because we do have a number of regional offices in that area, but also in the Plains area and in the Southwest. There's been an increased demand from tribes requesting technical assistance. It looks different in different regions, but it's about planning and development of solar infrastructure. It's also meeting [workforce development](https://www.tribalalternatives.org/workforce-development/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) opportunities and needs, and the financial assistance that tribes often need to develop those smaller-scale projects that often get the community to buy into what this new technology can bring to the tribe. We have a lot of really bright and talented native professionals that are leading a lot of our programmatic areas. We have tribal folks that are leading our workforce development. We have tribal installers that come from different communities. We have a tribal policy director. All our director positions are tribal folks. It was really important to us that we invest in these professionals that come from the communities we serve. We already had a good framework at GRID to work as an independent affiliate office. There are affiliate offices in California, Colorado, and in Washington, D.C. We came up with a way that made sense for both programs, and being able to access more funding by being a tribal-led affiliate, by having a tribal board of directors. It's through that work that we're able to expand our services and perform our work through our own cultural experiences and lived experiences coming from these communities. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/04/Tanksi-Clairmont_Tribal-Energy-Alternatives.png) Tanksi Clairmont, co-executive director, Tribal Energy Alternatives. Credit: TEA. **News organizations continue to report that tribes are** [**unable to access grant funding**](https://www.npr.org/2025/04/14/nx-s1-5342539/federal-funding-freeze-halts-native-american-projects?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **authorized under the IRA because of the freeze ordered by the White House when President Trump took office. What are you hearing from tribes on the grant funding freeze and its impact on their energy projects, including those in the Solar for All program?** The Tribal Energy Alternatives federal program for [Solar for All](https://www.tribalalternatives.org/solar-for-all/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) is called the Western Indigenous Network (WIN). We are the lead organization on it and administer our own SFA grant. Our grant is fully open and operational. It was frozen for a short period of time and has been opened back up. We are under the impression from our policy experts and our legal counsel at GRID that things are looking really positive for the grant to remain funded through its original life cycle of five years. But of course, there's a lot of uncertainty, so we're just trying to keep the work moving, and continue the work plan activities as usual. We're planning to release our pilot-based application to tribes on April 25\. We've been preparing the last couple of months to develop a funding application to do a pilot project in the six-state region that our WIN-SFA grant covers. This is a really good opportunity for us to uplift and showcase exactly what Solar for All can do for tribes in this uncertain time that we're going through with the administration. We know of multiple organizations who maybe were CCIA \[[Clean Communities Investment Accelerator](https://www.epa.gov/greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund/clean-communities-investment-accelerator?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)\] or NCIF \[[National Clean Investment Fund](https://www.epa.gov/greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund/national-clean-investment-fund?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)\] awardees that got their grants cancelled. A lot of this funding was meant to build capacity and projects for tribes. We're aware that a lot of those organizations that receive that type of funding are having to shift their plans and so that will impact tribes. We're also aware there are some other federal agency grants, like Department of Energy Indian energy grants, which are in a freeze right now that are also impacting tribes. But our Solar for All award and funding is open, so we're trying to really fast track a lot of this work, just to show that the need is still there – will always be there – for tribes that want to develop their own renewable energy infrastructure. Which, in turn, will reflect that energy resilience and energy sovereignty are important to tribes. We're in the process of ensuring that the funding gets out there, and tribes are aware of it. We have really strong relationships due to the years that our National Tribal Program and Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund have been partnering and supporting tribes. Tribes that are already developing renewable energy at a faster pace than others are really good examples for replicable types of projects for tribes wanting to build their first project with Solar for All funds. We have a good track record of working with tribal housing authorities. That is one of the most impactful ways that overall funding can be used. We monitor policy or new orders that are coming out. We have a really robust policy team at GRID Alternatives. Within Tribal Energy Alternatives, we have our own policy director. We have a couple of coalition partners that have experts in the federal policy space, and so we lean into a lot of those folks to understand the current climate but that hasn't stopped a lot of our climate activities so far. **Speaking of the IRA, have the direct-pay provisions of the law made it easier to build clean energy projects on tribal lands?** That [direct-pay provision](https://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IRA-Direct-Pay-for-Tribes%5FFinal.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) was essential for tribes to be able to access the [Investment Tax Credit](https://seia.org/solar-investment-tax-credit/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (ITC). Without the direct-pay provision, tribes would be stuck without a mechanism to receive those benefits, because [we don't have tax liability](https://www.irs.gov/government-entities/indian-tribal-governments/faqs-for-indian-tribal-governments-regarding-status-of-tribes-taxable-vs-nontaxable-vs-not-subject-to-tax?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). It is crucial to funding projects and having access to capital for other energy-related efforts through our Western Indigenous Network-SFA work plan. The project pricing directly takes into account the use and the benefits of the ITC. We plan on providing technical assistance to tribes that are applying for and receiving ITC funding through the direct-pay provisions. We have a lot of folks in our coalition network and our own staff who are dedicating a lot of time to make it as easy as possible for tribes to apply for that ITC. **When I first reported on tribal energy, starting almost 15 years ago, I often heard that barriers such as bureaucracy, lack of transmission, and tax disincentives were holding back clean energy projects on tribal lands. There have been attempts by the federal government since then to remove some of those hurdles – for example, President Obama established the** [**Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs**](https://www.energy.gov/indianenergy/office-indian-energy-policy-and-programs?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **at the Department of Energy. Has there been progress in overcoming these barriers?** That's a great question. Tribal-led energy organizations like ours are still thankful to the Obama administration for having the foresight to develop a new federal agency like the DOE Office of Indian Energy. It has always appointed a federally recognized tribal member to run that office and work with the tribes. From building that type of office comes things like direct pay; that's a huge win for Indian Country. We're going to see more tribes taking advantage of financial incentives like that. And so, the Office of Indian Energy was a step in the right direction. Some of the executive orders that are concerning now are around critical mineral development, drilling, and the coal industries that often harm tribal nations. Historically, Indian Country has had land with resources that different federal administrations want to access. Through the Office of Indian Energy, they're on the front lines of being able to be more protective of those resources, to consult with tribal nations. That's one huge benefit; that consultation piece is what tribes ask for. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **What do lawmakers and policymakers still need to fix? Do you have suggestions to make it easier to build clean energy projects on tribal land?** We know that this administration is presenting several barriers to solar development. There's still a little bit of uncertainty about the Investor Tax Credit and the upcoming federal budget. So now, more than ever, state governments will have to be good partners to tribal nations. That's one, and this is mutually beneficial. Clean energy projects built on tribal land will help states in energy generation and their energy goals and in developing their renewable portfolio standards. We still don't see enabling legislation for community solar in every state. That can impact tribes and the policies adopted by investor-owned utilities that are usually overseen by state public utility commissions. Those influence the whole ecosystem of electric service providers in a state. **Far too many tribal households either do not have reliable access to electricity or have no access to electricity at all. What must be done to achieve universal access to reliable clean electricity on tribal lands?** I wish there was a one-size type of solution to this, but I think it comes down to certain programs, let's say, like the DOE energy loan program, or other loan servicers, like CDFI \[[Community Development Financial Institutions Fund](https://www.cdfifund.gov/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)\] or [Native CDFI](https://nativecdfi.net/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) really seeing the value in investing in renewable energy. Of course, I want to talk about solar and developing large-scale solar systems with that very low-cost loan, so the tribe will be able to see and feel and reap the financial savings so they can pay off their loan and develop more energy with larger systems that are interconnected with homes across tribal land. It's really about those savings and then flipping those savings again into developing additional renewable energy projects. You just keep stacking those benefits and those savings. That's how I see it is just being able to continue to develop these projects so that you can continue to save but then pay off those low-cost loans. Continuing to develop that energy and those savings is where we're going to see at least some universal access to having electricity in your home. Of course, there's other [electrification efforts](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/) that need to happen, too. But one tangible solution would just be to take advantage of low-cost loans and continue to develop projects, because you're saving more and more money for the tribe. If we develop larger projects for tribal housing authorities across Indian Country that would save millions of dollars. **What will TEA focus on in the coming months? Are there any new initiatives and projects my readers should know about?** Through our WIN-SFA program, we're going to be able to offer pilot project funding – again, that's opening up in a few days – that's going to be deploying some technical and financial assistance for residential projects. We anticipate that our staff is going to be engaging with tribes in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and California. In collaboration with tribes in these states, we expect to deploy about 250 solar systems, on 250 households. We're hoping to achieve a minimum 20% household energy savings. We continue to offer a full implementation model of services. We have our own policy work, our own workforce development and educational training programs. We're looking to continue to enhance and strengthen a lot of our existing programs so that we can serve more tribal energy leaders. We have a [fellowship program](https://www.tribalalternatives.org/fellowships/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). We have something called the [Tribal Energy Associates](https://www.tribalalternatives.org/tribal-energy-associates/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) program. All of these are created to meet the interest level, from very beginner, novice, to folks that are doing a lot of their energy planning in their own community. We're also looking to work with a lot more tribal colleges this year, particularly in the Midwest through a different partnership with [MTERA](https://www.mtera.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) \[Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association\]. We're going to be expanding in that area and developing some renewable energy curriculum based on our [installation basics training](https://www.tribalalternatives.org/installation-basics-training/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). That's a certified curriculum that GRID has developed over the years, but through Tribal Energy Alternatives we offer it in a shorter, more condensed form, and you'll still receive those credentials. ### What I’m reading: Benefits of regional transmission, Trump's assault on efficiency standards and offshore wind, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-benefits-of-regional-transmission-trumps-assault-on-efficiency-standards-and-offshore-wind-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-04-18T21:52:27.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Coming next week, I'll publish a conversation with a leader in the push to develop clean energy projects on tribal lands. I'll also be traveling to Tempe, Arizona, to attend the [annual conference](https://conference.sej.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of the Society of Environmental Journalists. So, be watching for dispatches from the conference as well. Until then, here is another roundup of highlights from what I've been reading. Enjoy! **Regional transmission is worth the investment** Experts agree the U.S. must build new transmission lines across regions to achieve a zero-carbon power grid. Doing so will be expensive. But will the economic benefits of the new transmission infrastructure outweigh the investments needed to build it? Yes, finds a new working paper published by a team of researchers at the University of Michigan. “The bottom-line number in the paper is $4 billion. That is, the paper calculates that increased interregional transmission would reduce U.S. generation costs by over $4 billion annually,” writes Lucas Davis in a [post](https://energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/04/07/winners-and-losers-from-interregional-transmission/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at the blog of the Energy Institute at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Davis is a professor at the Haas School and a faculty affiliate at its Energy Institute. The paper also measures the impact of increased interregional transmission for individual power plants (see map below), with economic winners (green) located mostly in the interior and economic losers (yellow and red) located on the coasts. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/04/Haas-Energy-Institute_Map.png) “Why is it so hard to build interregional transmission? The paper offers a compelling and I think highly credible explanation,” writes Davis. “It stands to reason, then, that incumbents in these regions would have incentives to delay or even block the development of new long-distance lines,” write the authors of the paper. “The paper strengthens the argument for enhanced federal authority for transmission. Increased transmission capacity creates economic benefits that are widely diffused across regions, and a federal authority can take these ‘public good’ characteristics into account when evaluating projects in a way that individual entities are not incentivized to do. FERC \[Federal Energy Regulatory Commission\] has long been the central authority for natural gas pipelines, and a [similar approach could be adopted](https://epic.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Decarbonizing-the-U.S.-Economy-with-a-National-Grid.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with electricity transmission,” concludes Davis. **As Trump pushes the U.S. backwards on energy efficiency, China races ahead** I argued in a recent column that [President Trump is governing as if rising costs don’t matter](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-war-on-energy-efficiency-will-raise-costs-and-hurt-consumers/). To bolster my case, I cited Trump’s determination to roll back energy efficiency standards for a range of household appliances and products. Now, rather than attempt to weaken or rescind the standards established during the Biden administration via the regulatory process under the law, the Trump administration may simply try to kill the federal government’s ability to develop the standards at all. “With the aid of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team, Trump appears to be attempting an end run that could succeed where his past attempts failed: by simply terminating the consulting contract that the Department of Energy relies on to develop and enforce the rules,” ProPublica’s Peter Elkind [reported last week](https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-showerheads-appliances-led-lights-regulation-energy-department-chaos?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “In late March, DOGE’s ‘wall of receipts’ stated that it had ‘deleted’ a Department of Energy contract for Guidehouse LLP (a PricewaterhouseCoopers spinoff) for ‘Appliance Standards Analysis and Regulatory Support Service,’ producing a listed savings of $247,603,000\. That item has now disappeared from the DOGE website, and its current status remains unclear,” he added. Meanwhile, China is pushing for faster adoption of [heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/), with the government implementing a 2030 target to increase the energy efficiency of key products by more than 20%, according to a government [action plan](https://www.ndrc.gov.cn/xxgk/zcfb/tz/202504/t20250402%5F1396954.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) released on April 2. “The new action plan outlines efforts to encourage expanded heat pump adoption, including use in public buildings such as schools and hospitals, as well as in the industrial, agricultural, and transport sectors,” Jiang Mengnan [reported at Dialogue Earth last week](https://dialogue.earth/en/digest/china-furthers-push-for-heat-pumps/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Several regions in northern China are already incorporating heat pumps into their clean heating policies. During last year’s heating season, [Beijing](http://www.moa.gov.cn/xw/qg/202411/t20241119%5F6466461.htm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) offered subsidies covering 40% of the cost, capped at CNY 6,000 (USD 816) per household, for residents in rural villages to upgrade to low-temperature air-source heat pump water heaters meeting specific performance standards,” she added. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Trump is serious about killing the U.S. offshore wind industry** When the White House released Donald Trump’s Day 1 presidential memorandum targeting the offshore wind industry, most observers believed the memo would apply to future projects, and to existing projects still in the permitting phase, but not to projects already under construction. This week, we learned that even projects under construction will not be spared from Trump’s antipathy for wind turbines. On Wednesday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum [issued a memorandum](https://bsky.app/profile/allisonwgood.bsky.social/post/3lmxgn533yk2v?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) directing the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to “order Empire Wind to cease all construction activities on the Empire Wind Project.” Burgum’s memo alleged that “staff of the Department of the Interior has obtained information that raises serious issues with respect to the project approvals for the Empire Wind Project." Empire Wind is being built by the Norwegian energy giant Equinor in waters 15-30 miles southeast of Long Island. The [project’s first phase](https://www.empirewind.com/ew-1/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (810 megawatts) was [already under construction at sea](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/offshore-wind/empire-wind-construction-trump?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Construction on the project’s onshore support hub, the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, started in June 2024\. In all, more than 1,500 people were working to build the project. Equinor released a [statement](https://www.equinor.com/news/20250417-suspends-offshore-construction-activities-empire-wind?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) Thursday stating that it was suspending offshore construction on Empire Wind. Project backers were quick to denounce Burgum’s stop-work order. “Halting construction of fully permitted energy projects is the literal opposite of an energy abundance agenda,” said Jason Grumet, CEO, American Clean Power Association, in a [statement](https://cleanpower.org/news/acp-statement-on-offshore-wind-energy-stop-work-order/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Doubling back to reconsider permits after projects are under construction sends a chilling signal to all energy investment.” “As Governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand. I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) in [statement](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/statement-governor-kathy-hochul-74?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Equinor’s measured response also included a threat of legal action. “Empire is engaging with relevant authorities to clarify this matter and is considering its legal remedies, including appealing the order,” the company said in its April 17 statement. Anticipating that the Trump administration might resort to measures like this – issuing a stop-work order for an offshore wind farm already under construction – I argued recently that California's political leaders [needed to step up to protect the state’s fledgling offshore wind industry](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/wake-up-california-trump-is-coming-for-your-offshore-wind-industry/). **Biden was working to decarbonize cement, Trump has reversed course** Concrete is ubiquitous. Just about any large infrastructure project cannot be built without it. But the conventional methods used to produce cement, the binder that fixes concrete, are notoriously carbon intensive, responsible for about 8% of global CO2 emissions. Efforts to curb climate pollution from the sector are facing new political headwinds, Floodlight’s Ames Alexander [reported this week](https://floodlightnews.org/cement-is-a-climate-menace-under-trump-fixing-it-just-got-harder/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Moves to decarbonize the cement industry picked up speed during the administration of President Joe Biden, which channeled billions of dollars in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) money toward reducing the carbon footprint of concrete and other construction materials,” writes Alexander. “The Trump administration has reversed course. In January, the Environmental Protection Administration canceled 21 grants aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from concrete, cement and other construction materials, according to a spreadsheet compiled by The Sierra Club from EPA records.” “There's definitely concern that the momentum is broken,” Yong Kwon, senior campaign advisor for Sierra Club's Industrial Transformation Campaign, told Alexander. Floodlight’s Rosie Gillies flagged this story for me. Thank you, Rosie! **Caltrain’s electrified trains are healthier, too** In previous roundups, I’ve written about the incredibly successful electrification of the Caltrain commuter rail line that runs between San Francisco and San Jose. [Ridership has surged](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-marine-energy-electric-trains-and-buses-and-more/#:~:text=Riders%20love%20Caltrain%E2%80%99s%20new%20electric%20trains%3A) and the electrified train is [cheaper to operate](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-tracking-trumps-climate-rollbacks-nyc-congestion-pricing-building-back-better-in-la-and-more/#:~:text=Caltrain%E2%80%99s%20electrification%20wins%20continue%3A). It turns out the wins don’t stop there. The switch from diesel to electric trains last summer has also [significantly improved air quality on the trains and at the system’s stations](https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/04/16/electric-trains-are-quieter-more-reliable-than-diesel-new-study-finds-theyre-healthier-too/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). According to a [new UC Berkeley study](https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.4c01096?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published this week, “electrifying the system reduced riders’ exposure to the carcinogen black carbon by an average of 89%, and significantly reduced ambient black carbon concentrations within and around the San Francisco station.” “The transition from diesel to electric trains occurred over just a few weeks, and yet we saw the same drop in black carbon concentrations in the station as California cities achieved from 30 years of clean air regulations. It really adds to the case for electrifying the many other rail systems in the U.S. that still use old, poorly regulated diesel locomotives,” said study senior author Joshua Apte, a professor of environmental engineering and environmental health at UC Berkeley, in a press release. **Bonus: Michael Lewis’ *Who Is Government?*** The Trump administration’s treatment of federal employees is an abomination. As the son and brother of career federal civil servants, I find Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the DOGE minions’ utter contempt for federal employees and their families beyond the pale. In his last two books, author Michael Lewis has made it his mission to highlight and honor the work done by federal civil servants. Lewis appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” earlier this month to talk about his new book *Who Is Government?*. “I increasingly realized the *people* who were the story. The *people* were amazing. I don’t know what I expected. Bureaucrat. Deep state. It was mission-driven, passionate, problem-solving people. Experts who could have made a lot more money in the private sector,” says Lewis during the segment. He went on: “They’ve betrayed the trust of federal workers. … They are service-oriented people. They are not about themselves. They are about doing things for other people. … These are people who have figured out how to lead a meaningful life. … These people did meaningful work that protected us and made our lives better.” “That we have allowed a politician to demonize them and traumatize them is such a damning statement about the state of our soul. We should not have allowed this to happen.” Please watch the clip. And then take a moment to thank the federal employee in your life, or one that makes your daily life just a little bit better, for their public service. ### California is preparing to add marine energy to its power mix URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-is-preparing-to-add-marine-energy-to-its-power-mix/ Last updated: 2025-04-10T17:58:42.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* History shows us that when California throws its weight behind an emerging energy technology, it can help push the technology to a commercial scale. California gave early, critical support to help commercialize onshore wind, rooftop solar, electric vehicles, and battery energy storage. It is attempting to do the same for floating offshore wind. Can the state now do so for the nascent marine energy sector? Marine energy was an emerging sector when I first [reported on it more than a decade ago](https://ensia.com/features/oceans-of-energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com); it remains so today. It turns out that getting devices in the water to harness the power of the waves and tides and converting it into electricity – and doing it at a reasonable cost – has proved challenging. Among the obstacles to overcome are building devices that can withstand punishing conditions in the open ocean and standardizing designs to reduce costs and speed deployment. So, it is promising that California is now investigating whether marine energy has a place in its future electricity mix as the state pursues a zero-carbon grid over the next two decades. In October 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed [SB 605](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202320240SB605&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), legislation authored by state Senator Steve Padilla (D) that [directs the California Energy Commission](https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/topics/renewable-energy/offshore-renewable-energy/sb-605-wave-and-tidal?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (CEC) “to evaluate the feasibility, costs, and benefits of using wave energy and tidal energy” and “to work with other state and local agencies and stakeholders to identify suitable sea space for offshore wave energy and tidal energy projects in state and federal waters.” The legislation also requires the CEC to submit a final report to the governor and Legislature that summarizes this research and provides recommendations for lawmakers. The CEC completed the first assignment by publishing a [report](https://efiling.energy.ca.gov/GetDocument.aspx?tn=260013&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) evaluating the feasibility, costs, and benefits of wave and tidal energy in November 2024\. As for the second assignment, commission staff and consultants presented a [draft report](https://efiling.energy.ca.gov/GetDocument.aspx?tn=262371&DocumentContentId=98888&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at an [online workshop](https://efiling.energy.ca.gov/GetDocument.aspx?tn=262570&DocumentContentId=99109&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) last week that is a first attempt to identify suitable sea space for wave and tidal energy projects in California. Substantial wave and tidal energy resources are available to be tapped in California *if* state officials can prepare the way for projects. “While commercial-scale marine energy projects in California have not been implemented to date, the state's abundant wave resources and supportive policy environment present opportunities for further research, development, and demonstration to support large-scale deployment of marine energy technologies,” writes Aspen Environmental Group in the November 2024 report, which was prepared for the energy commission. “Wave and tidal energy resources can provide consistent generation and are zero-carbon and renewable resources that can help the state achieve its climate policy goals,” the authors conclude. **Tapping the available resources** How large is the potential resource? The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has [estimated](https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy21osti/78773.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the total marine energy resource in the U.S. at 2,300 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year – equivalent to about half of the electricity generated nationwide. The same NREL research estimates California’s wave energy resource alone at more than 37 gigawatts, capable of generating up to 140TWh per year. The [California Wave Energy Assessment](https://www.re-vision.net/documents/California%20Ocean%20Wave%20Energy%20Assessment.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) found that wave energy has the potential to provide 23% of the state’s electricity. But those numbers represent the technical feasible potential for marine energy in the state. Successfully deploying projects that get California anywhere close to realizing that potential will require a huge push to advance an industry that has been frustratingly slow to mature. One of the major hurdles to overcome is the lack of standardization in the sector. Researchers, startups, and project developers have proposed, designed, and tested a dizzying array of devices. So many unique designs have been put forward that the CEC identified six *categories* of wave energy converter technologies alone. The devices may be installed onshore and attached to a fixed structure such as a pier, or they may be floating or submerged, whether mounted directly to the seafloor in shallow water near shore (in water depths of 10-25 meters) or deployed in deep water (>25 meters) and held in place with moorings and anchors. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Where is the best resource?** California is blessed with 840 miles of often stunning coastline. Which means the potential for wave and tidal energy development is vast. But once you remove sites that have military, conservation, shipping, cultural, or historical (there are more than 1,500 shipwrecks along the California coast!) constraints, the range of suitable sites is much reduced. “The level of energy available from waves and tides is very different,” noted Grace Chang, senior science advisor and director of research and development, Integral Consulting Inc., during last week’s workshop. “The amount of wave power that could feasibly be extracted off the coast of California is about two orders of magnitude, or 100 times the amount of power available from tidal resources.” Tidal energy opportunities in California are limited and the best sites such as San Francisco Bay and the Carquinez Strait are mostly unavailable because of conflicts or exclusion zones. As is the case for floating offshore wind, many of the best sites for potential wave energy development are in Northern California, a region located several hundred miles from the state’s largest cities and lacking connections to the Golden State’s north-south transmission backbone. “While there are abundant wave energy resources off the coast of California, the greatest resources are in the northwest of the state, far from major population centers. The highest energy locations for WECs \[wave energy converters\], particularly at the grid scale, are also located some distance offshore,” the authors of the new draft sea space analysis report conclude. The report was prepared by Aspen Environmental Group, Integral Consulting, and H.T. Harvey & Associates for the CEC. Northern California has the highest overall wave power of the state’s three regions “with medium to high levels found across the entire region. There are some areas where higher power is available relatively close to shore, which is due in part to underwater features and canyons found in Northern California that result in deeper water closer to shore and focusing of wave energy,” said Chang during the workshop. “Importantly, most of the highest wave resources are located outside of constraint zones,” she added. **Oregon’s PacWave South** What the marine energy sector in California and beyond really needs is more rigorous, real-world testing to determine whether prototypes can survive in the water and to hasten the winnowing of designs to a handful of reliable and viable devices that can compete on cost with other renewable energy technologies. It so happens that a facility will soon open about 275 miles north of the California border to do just that. Oregon State University is building the [PacWave South project](https://pacwaveenergy.org/south-test-site/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) grid-connected wave energy test facility about seven miles offshore Newport on Oregon’s central coast. I [mentioned this project](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-marine-energy-electric-trains-and-buses-and-more/) in my first [What I’m Reading](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/what-im-reading/) roundup in November 2024. The facility can accommodate up to 20 wave energy converters in four berths, with a total installed capacity of 20 megawatts (MW). Each berth comes with a 5MW power and data cable connection to a shoreside utility connection and monitoring facility. Construction on the facility is expected to be [completed early this year](https://pacwaveenergy.org/south-test-site/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Construction%20of%20PacWave%20South%20should%20be%20completed%20by%20early%202025). Developers are expected to begin testing wave energy converters in [spring of 2026](https://pacwaveenergy.org/constructionupdates/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=We%20expect%20to%20see%20the%20first%20wave%20energy%20developers%20deploying%20at%20PacWave%20starting%20in%20the%20spring%20of%202026.). “As PacWave South is pre-permitted for the majority of wave energy device types, clients will not have to undertake a costly and time-consuming permitting process prior to testing at the site. This will allow for more rapid optimization of designs,” according to PacWave. ![Artist's rendering of the PacWave South wave energy test facility in Newport, Oregon.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/04/PacWave_South_2021_v5-01_1533x1022.jpg) Artist's rendering of the PacWave South wave energy test facility in Newport, Oregon. [Credit](https://pacwaveenergy.org/south-test-site/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): PacWave. **Getting projects in the water** The launch of the PacWave South test facility is a huge step forward for the marine energy sector in the U.S. According to the CEC, as of late 2023, the only active wave energy projects in the country that have secured Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licenses are associated with wave energy test sites like PacWave South and the Hawai’i [Wave Energy Test Site](https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/articles/university-hawaii-advances-wave-energy-research-through-teamer?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=WETS%20is%20the%20United%20States%E2%80%99%20first%20grid%2Dconnected%20wave%20energy%20test%20site%20that%20helps%20companies%20test%20pre%2Dcommercial%20technologies%20in%20the%20water%20to%20advance%20their%20technological%20readiness%20level.%C2%A0). Early projects in California such as Pacific Gas and Electric’s [Humboldt WaveConnect project](https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/wind-power/offshore/pg-e-no-longer-pursuing/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in Northern California did not move forward. But more recent efforts have been more promising. Oakland-based startup [CalWave](https://calwave.energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [completed a 10-month open-ocean deployment](https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/articles/calwave-successfully-completes-open-water-pilot-project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of its [xWave](https://calwave.energy/solutions/xwave/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) device off the coast of San Diego in July 2022\. The pilot project “represented the company’s (and California’s) [first at-sea, long-duration wave energy project](https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/articles/calwave-launches-californias-first-long-term-wave-energy-project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com),” according to the U.S. Department of Energy. CalWave next plans a [two-year validation](https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/articles/calwave-successfully-completes-open-water-pilot-project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=The%20x100%20device%20will%20be%20validated%20in%20a%20two%2Dyear%2C%20grid%2Dconnected%20deployment%20at%20PacWave%20South%20off%20the%20coast%20of%20Newport%2C%20Oregon) of its x100 device at PacWave South. And just last month, Eco Wave Power [received a final construction permit](https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/hydro-power/tidal-wave-energy/eco-wave-powers-final-construction-permit-has-been-approved-for-its-los-angeles-wave-energy-project/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the Port of Los Angeles to install eight of its wave energy floater devices on the piles of a concrete wharf in San Pedro. Construction is scheduled for completion by the end of the second quarter of this year. But for marine energy to find a place in California’s electricity mix of the future, developers must find a way to reduce the cost of deploying the technology. “The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of pilot-scale wave energy projects has been estimated to range between $0.37/kWh and $1.22/kWh. In their 2021 report, \[B.G.\] Reguero and \[P.\] Menendez reported LCOE of new WEC technologies on the order of $0.55/kWh, which is three times higher than conventional sources and four times higher than other renewables (solar and wind),” finds the November 2024 CEC report. But if developers can prove designs at PacWave South, and if California lawmakers follow up on the SB 605 reports and recommendations with financial support to deploy projects, marine energy could contribute to the state’s carbon-free grid in the coming decades. ### What I’m reading: A game-changing electric truck, bottlenecks for global grid expansion, Trump targets home energy assistance, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-a-game-changing-electric-truck-bottlenecks-for-global-grid-expansion-trump-targets-home-energy-assistance-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-04-04T23:03:00.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* I have several stories in the works, including an update coming next week on the potential for developers to build marine energy projects offshore California. Until then, here is another roundup of highlights from what I've been reading. Enjoy! **Update on the Port of Oakland’s decarbonization grant:** In my last roundup, I [promised to report back](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-states-lag-on-energy-efficiency-record-u-s-clean-energy-deployment-tax-credit-uncertainty-and-more/#:~:text=I%E2%80%99ll%20reach%20out%20to%20the%20Port%20of%20Oakland%20and%20report%20back%20on%20whether%20its%20EPA%20grant%20funding%20has%20been%20affected%20by%20the%20ongoing%20funding%20freeze.) on whether the Port of Oakland was having difficulty accessing the [$322 million grant](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/game-changing-epa-grant-fast-tracks-decarbonization-at-the-port-of-oakland/) it had received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to buy hundreds of zero-emissions trucks and cargo-handling vehicles. The grant was awarded by the Biden administration, with the funding coming from the Clean Ports Program, a $3 billion program created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Here is the update I received from Port of Oakland spokesperson David DeWitt: “The Port of Oakland continues to receive funding from our EPA Clean Ports grant. We remain confident the program will continue to fund the modernization of U.S. ports to remain competitive in a global market and maintain peak performance and efficiency.” **How the Trump administration justifies killing grants:** Based on [sleuthing](https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025/03/27/trump-federal-grants-research-cuts/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by the Washington Post’s Carolyn Y. Johnson and Joel Achenbach, we have a better understanding of the rationale the Trump administration is using to justify killing grants across the federal government. “In the waning days of the first Trump administration, new language went into effect in an [obscure regulation](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/08/13/2020-17468/guidance-for-grants-and-agreements?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) covering federal grants. The changeappeared to give the government the right to torpedo a grant in the middle of a project with little justification, even if the recipients were doing exactly what the government had told them to do,” write Johnson and Achenbach in a story published on March 27. They went on: “The revision in November 2020 by Trump’s Office of Management and Budget \[OMB\] stated that, ‘to the greatest extent authorized by law,’ a grant could be pulled if it ‘no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.’ In the middle of a pandemic and a contentious election, not many people noticed the change in language buried inside a regulation like 2 CFR 200.340(a)(2). Now, after lurking mostly beneath the radar, five consequential words – ‘no longer effectuates agency priorities’ – are being deployed by Trump’s appointees to kill grants unilaterally across the governmentand advance the president’s political agenda.” Will federal judges buy the White House’s rationale for unilaterally killing funding that had been authorized by Congress? We shall see. **Trump administration guts home energy assistance program**: This story was just too important to leave out. It turns out that among the 10,000 civil servants fired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services on Monday was the *entire team* that ran the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The program, which was created by Congress in 1981, subsidizes the utility bills paid by 6.2 million low-income households across the U.S. “They fired everybody, there’s nobody left to do anything. Either this was incredibly sloppy, or they intend to kill the program altogether,” Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, [told the New York Times’ Brad Plumer](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/climate/trump-layoffs-energy-assistance-liheap.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.9E4.XssQ.l6RRq1joC6vq&smid=url-share&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Congress [had approved $4.1 billion](https://acf.gov/ocs/fact-sheet/liheap-fact-sheet?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for the program for fiscal year 2025, and about 90 percent of that money had already been sent to states in October to help households struggling with high heating costs. There is still about $378 million left to assist with summer cooling as households crank up their air-conditioners,” reports Plumer. “Now, it’s not clear how the remaining funds could be disbursed to the states, even though Congress has explicitly ordered the federal government to spend the money.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Supply chain snarls slow global transmission grid expansion:** Even before Donald Trump announced a round of “reciprocal” tariffs that ignited a global trade war this week, supply chain bottlenecks were making it more difficult to source key components used to build transmission grid infrastructure around the world. “Prices and procurement times for essential components like power transformers and cables have almost doubled in four years, creating significant hurdles for grid developers,” the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a [press release](https://www.iea.org/news/rising-component-prices-and-supply-chain-pressures-are-hindering-the-development-of-transmission-grid-infrastructure?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) announcing a new report, “[Building the Future Transmission Grid: Strategies to Navigate Supply Chain Challenges](https://www.iea.org/reports/building-the-future-transmission-grid?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com).” “An IEA survey of industry leaders found that procurement now takes two to three years for cables and up to four years for large power transformers – twice as long as in 2021\. Specialised components face even longer delays, with lead times for direct current cables – often used for long-distance transmission – extending beyond five years. The price increases for components are equally concerning. In real terms, cable costs have nearly doubled since 2019 while power transformer prices have increased by around 75%,” said IEA. Much more investment is expected to be needed for global grid expansion over the next decade. “While global investment in power transmission grew by 10% in 2023 to reach $140 billion, this figure would need to exceed $200 billion annually by the mid-2030s to meet rising electricity demand,” according to IEA. **Volvo unveils a game-changing electric truck:** Battery electric heavy-duty trucks are rapidly becoming capable of even long-haul deliveries. Last month, Volvo introduced a new fully electric truck with a range of up to 600 kilometers (373 miles) and a charge time of just 40 minutes, James Murray [reported last week at BusinessGreen](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4411321/real-breakthrough-volvo-trucks-unveils-electric-hgv-600-kilometre-range?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Volvo said it will start taking orders for the new Volvo FH Aero Electric with [e-axle](https://www.volvotrucks.com/en-en/news-stories/press-releases/2022/sep/volvo-trucks-presents-a-new-fully-electric-axle-for-extended-range.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in the fourth quarter of this year. Use of the e-axle creates more space for batteries, which means the FH Aero Electric can have up to eight battery packs onboard with a combined 780 kilowatt-hours of capacity. The additional range means the new trucks can complete runs longer than the short-haul, regional routes electric trucks had been used for until now. "This is a real breakthrough in zero-emission transport. Now, transport companies can operate really long distances with electric trucks without having to compromise on productivity. The superfast charging and high payload capacity make this a very competitive solution,” Roger Alm, president at Volvo Trucks, told Murray. **Bonus: Elon Musk’s government-slashing blueprint?** The passage below is taken from New Yorker staff writer Jon Lee Anderson’s recent [profile](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/12/09/javier-milei-wages-war-on-argentinas-government?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of Javier Milei, the chain saw-wielding president of Argentina. Sound familiar? “Yet ideological enthusiasm may not sustain many Argentineans through a long period of painful change. Milei has so far fired about thirty thousand public employees – nearly a tenth of the federal workforce. Many of those who remain fear they will be fired soon, as the administration recently announced that forty thousand of them would have to pass an exam or lose their jobs. There have been huge reductions to funding for health care and scientific research. Much of the education sector has been gutted; among other things, Milei cut inflation adjustments for universities, leaving many campuses unable to pay for lights and heat. A dozen ministries have been dissolved or downgraded and defunded. The department of public works has been frozen; an estimated two hundred thousand construction workers have since been fired, leaving behind half-finished buildings. There have been radical cuts in aid to impoverished children. While inflation has declined to less than three per cent, the poverty rate has grown roughly eleven points, to fifty-three per cent.” **Bonus: What makes something remarkable:** The New Yorker’s Casey Cep closes her [review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/12/09/ingrained-callum-robinson-book-review?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of the woodworker Callum Robinson’s memoir *Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman* by quoting this lovely passage from the book’s epilogue: “All the creative thinking, fortitude, skill and muscle in the world isn’t enough to make something remarkable. You must know, deep inside, that what you are doing is important, meaningful – vital. That someone somewhere *needs* it to be special, that you have thought about them, and that you care.” (emphasis in original) “That might not amount to a structural analysis of labor, but it is a beautiful aspiration for laboring, a call for all of us, whatever we do all day, to do it with passion and care,” writes Cep. ### Trump’s war on energy efficiency will raise costs and hurt consumers URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-war-on-energy-efficiency-will-raise-costs-and-hurt-consumers/ Last updated: 2025-03-27T11:30:27.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* For a president who owes his second term largely to voters’ concerns over the cost of living, Donald Trump seems strangely determined to raise their energy costs. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Energy [said](https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-advances-efforts-lower-costs-and-increase-consumer-choice?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) it was withdrawing four energy efficiency standards and delaying the implementation of three others. The withdrawn standards (for electric motors, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, and external power supplies) and the delayed standards (for walk-in coolers and freezers and gas instantaneous water heaters and for the testing of central air conditioners and [heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/)) had been advanced by the Biden administration. “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Energy is taking critical steps every day to help American families prosper,” saidU.S.Secretary of Energy Chris Wright in a press release. “By removing burdensome regulations put in place by the Biden administration, we are returning freedom of choice to the American people, ensuring consumers can choose the home appliances that work best for their lives and budgets. This power should not belong to the federal government.” Wright and Trump may believe they are preserving Americans’ choice in fuels for their homes but what they are really doing is needlessly driving up household utility bills. Federal energy efficiency standards are trending towards favoring appliances and products powered by electricity, and away from fossil fuels. But there’s a simple reason for that: electric appliances are [inherently more energy efficient than their counterparts that combust fossil fuels](https://www.pge.com/en/clean-energy/building-electrification.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Electric%20appliances%20are%203%2D5%20times%20more%20energy%2Defficient%20than%20gas%20counterparts.). Owing to the [iterative nature of the federal efficiency standards development process](https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-energy-efficiency-standards-for-appliances-lighting-and-equipmen?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#1), the rules are made more stringent over time, with the floor raised for low performers with each update. If Wright and Trump are successful – by no means guaranteed, as efficiency advocates will surely attempt to defend the rules in court – then consumers will simply pay more for energy than they would have otherwise. The Appliance Standards Awareness Project’s Andrew deLaski [told](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/power-switch/2025/03/25/trump-ratchets-up-the-appliance-war-00246978?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Andrew%20deLaski%20of%20the%20Appliance%20Standards%20Awareness%20Project%20said%20the%20administration%20entered%20%E2%80%9Cunchartered%20territory%E2%80%9D%20by%20withdrawing%20a%20finalized%20rule%2C%20and%20questioned%20whether%20the%20action%20was%20legal.) Energy Wire Editor Christa Marshall “the administration entered ‘unchartered territory’ by withdrawing [a finalized rule](https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/standards-development-and-revision?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=and%20economically%20justified.-,Final%20Rule%20Phase,-In%20the%20final), and questioned whether the action was legal.” Marshall noted that the finalized electric motors rule was supported by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association in 2022. The efficiency standards rollback is not the laser-like focus on reducing costs Trump had promised voters during the 2024 campaign. **Higher energy bills in affordable housing** Trump wants to make it harder to upgrade inefficient, affordable homes for seniors, too. “A move by the Trump administration to block a $1.4 billion program for green building retrofits has left hundreds of in-progress affordable housing projects in limbo. Renovations for aging affordable housing projects across the US have been halted as developers seek answers or alternatives,” Bloomberg CityLab’s Kriston Capps and Sarah Holder [reported this week](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-25/affordable-housing-renovations-stalled-by-blocked-trump-administration-grants?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The targeted program, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP), was funded under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). I [reported last December](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-agrivoltaics-us-solar-boom-global-ev-deployment-and-california-dreaming/#:~:text=The%20AP%E2%80%99s%20Jennifer,income%20renters%20nationwide.) that $1 billion had been committed to projects under the program. But now, according to an internal HUD document seen by the Associated Press, “the program is being ‘terminated’ at the direction of DOGE,” the AP’s Jesse Bedayn [reported earlier this month](https://apnews.com/article/trump-doge-affordable-housing-preservation-crisis-de27d7846271779157550fcec0a78ea6?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=But%20an%20internal%20document%20reviewed%20by%20the%20AP%20said%20the%20program%20is%20being%20%E2%80%9Cterminated%E2%80%9D%20at%20the%20direction%20of%20DOGE.). Try to visit the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program [website](https://www.hud.gov/grrp?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) now and a “404 - Page Not Found” message appears. What would freezing the program mean for seniors? In Ashtabula, Ohio, the Jonathan Rose Companies had received a $10 million loan from the GRRP to complete a $22 million retrofit of the Ashtabula Towers, a 202-unit affordable building for seniors. The project was to include asbestos abatement as well as the installation of energy-efficient appliances and onsite solar panels. Now, the fate of the project, and hundreds more like it, is uncertain. “Without these commitments that have already been made by the federal government, these projects won’t be able to proceed at all,” Jonathan Rose’s Lauren Zullo told Capps and Holder. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **The cost of IRA repeal** Households will also pay more for energy if congressional Republicans include provisions to repeal the IRA in the budget reconciliation package now being negotiated by the GOP leadership in the House and Senate. Conventional wisdom has held that full IRA repeal appeared increasingly unlikely, with a [growing number of House Republicans pledging support](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-states-lag-on-energy-efficiency-record-u-s-clean-energy-deployment-tax-credit-uncertainty-and-more/#:~:text=In%20a%20letter%20shared%20with%20Politico%20on%20March%2010%2C%2021%20House%20Republicans%20pledged%20support%20for%20the%20tax%20credits.) for the federal clean energy tax credit provisions in the law. But the price tag to satisfy Trump’s tax cuts wish list is so steep that “even the most bipartisan parts of the IRA could be sacrificed,” Heatmap’s Emily Pontecorvo and Jael Holzman [reported earlier this week](https://heatmap.news/politics/budget-reconciliation-ira?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Doing so would increase cumulative household energy costs by $32 billion through 2035, according to a [report published last week](https://energyinnovation.org/report/inflation-reduction-act-repeal-harms-state-economies-raises-consumer-costs/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by the think tank Energy Innovation. Individual households would pay an average of $68 more per year for energy in the same year. Donald Trump was incredibly lucky to have run for re-election at a time when voters everywhere were [ready to toss out incumbents](https://www.marketplace.org/2024/11/14/incumbents-are-losing-around-the-world-not-just-the-u-s/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) who they blamed for rising costs. But Trump is already squandering his gift of fate. Whether it is by preventing more efficient products from hitting the market, killing a program that puts seniors in energy-saving, comfortable homes, or by potentially scrapping tax credits for families to deliver tax cuts for billionaires, all of us – those who voted for Trump, and those of us who didn’t alike – will be paying more for energy for years to come. The winner of an election decided on the cost of living is governing as if rising costs don’t matter. ### What I’m reading: States lag on energy efficiency, record U.S. clean energy deployment, tax credit uncertainty, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-states-lag-on-energy-efficiency-record-u-s-clean-energy-deployment-tax-credit-uncertainty-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-03-21T22:05:43.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Ahead of the weekend, here is another roundup of highlights from some of what I've been reading. Enjoy! **States lagging on energy efficiency:** Far too many U.S. states are leaving energy savings on the table, finds the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s [latest annual energy efficiency scorecard](https://www.aceee.org/press-release/2025/03/scorecard-energy-efficiency-upgrades-help-struggling-families-most-states?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Energy efficiency investments reached a record high of $8.8 billion in the survey but more than 90% of the increase came in just five states – Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. California claimed the top spot in the rankings for the seventh time. A big, missed opportunity for states is a lack of action to update outdated or even non-existent building energy codes. Only six states have fully adopted the most recent [model building energy code](https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/building-energy-codes-program?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (e.g., the International Energy Conservation Code or ASHRAE Standard 90.1), and nine states have no statewide building energy code at all, according to ACEEE. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/03/state_scorecard_2025.jpg) [Credit](https://www.aceee.org/press-release/2025/03/scorecard-energy-efficiency-upgrades-help-struggling-families-most-states?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): ACEEE. **Trump’s funding freeze stalls push to electrify U.S. ports:** A few days before Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term, I published a [Q&A with Matt Davis from the Port of Oakland](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/game-changing-epa-grant-fast-tracks-decarbonization-at-the-port-of-oakland/) about the $322 million grant the port had received from the U.S. EPA’s Clean Ports Program to buy hundreds of zero-emissions trucks and cargo-handling vehicles. I asked Davis if he was concerned the Trump administration would try to claw back the funding. “Our board took an action to accept the grant in late December, so we have a formally obligated grant from the EPA. Obviously, we're going to be very hopeful, and we're going to continue to plan as if all the funding will be released,” he said. The question is even more salient after [reporting earlier this month from Energy Wire’s David Ferris](https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-stalls-1b-push-to-electrify-trucking-at-port-of-la/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on the uncertain status of similar grant funding worth $1.1 billion in the Los Angeles Basin, including funds targeted for the Port of Los Angeles. “People have projects and jobs counting on these funds, and they don’t know what they should be doing right now. It’s massively disruptive and it’s confusing,” the Environmental Defense Fund’s Jason Mathers told Ferris. I’ll reach out to the Port of Oakland and report back on whether its EPA grant funding has been affected by the ongoing funding freeze. **Record-breaking U.S. clean power deployment:** Boosted by incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, U.S. clean energy deployment hit a record 49 gigawatts (GW) of capacity in 2024 – a 33% increase over the previous record of 37 GW set in 2023, according to a new [report](https://cleanpower.org/news/market-report-2024-snapshot/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the American Clean Power Association (ACP). Ninety-three percent of the new power capacity that came online last year was solar, wind, and battery storage. “After taking more than 40 years to build the first 200 GW of utility-scale clean power capacity, it took just three years to build an additional 100 GW (2022-2024),” according to ACP. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-05-155930.png) [Credit](https://cleanpower.org/news/market-report-2024-snapshot/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): American Clean Power Association. **U.S. battery deployment could set a record in 2025**: The U.S. battery storage boom is expected to continue this year. According to the [latest data](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=64705&utm%5Fmedium=email&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 10.4 GW of utility-scale battery storage capacity was added to the U.S. grid last year, boosting cumulative capacity to more than 26 GW. New battery capacity growth could set a record in 2025, with developers planning to install 19.6 GW utility-scale projects to the grid this year, according to EIA. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-12-070537.png) [Credit](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=64705&utm%5Fmedium=email&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): U.S. Energy Information Administration. **Tax credit uncertainty could slow investment:** The record-setting clean energy deployments mentioned above could be at risk, however, if Republicans in Congress move to amend or rescind the federal clean energy tax credits in the IRA. A December 2024 [survey](https://acore.org/news/acores-latest-report-provides-key-industry-insights-and-policy-recommendations-to-achieve-energy-dominance/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of clean energy sector investors and developers released this week by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) warns that uncertainty over the status of the tax credits could cool future investment. Absent changes to the tax credits, or other policy interventions, more than half of the survey respondents reported plans to increase their activity by more than 10% compared to 2024 levels, over the next three years. “Conversely, tax credit uncertainty could cause 84% of investors and 73% of developers to decrease their activity in clean energy. Among companies with over $1 billion in investments, 80% responded that they would significantly or moderately decrease their clean energy investment plans, potentially translating to the loss of tens of billions of dollars in private sector investment,” according to ACORE. **Scrapping tax credits would raise utility bills:** Repealing the IRA’s clean energy tax credits would hurt consumers, too, finds a new [report](https://energyinnovation.org/report/inflation-reduction-act-repeal-harms-state-economies-raises-consumer-costs/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from think tank Energy Innovation. According to the report, IRA repeal would: increase cumulative household energy costs by $32 billion from 2025-2035; cost America nearly 790,000 jobs in 2030 and more than 700,000 jobs in 2035; decrease GDP more than $160 billion in 2030 and nearly $190 billion in 2035; and increase climate pollution more than 530 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2035, equal to adding 116 million cars to the road. “We looked at a state-by-state level at energy bills as well as jobs and economic growth.​ Across the board, repealing the IRA is going to make it more expensive for the average household – and in some states, dramatically,” Energy Innovation’s Robbie Orvis [told Canary Media’s Jeff St. John](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/ira-tax-credits-electric-bills?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Full repeal unlikely:** A full repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act appears increasingly unlikely, however, based on the growing number of Republicans in Congress who support preserving the bill’s clean energy tax credits. In a [letter shared with Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/10/house-republican-clean-energy-tax-breaks-00218126?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on March 10, 21 House Republicans pledged support for the tax credits. "We have 20-plus members saying, ‘Don’t just think you can repeal these things and have our support,'" Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), who organized the letter, told Politico’s Josh Siegel and James Bikales. "We need the projects that are currently under development to be brought online so we can continue the President’s 'America First' agenda," he added. "These \[credits\] are helping the president accomplish what he said he wanted to do in his campaign, and that was to make America an energy dominant country." **Bonus: Getting gas out of new buildings in Ashland:** In recent years, my family’s holiday tradition has been to spend the week between Christmas and New Year’s in Portland, Oregon. Weather permitting – we have been caught in a snowstorm on I-5! – the perfect halfway point on the drive north from my home in the San Francisco Bay Area is the city of Ashland, Oregon. The city is probably best known for its long-running [Oregon Shakespeare Festival](https://www.osfashland.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). But I love simply walking the main street of Ashland’s quaint, thriving downtown, taking in the holiday season charm, especially when the city has been dusted by snow. My affinity for Ashland deepened recently after reading that the city council had [imposed a fee on new fossil gas hookups in buildings](https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/20/ashland-fee-natural-gas-hookups/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The best part? The ordinance to enact a fee to discourage the installation of gas appliances in new homes was brought to the council by a youth group called the [Rogue Climate Action Team](https://rogueclimate.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) nearly two years before. “We’re gonna need this feeling because it’s rough out there right now, you know. We all know what’s going on. But this is why it’s more possible than ever for us to build power together, because we need each other,” said Rogue Climate Organizing Director Jess Grady-Benson after the city council’s unanimous decision to support the new ordinance in February. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/03/IMG_20250101_200940848.jpg) Downtown Ashland, Oregon, during the holiday season. Credit: Justin Gerdes. ### Why you should feel a little less guilty about flying URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/why-you-should-feel-a-little-less-guilty-about-flying/ Last updated: 2025-03-21T16:40:43.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Aviation emissions are one of the most intractable pieces of the climate puzzle to solve. If not curbed, global emissions from aviation [could triple by 2050](https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/transport/reducing-emissions-aviation%5Fen?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=The%20International%20Civil%20Aviation%20Organisation%20%28ICAO%29%20forecasted%20that%20by%202050%20international%20aviation%20emissions%20could%20triple%20compared%20to%202015.), according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). For climate-conscious people everywhere, boarding a plane often comes with a pang of guilt. It is because the long-term trends for the sector are so bleak that I was so pleased to learn just how extensive the efforts underway are to tackle emissions from aviation. At a [forum](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/zero-emission-airport-ground-support-equipment/2025-aviation-technology-forum?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) co-hosted last week by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) at CARB’s headquarters in downtown Sacramento, stakeholders from government, industry, and academia met over two days to update each other on [technology solutions to reduce pollution from flying](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2025-03/Aviation%20Technology%20Forum%20Agenda%20%28Final%29.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). I left the forum more optimistic than I had expected about the potential for governments to bring aviation’s soaring emissions under control. **California joins the fight** My biggest reason for optimism is the fact that California has joined the fight. California’s early efforts to crack down on air pollution predate the federal Clean Air Act, giving the Golden State more power to establish its own environmental regulations than any other state. California has used that power to force the cleanup of cars and trucks. It now aims to do the same for the aviation sector. Whereas the rules agreed to at the ICAO are technology-following – the result of a lowest-common-denominator consensus reached between airlines and plane makers – the rules coming from CARB will be technology-forcing. They will bite. California’s environmental regulators adopt long-term emissions targets and give industry technology-neutral flexibility to figure out how to meet them. The purpose of last week’s forum was to give stakeholders a chance to present available technologies that will inform the [proposal CARB staff will bring to its Board in 2027](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/zero-emission-airport-ground-support-equipment?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to reduce emissions from on-ground operations at airports. To meet federal ozone standards, CARB has committed to adopt “programs and policies to reduce NOx emissions from airport and aircraft operations to the maximum extent practicable.” In July 2024, CARB agreed to a [Joint Statement on Advancing Emissions Reductions](https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flinks-2.govdelivery.com%2FCL0%2Fhttps%3A%252F%252Fwww.aqmd.gov%252Fhome%252Fair-quality%252Fair-quality-management-plans%252Fcontingency-measure-plan-for-1997-ozone-standard%253Futm%5Fmedium%3Demail%2526utm%5Fsource%3Dgovdelivery%2F1%2F0101019494700f80-60bcfab6-6614-41ac-97b5-f104a851a6fe-000000%2FDXgxxxyO3zqdoa5jbqmdCoYrQgdQVdhC%5FoQUOXr3RXU%3D389&data=05%7C02%7CSanika.Nishandar%40arb.ca.gov%7C01aba5af07bf48f072ef08dd4bbd365f%7C9de5aaee778840b1a438c0ccc98c87cc%7C0%7C0%7C638749998220689420%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=eU13UXcNKa6rgHzxybxWW%2FZv1APOvL2GtmgJcUJciO8%3D&reserved=0&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with SCAQMD and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A few months later, in October, CARB and the Airlines for America trade association [committed to a goal](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/carb-and-nations-leading-airlines-announce-landmark-partnership-sustainable-aviation-future?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of boosting sustainable aviation fuel supply in California to 200 million gallons by 2035 – an amount equivalent to 40% of intrastate aviation fuel demand. Based on presentations at the forum, here's a quick look both at the status of the aviation sector’s push to reduce its emissions and measures that could be included in CARB’s aviation proposal in two years’ time. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Reducing emissions from ground support equipment** There is a lack of near-term, affordable alternatives to the fossil fuel-based jet fuel consumed by commercial airlines but that doesn’t mean that easy wins aren’t available today to reduce emissions from the aviation sector. It turns out, for instance, that many of the luggage carts and belt loaders, catering trucks and cargo loaders, tugs and tow tractors that service planes at the boarding gate have already been electrified or will be soon. CARB estimates there are 12,000 pieces of ground support equipment (GSE) operating at California airports today but just 26% are fully electric. These fleets are poised for a rapid zero-emissions transition at airports around the world. Los Angeles International Airport has [committed to 100% zero-emission GSE fleet by 2033](https://www.lawa.org/-/media/lawa-web/environment/files/gse-emissions-reduction-program/lax-ze-gse-vehicles-policy.ashx?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has [mandated 100% zero-emission GSE at its major airports by 2030](https://www.panynj.gov/content/dam/port-authority/about/environmental-initiatives-/panynj-NetZeroRoadMap.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), with JFK’s new Terminal One set to [debut the world’s first centralized all-electric GSE fleet in 2026](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-new-terminal-one-at-jfk-and-tcr-announce-worlds-first-centralized-fleet-of-all-electric-ground-support-equipment-302352029.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Outside the U.S., the Royal Schiphol Group, which runs Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, will make “[all non-aircraft traffic at ground level emission free](https://www.schiphol.nl/en/schiphol-as-a-neighbour/emission-free-by-2030/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Making%20all%20non%2Daircraft%20traffic%20at%20ground%20level%20emission%20free.%20Vehicles%20will%20run%20on%20electricity%20or%20hydrogen%2C%20for%20example%2C%20including%20the%20pushback%20tractors%20that%20push%20aircraft%20away%20from%20the%20gate%20and%20pull%20them%20to%20the%20taxiway.)” by 2030\. And London’s Heathrow is making plans for [zero-carbon infrastructure across the airport by the mid-2030s](https://www.heathrow.com/latest-news/heathrow-targets-zero-carbon-airport-by-mid-2030s?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Reducing emissions when taxiing** Commercial airliners consume so much jet fuel when the main engines are running that shaving even a few minutes of fuel burn can lead to substantial savings. Using a zero-emissions tug when taxiing a plane to the runway can do just that. [Safran Landing Systems](https://www.safran-group.com/companies/safran-landing-systems?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) is working to commercialize an on-board eTaxiing system that is attached to two of the plane's four wheels and is used to reduce the need for a tug to roll the plane to or from the gate. The system would be under pilot control and is planned for future newly built planes. Smart Airport Systems (SAS) is working with airlines around the world to commercialize a semi-robotic hybrid towing system called the [TaxiBot](https://www.smart-airport-systems.com/solutions/taxibot/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)\* designed for taxiing airplanes from the boarding gate to the takeoff runway. The system, which could be made fully autonomous, if allowed by regulations, and can be fully electrified, has already been trialed at Schiphol airport. The system can reduce fuel consumption and CO2 and NOx emissions by up to 85% during taxi, according to SAS. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/03/SAS_taxibot-single-thumb-1.jpg) The TaxiBot semi-robotic hybrid towing system. [Credit](https://www.smart-airport-systems.com/solutions/taxibot/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): SAS. Utah Valley University lecturer [Brett Stone](https://www.uvu.edu/directory/employee/?id=NFN2eHRhemxxQm9YRVlqWnloOEp4Zz09&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) is working with a team of graduate students to develop an autonomous electric aircraft tug. The team has already demonstrated the electric tug, which can be controlled in the cockpit or remotely, with a Cessna plane and is looking to scale up to regional 737-scale aircraft pending funding and a willing airport partner. CARB said it plans to issue a Request for Proposal for a zero-emission taxiing pilot at a California airport this year. **Reducing emissions at the gate** Another often-overlooked easy climate win is simply plugging planes in at the gate. In the same way that large container ships or oil tankers can save fuel and avoid emissions by [plugging into shore power at berth](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/ocean-going-vessels-berth-regulation?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), planes can turn off their main and auxiliary engines by plugging into ground power at the gate. To save fuel, pilots can turn off the main engines and turn on an auxiliary power unit (APU) typically located in the tail of the plane to power computers, lights, and HVAC systems at the gate. The problem? The APU still runs on jet fuel. In California, 95% of airport gates have ground power infrastructure available but pilots and ground crews plug in planes only one-third of the time, according to CARB. A simple remedy would be for CARB to require planes to plug into ground power while at the gate, which could be enforced by requiring airports to use thermal or acoustic cameras, or other means, to monitor APU usage. One speaker at the forum, Tim Toerber with the airport operations optimization startupAssaia, called on CARB to implement just such a rule statewide by 2026\. He noted that the plane’s APU status is not on most pilots’ checklists and that airlines don’t always have access to their own APU usage data. He added that an APU monitoring policy could include fines for non-compliance and said it would give airlines leverage with pilot unions to ensure that APUs are turned off when planes are at the gate. **The human necessity for flight** Addressing aviation’s climate burden is a moral imperative but there is an equivalent obligation to do all we can to preserve the use of a conveyance that closes the distance between us and enriches all our lives. Fortunately, even minor tweaks can yield big results. Zurich’s airport, for instance, managed to trigger a steep decline in visits by high-NOx\-polluting planes simply by [assessing higher landing fees against such aircraft](https://www.flughafen-zuerich.ch/-/jssmedia/airport/portal/dokumente/das-unternehmen/politics-and-responsibility/environmental-protection/broschueren-und-positionspapiere/2010%5Femission%5Fcharges.pdf?vs=1&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). CARB is considering requiring similar revenue-neutral, emissions-based landing fees at California airports. Such fees would be used to incentivize the cleanest aircraft in their categories – such as the Bombardier CRJ-700 (regional jet), Airbus A319 NEO (narrow-body jet), and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (wide-body jet) – to land at California airports. The ability to board a plane and cross continents and oceans to visit friends, family, and colleagues is one of the miracles of modern life. There is no replacement for seeing people and places in person. I don’t want to give it up. What I heard last week leaves me a bit more hopeful that solutions are at hand so that none of us are forced to make that choice. *\*This section was updated to include recent developments with the commercialization of the TaxiBot.* ### The next frontier for an energy transition pioneer: bidirectional EV charging URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/the-next-frontier-for-an-energy-transition-pioneer-bidirectional-ev-charging/ Last updated: 2025-03-12T15:20:25.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Seven years ago, I wrote a story about my friend Justin Guay’s sometimes exasperating journey to retrofit his home in the San Francisco Bay Area in a quest to get off fossil fuels. Published at the much-loved, sadly now defunct, site Greentech Media, the [story](https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/what-does-it-take-to-electrify-everything-in-your-home?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) struck a chord with readers. For several months, it was one of the most-read stories at the site. Readers were clearly hungry for practical information on how they could [wean their homes from fossil fuels](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/) as Justin had. His experience, then novel, is becoming mainstream. Boosted by incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, critical technologies for an [all-electric home](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/) like [heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/) are beginning to [outsell their gas-fired competitors](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/heat-pumps/heat-pumps-keep-widening-their-lead-on-gas-furnaces?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Fast forward to today, Justin and his family have resettled in Midway, Utah, located in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains about 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. This time, Justin built an all-electric home from the start and powers it with a 15-kilowatt rooftop solar photovoltaic system. A professional climate advocate, formerly with The Sunset Project and now a [program director at the Quadrature Climate Foundation](https://www.qc.foundation/about-us/our-team/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#Justin%20Guay), Justin is once again at the energy transition’s leading edge. Top of mind for him now is not just reducing his carbon footprint but being able to live in and adjust to a world remade by climate change. “If the first wave of home electrification was about dealing with the underlying climate problem, the second wave is about managing the new climate reality,” he told me in a recent interview. In pursuit of that goal, he just bolstered his home’s energy resilience by tapping the giant battery in the truck parked in his garage. **Getting more use from the battery you already have** What Justin realized is that the battery in just about any electric vehicle sold today is at least several times larger than any single residential battery. And in his case, it is *much* bigger. Tesla’s [Powerwall 3](https://energylibrary.tesla.com/docs/Public/EnergyStorage/Powerwall/3/InstallManual/BackupSwitch/en-us/GUID-EC527BC7-4750-4425-BBC4-DB8C000339B3.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) home battery has a capacity of 13.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh), while Justin’s 2025 all-electric [Chevy Silverado truck](https://www.chevrolet.com/electric/silverado-ev?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) is equipped with a 205-kWh battery pack – *15* *times* larger. Until recently, nearly all EV charging has been one way, with the charger feeding electrons to the battery. But when coupled with enabling technologies, many EVs can both receive power *and* send it back in the other direction. Some EVs – notably, the Nissan Leaf – have had bidirectional charging capability from the beginning. What’s changed is that more automakers are either making EVs capable of bidirectional charging or manufacturing the equipment that makes bidirectional vehicle-to-home (V2H) charging possible. GM has done both. Justin’s Silverado EV truck was able to provide back-up power to his home after he installed [GM Energy’s V2H Bundle](https://gmenergy.gm.com/for-home/products/gm-energy-v2h-bundle?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which includes both a Level 2 EV charger and V2H enablement kit. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/03/GE-Energy-V2H-Unit.jpg) The GM Energy V2H Bundle installed in Justin Guay's garage. Credit: Justin Guay. For now, Justin’s Silverado battery kicks in only in emergencies, when the grid goes down. GM doesn’t allow for other uses of its vehicle batteries such as time-of-use arbitrage – i.e., selling power to the local utility when power is scarce and prices spike – because of warranty and battery degradation concerns. “Not that that would make any sense where I live because our electricity prices are so cheap,” Justin tells me. “The delta is four cents – seven cents off-peak, 11 cents on-peak – [don’t tell anyone in California](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/)!” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **“Wild West light”** Getting the V2H Bundle installed and turned on was not easy. If fully electrifying his previous home was “the Wild West,” the new project felt like “the Wild West light,” he says. “This is the first generation of these technologies that’s coming out. It was really hard to find somebody who had any familiarity with the system. I got really lucky and found an electrician who was up for figuring it out.” After a software glitch and the replacement of a failed [dark start battery](https://gmenergy.gm.com/for-home/products/gm-energy-v2h-enablement-kit?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Dark%20Start%20Battery%C2%A0,%2A), the electrician was able to activate the system on the third try. As an early adopter, Justin was willing to put up with these “teething issues.” GM “doesn’t have people they can send out to your house if it doesn’t work. Luckily, our electrician was awesome, and he spent hours on the phone with the GM Energy guy,” he says. On the third try, the electrician turned off power to the house, the house connected with Justin’s Silverado EV, and the lights came back on. “I have to admit, that was one of the best moments in this whole energy independence, get-off-fossil fuels journey,” he says. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/03/Silverado-EV-plugged-in.jpg) Justin's Silverado EV truck plugged into the GE Energy V2H Bundle's Level 2 charger. Credit: Justin Guay. **The new climate reality** Justin acknowledges not everyone has the money and patience to see a project like this through. “It’s still a splurge, let’s be honest,” he says. “It’s not the amount an average, normal person will be able to lay out. We’re the first adopters, so part of what we’re doing is hopefully bringing down the cost curve.” Justin paid $4,000 for the V2H Bundle on sale at the end of 2024 (it now [lists for $7,299](https://gmenergy.gm.com/for-home/products/gm-energy-v2h-bundle?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), or $6,799 before March 31) and another $3,000 for the electrician to install it. But Justin says the investment is worth it for peace of mind. [Public Safety Power Shutoffs](https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/psps/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for wildfires are of increasing concern where he lives in rural Utah. His home insurance was even canceled recently. “They didn’t tell me why. I assume it’s because of wildfire risk and the changing climate,” he says. “Part of what drove me to want to get the system was I’m not so worried about the normal, routine power outages, but you just never know with fire danger,” he adds. “Now, I can power my fridge, keep my food from going rotten, keep my Wi-Fi on, keep on my TV, lights, and heat pump water heater” – all for several days, with the power stored in the Silverado’s battery. “It’s not perfect,” he says. “It won’t run my heat pump. The inverter is a bottleneck. It’s the equivalent of diesel gen set.” But he notes, “if you have a gas furnace, it’s going to kick off in an outage because it needs electricity, too.” Justin is confident V2H systems like his will catch on. He may be right. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center [announced in early March](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/massachusetts-bidirectional-ev-chargers-v2g-v2x/741525/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) it will deploy 100 bidirectional EV chargers at no cost to residential, commercial, and government customers as part of a two-year demonstration program. And Kia recently [announced](https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1145917%5Fkia-ev9-will-power-your-house-for-6-440?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) pre-orders for the Wallbox Quasar 2 home charger that will enable bidirectional charging for the automaker’s EV9 all-electric SUV. Justin believes bidirectional EV charging could even make conventional stationary residential energy storage systems like Tesla’s Powerwall redundant. “I don’t think there’s any business case for a Powerwall once this becomes more mainstream,” he says. “You’re going to buy a truck or a car anyway. You’re making multiple uses of the same asset.” “As long as we allow these technologies to continue to develop, and bring down costs, it’s going to be incredible what we’re able to do with it.” ### Musk’s DOGE ‘wrecking ball’ could topple Trump’s ‘energy dominance’ agenda URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/musks-doge-wrecking-ball-could-topple-trumps-energy-dominance-agenda/ Last updated: 2025-03-04T12:30:28.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* There is a gob-smacking incoherence when it comes to actions and rhetoric in the second Trump administration. On the one hand, Elon Musk and his DOGE minions are indiscriminately slashing jobs and canceling leases for buildings across the federal government. On the other hand, President Trump purports to want to reclaim America’s “energy dominance.” Let me stipulate first that the job cuts are wantonly, needlessly cruel – and [likely illegal](https://www.npr.org/2025/02/27/nx-s1-5311445/federal-employees-firing-court-judge?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – and that canceling leases at federal buildings, at the same time the White House wants employees back in the office five days a week, is both nonsensical and wasteful. If you are White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles or Interior Secretary Doug Burgum watching DOGE slash and burn its way through the federal bureaucracy, you might be wondering who will be left to help you implement Trump’s energy agenda. Last Friday, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D) [rang the alarm](https://democrats-naturalresources.house.gov/media/press-releases/trump-musk-plan-to-shutter-interior-offices-nationwide-devastating-local-economies-and-abandoning-tribes?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) about the DOGE-led General Services Administration’s (GSA) plan to shutter *more than 2 million square feet* of office space at Department of Interior facilities across the country. In all, 164 offices are slated for closure, according to a [spreadsheet](https://democrats-naturalresources.house.gov/download/gsa%5Flease%5Fterminations?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) released by Huffman’s office, including more than one-quarter of all Bureau of Indian Affairs locations. “Trump and Musk are taking a wrecking ball to our country – slashing staff, cutting vital funding, and creating widespread chaos and economic devastation. Shuttering these physical locations goes hand in glove with DOGE’s ‘destroy the government’ approach, and it will make their illegal cuts even more challenging to reverse,” Huffman said in a press statement. “This decision defies all logic. While the Trump administration demands a return-to-office, GSA is shutting those offices down – eliminating jobs, destabilizing local economies, and gutting essential services,” he added. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **What happened to "energy dominance"?** The White House will soon realize it needs the thousands of civil servants that DOGE operatives fired in recent weeks (and the buildings they worked in) if it wants to expand U.S. fossil fuel production. Instead, to cite one example, the purge of probationary employees at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) included layoffs of nearly the entire carbon removal team, Heatmap’s Katie Brigham [reported last week](https://heatmap.news/carbon-removal/trump-dac-hubs?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Advancing carbon removal should be something that Trump and his allies in the oil and gas industry can agree on. I’m not the only one puzzled by the dissonance of DOGE’s actions and Trump’s rhetoric. “I don’t understand exactly what world we’re going into, but at the moment at which you decide that you being against something means that it has to stop happening, energy abundance goes out the window,” Jigar Shah, director of DOE’s Loan Programs Office during the Biden administration, [said last week on Latitude Media’s “Open Circuit” podcast](https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-circuit-taking-a-chainsaw-to-energy-dominance/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “This is having a chilling effect on the entire business of energy. … It’s not good for investor confidence.” “If we are going to have the amount of economic development that we think is necessary for America to continue to compete in the world, we need these \[energy\] projects to actually get built. And I don’t think that these actions are providing a lot of confidence in the market,” he added. **When will Republicans step up?** Musk’s DOGE teams are slashing jobs and canceling building leases so quickly, and to such a draconian degree, one must ask: When will Republicans in Congress step up to defend their constituents and preserve good-paying jobs in their states or districts? According to Huffman’s office, 60% of the Interior Department square footage slated for closure is in Republican districts. Which representative has the most to lose? House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R), whose district could see 236,356 sq. ft. of closures. On the chopping block in his district are buildings occupied by the Gulf of Mexico regional offices of the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). According to a GSA [lease prospectus](https://www.gsa.gov/system/files/FY%202023%20Metairie%20LA%20Department%20of%20Interior%20Lease.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) submitted in December 2022, “the BSEE office oversees nearly 2,000 facilities and about 13,135 miles of active pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico” and the “BOEM office manages almost 2.5 billion acres of the OCS \[Outer Continental Shelf\], nearly equal the size of the nation's land acreage.” Shuttering the offices of the federal government’s offshore energy regulators in Louisiana directly contradicts Trump’s goal of expanding oil and gas production. It also puts family-supporting jobs at risk for Scalise’s constituents. But based on the slavish fealty House Republicans have shown Trump thus far, I don’t expect him to do anything to stop the closures. **Trump's "energy dominance" agenda** Trump’s calls for American “energy abundance” or “energy dominance” have always been stubbornly ignorant of reality. The U.S. is already [producing more oil than any other country](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61545&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and is [expected to install a record 63 gigawatts of new power capacity this year](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/chart-solar-batteries-to-lead-us-power-plant-construction-in-2025?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – 93% of it solar, wind, and batteries. Trump could have simply done nothing, allowed the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to continue to boost energy investments, and then declared victory in his quest for "energy dominance." Instead, he’s permitting Musk’s unaccountable, shadowy DOGE squad to make cuts that actually could threaten the abundance of American energy technologies Trump loves (and loathes). Is Trump really going to allow Musk to derail one of his biggest campaign promises? ### What I’m reading: Even more savings from LEDs, Trump's EV purge, solar and batteries displacing gas in California, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-even-more-savings-from-leds-trumps-ev-purge-solar-and-batteries-displacing-gas-in-california-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-02-28T23:07:44.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Because we journalists learn about so many more interesting and notable developments each day than we have time to write about them in stories, here is another roundup of highlights from what I've been reading. Enjoy! **Wringing even more energy savings from LEDs:** LEDs have become the default technology in lighting for good reason. They are much more energy efficient and cheaper to operate than the legacy technologies they replaced. But that doesn’t mean the full energy-saving potential of LEDs has been tapped. A new [study](https://www.dnv.com/news/energy-efficient-lighting-can-still-provide-opportunities-for-energy-savings-dnv-study-finds/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from global technology advisory company DNV identified six “next generation” commercial lighting opportunities that are most likely to produce significant savings or are gaining traction in the market. The company then graded the opportunities according to the potential size of the market, potential to deliver meaningful program savings, and ease of delivery. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/02/DNV-LEDs-Table.png) [Credit](https://www.dnv.com/news/energy-efficient-lighting-can-still-provide-opportunities-for-energy-savings-dnv-study-finds/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): DNV “While all identified opportunities have potential, only one, replacing existing LEDs with newer, higher efficacy products, was given an ‘A’ grade. The market potential for this opportunity is enormous, as older LEDs inevitably burn out and need to be replaced. There are many replacement options on the market, but there is a 20% increase in energy savings when using the highest efficacy LED products vs. baseline products, with a negligible cost differential,” the study found. **Trump's EV purge could cost taxpayers $1.3 billion**: In [my last roundup](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-trump-kills-the-green-proving-ground-uncertainty-reigns-on-federal-clean-energy-funding-and-more/), I wrote about how President Trump’s General Services Administration (GSA) had scrapped the Green Proving Ground, a program that had tested promising next-generation technologies for deployment in federal buildings and was saving taxpayers tens of millions of dollars annually. Well, the GSA apparently isn’t done axing energy- and money-saving programs with a green sheen. InsideEVs [reported this week](https://insideevs.com/news/751754/trump-ev-purge-1-billion/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the GSA plans to turn off thousands of EV chargers it had installed at more than 650 federal buildings across the country, and to sell the 25,000 EVs it had purchased for the federal vehicle fleet. How much will the EV rollback cost taxpayers? Reporter Rob Stumpf did the math: “So, to recap on potential losses: $100 million decommissioning the GSA's EV charging network; $225 million in EV depreciation from selling at a loss; $300 million spent installing EV chargers; and $700 million buying new gas-powered cars. That's $1.325 billion that could potentially go to waste as the current administration begins to undo the progress made over the last four years to modernize the government's transportation fleet. Don't forget that's taxpayer funding – meaning that you might as well pull $9 out of every tax-paying American's pocket to light on fire.” **Solar + batteries displacing gas in California:** California’s one-two punch of solar and batteries is beginning to push fossil gas power off the grid. California had installed [nearly 13,400 megawatts (MW) of battery storage capacity](https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/california-electricity-data/california-energy-storage-system-survey?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) as of October 2024 – up from 500 MW in 2018. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/02/2024-10-14_CaEnergyByType_600px.jpg) [Credit](https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/california-electricity-data/california-energy-storage-system-survey?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): California Energy Commission “In the first seven weeks of 2025, gas covered 29% of the state’s power needs, down from 41% in the same period a year before, according to data collated by Stanford University Professor Mark Z. Jacobson,” Nick Hedley [reported this week at The Progress Playbook](https://theprogressplaybook.com/2025/02/23/batteries-are-displacing-gas-in-californias-power-grid/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Hedley added that data collated by research group Ember shows that solar will soon overtake gas as California’s largest source of power: “In the first 11 months of 2024, gas’ share of state-wide electricity generation dipped to 34.4% (from 38.5% in calendar year 2023 and 57.1% as recently as 2015), while solar climbed to 32.7% (from 28.1% in 2023).” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **High-speed rail advances in Texas and Canada:** North America chugs along far behind China and Europe when it comes to deploying high-speed trains. Nevertheless, riders here keep showing that if political leaders would only build fast trains, they’d be happy to jump aboard. Even though only its Acela Northeast Corridor service approaches anything close to true high-speed service, Amtrak [set an all-time ridership record in 2024](https://media.amtrak.com/2024/12/fy24-year-end-ridership/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Amtrak%20achieved%20an%20all%2Dtime,in%20markets%20across%20the%20nation.), with 32.8 million passengers. In the Pacific Northwest, [ridership was up by 41% last year](https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article299467564.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#storylink=cpy) on the Amtrak Cascades route between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia. Outside of California, where the first leg of the state’s high-speed rail system is under construction in the Central Valley, there has not been much recent progress in getting fast trains on track. But that might be starting to change. This week, Amtrak [issued a request for qualifications](https://www.progressiverailroading.com/high%5Fspeed%5Frail/news/Report-Amtrak-issues-RFQ-for-Texas-high-speed-rail-project--73976?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) (RFQ) for a partner to build the proposed high-speed rail line in Texas between Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. Amtrak took control of the project in 2024\. “The RFQ invites prospective companies, joint ventures, contractors and subcontractors to submit their qualifications so that Amtrak can shortlist the entries, [Texas Rail Advocates reported](https://www.texasrailadvocates.org/post/amtrak-is-seeing-a-delivery-partner-for-the-texas-high-speed-rail-project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The issuance of the RFQ marks a step in advancing the project. The short list of firms would be invited to submit proposals for the proposed project,” reported Progressive Railroading. In Canada, outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau [announced this week](https://www.progressiverailroading.com/high%5Fspeed%5Frail/news/Canada-picks-firm-to-develop-Toronto-to-Quebec-City-HSR-project--73942?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the [Cadence consortium](https://www.cadence.info/en?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) had been selected to design, build, finance, operate, and manage the proposed high-speed rail line [Alto](https://altotrain.ca/en/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) between Toronto and Quebec City. “If completed, the Alto service would span over 600 miles and reaching a speed of over 180 mph, which would reduce by half current travel times on VIA Rail passenger-rail service between Toronto and Quebec City,” Progressive Railroading also reported. **Mercedes tests EV with a solid-state battery that can travel 620 miles:** Most major automakers have been working to develop so-called solid-state batteries for their electric vehicles. Unlike the lithium batteries that prevail today, which use a liquid electrolyte, next-generation solid-state batteries use a solid electrolyte that experts say will result in safer, more energy dense batteries. For now, it looks like Mercedes-Benz might be first to market with the technology. Electrek [reported this week](https://electrek.co/2025/02/24/mercedes-tests-first-solid-state-battery-ev-with-621-miles-range/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that Mercedes is testing the world’s first production EV with a solid-state battery pack. “With a ‘breakthrough’ energy density of 450 Wh/kg, \[battery manufacturer\] [Factorial](https://factorialenergy.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) said the new Solstice battery is expected to provide 80% more driving range than current lithium-ion batteries,” reports Peter Johnson. “Mercedes expects the new battery to extend the driving range by about 25%. The current EQS 450+ rated with up to 511 WLTP \[Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure\] miles range would suggest a driving range of over 620 miles.” **Bonus 1: The man on the white horse:** These are the opening lines of an [essay](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/09/30/constitution-book-reviews-chemerinsky-pierson-schickler?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) titled "Is It Time to Torch the Constitution?" published by Louis Menand in The New Yorker six weeks before the November 2024 election: "All republican governments live in fear of the man on the white horse. A republican government, like ours, is a system of rules designed to prevent any one person or faction from hijacking the democratic decision-making process. The person on the white horse doesn’t respect the democratic decision-making process, is not a product of that process, and has no stake in its survival. The person on the white horse rides into town and says, Who needs rules? Let me take care of everything. And the public, glad to simplify life, or possibly dazzled by the promise of a glorious future, lets the rider take charge. Rules that no one enforces are just so much paper." Five weeks into the second Trump administration, I'd say that those fears were well founded. **Bonus 2: Crisis at the Department of Justice's environment division:** “The Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) of the Department of Justice faces its most profound crisis since it was established in 1909,” three alums of the division wrote earlier this month in a [post](https://legal-planet.org/2025/02/04/crisis-at-dojs-environment-natural-resources-division/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at the Legal Planet blog. The authors recounted the reassignment of four career managers to the newly formed Office of Sanctuary Cities Enforcement, career attorneys in the division's Office of Environmental Justice being placed on administrative leave, and rumored plans to eliminate the entire Law and Policy Section. "Until now, ENRD has experienced little political turbulence during transitions from one president to the next. After all, most of ENRD’s work is defensive and does not fall into neat ideological boxes," the authors write. "These civil servants – attorneys and support staff numbering close to 600 – forgo higher pay and personal prestige, driven by a belief in the power of the federal government to serve the American people. The grief and uncertainty besetting them today is an unspeakable return for their dedicated service." Reading those words, I thought of John Cruden. About a month before the start of Donald Trump's first term, I interviewed Cruden in the grand conference room in his office suite at the U.S. Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C. – the same room where not long before he had negotiated with Volkswagen executives to settle the automaker's diesel engines scandal. A U.S. Army veteran and longtime career attorney and manager at ENRD, Cruden was then leading the division as the assistant attorney general. During our conversation he exuded decency and integrity, and was generous with his time. I'll never forget him leading me and my editor, Steven Boyd Saum, on a tour of the building after our interview. The [New Deal-era murals](https://livingnewdeal.org/sites/department-justice-maurice-sterne-murals-washington-dc/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) are stunning. My profile of Cruden, [which appeared in Santa Clara Magazine](https://magazine.scu.edu/magazines/spring-2017/for-the-record/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in March 2017, is one of my favorite stories I've published in more than 20 years in journalism. ### Wake up California, Trump is coming for your offshore wind industry URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/wake-up-california-trump-is-coming-for-your-offshore-wind-industry/ Last updated: 2025-02-25T12:30:53.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Surely, I wasn’t the only one in the room thinking to him or herself: *Wait, they remember that Donald Trump is the president, right?* Last Friday, the California Energy Commission and Port of Long Beach hosted a [symposium on ports and offshore wind](https://www.energy.ca.gov/event/outreach/2025-02/california-ports-and-offshore-wind-symposium?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in the Long Beach City Council chambers. A crowd of several hundred representatives from government agencies, ports, labor unions, project developers, and tribes were there to get an update on the status of floating offshore wind deployment in the state – the first event of its kind in California since Donald Trump returned to the White House. The problem? The [agenda](https://polb.com/environment/california-ports-and-offshore-wind-symposium/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#agenda) seemed as if designed six months ago and left unchanged for the incoming Harris-Walz administration. The afternoon sessions included an hour-long infomercial for building and construction trade union locals and an environmental justice-themed panel on "working together to improve port communities.” Don’t get me wrong, floating wind projects offshore California should *absolutely* be constructed by local union labor, with care taken to avoid the negative impacts large energy projects have historically imposed on fenceline neighborhoods. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There first needs to be certainty that these projects are actually going to be built. And yet, speaker after speaker throughout the day suggested that California could simply wait Trump out. It’s true that construction was not likely to begin on California’s first floating offshore wind farms until after Trump leaves office in January 2029 – if he does leave office. But even that timeline is predicated on milestones being met in the interim: project developers finishing the required environmental reviews, filing construction and operations plans, and securing all necessary state and federal permits. Much of this work at the federal level was put at risk by Trump’s [January 20 memorandum](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/temporary-withdrawal-of-all-areas-on-the-outer-continental-shelf-from-offshore-wind-leasing-and-review-of-the-federal-governments-leasing-and-permitting-practices-for-wind-projects/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) stating that federal agencies “shall not issue new or renewed approvals, rights of way, permits, leases, or loans for onshore or offshore wind projects pending the completion of a comprehensive assessment and review of Federal wind leasing and permitting practices.” With respect to existing leases, the memo "instructs the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Attorney General as needed, to conduct a review of the economic and environmental necessity of terminating or amending such leases, 'identifying any legal bases for \[the removal of such existing leases\]," [notes attorneys at the White & Case law firm](https://www.whitecase.com/insight-alert/trump-orders-moratorium-federal-actions-wind-projects-and-withdrawal-new-or-renewed?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The memo does not provide a deadline for the offshore wind review. But the threat extends beyond Trump trying to cancel the existing leases held by the five winners of the auction for wind lease areas offshore California held in [December 2022](https://www.boem.gov/newsroom/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-winners-california-offshore-wind?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – three offshore Morro Bay on the Central Coast and two offshore Humboldt County in Northern California. In January 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation [awarded the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District a $427 million grant](https://huffman.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/feds-provide-nearly-half-a-billion-dollars-toward-construction-of-humboldt-bay-marine-terminal-supporting-offshore-wind?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) funded in part by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to build a heavy-lift marine terminal to support offshore wind deployment. But based on the Trump administration’s early efforts to freeze clean energy and climate funding from the BIL and the Inflation Reduction Act, there is no guarantee the administration won’t try to claw back the money. A few months later, in April 2024, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [announced plans to hold a second California offshore wind lease sale](https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-haaland-announces-new-five-year-offshore-wind-leasing-schedule?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in 2028 – a sale unlikely to take place while Trump is in office. Without a series of lease sales on the calendar, project developers may not be willing to make the infrastructure and supply chain investments that will be required to sustain a thriving floating offshore wind industry in the state. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Is California prepared to fight?** If Trump does move to cancel California's active offshore wind leases in the coming months, what is the state prepared to do about it? What I heard last Friday wasn’t reassuring. The strongest rhetoric of the day on the looming fight with Trump came from Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis (D), who said, “There’s nothing that they can throw at us that can stop us.” To ease uncertainty and reassure investors and project developers, the organizers should have scrapped a symposium agenda that was so discordant with the high-stakes political moment. Instead, Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) should have been in Long Beach to state plainly that California is ready to fight the Trump administration in court to protect its offshore wind industry. Governor Gavin Newsom (D) could have used the event to announce a deal with Democratic leaders in the Legislature to boost investment in offshore wind infrastructure beyond the [$475 million allocated for the industry](https://calmatters.org/environment/2025/01/trump-order-ban-offshore-wind-california/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Voters%20approved%20a%20climate%20bond,wind%20power%20to%20the%20grid.) in the $10 billion climate bond approved by voters last November. In short, show Trump that California won’t be bullied. Offshore wind represents one of the most promising economic growth opportunities on the horizon for California in the coming decades – especially for Humboldt County. It’s time for California’s leaders to show Trump the state is ready to put up a fight worthy of the world’s fifth-largest economy. ### Here’s how Colorado is requiring gas utilities to reduce their emissions URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-colorado-is-requiring-gas-utilities-to-reduce-their-emissions/ Last updated: 2025-02-21T12:30:18.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Four years ago, Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) signed the nation’s first “clean heat” law. Gas distribution utilities in the state, including gas-only utilities, were required to develop Clean Heat Plans to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 22% from 2015 levels by 2030. Last May, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) [approved the first such plan for Xcel Energy](https://www.cpr.org/2024/06/11/why-xcel-energys-new-clean-heat-plan-could-shift-colorado-away-from-natural-gas/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the state’s dominant investor-owned electric and gas utility. Last month, in another first, the PUC [approved](https://www.swenergy.org/colorado-puc-approves-black-hills-clean-heat-plan/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the Clean Heat Plan (CHP) for a gas-only utility, Black Hills Colorado Gas. Black Hills’ plan includes a budget of $18.3 million through 2027, with most of the funding allocated for electrification and energy efficiency measures that will help customers use less fossil gas. The PUC required Black Hills to offer [beneficial electrification](https://www.eesi.org/electrification/be?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – i.e. replacing direct fossil fuel use with electricity in a way that reduces overall emissions and energy costs – rebates to all customers. The PUC ruling was a milestone. “There are a few gas utilities in the country that run electrification programs voluntarily – [Vermont Gas](https://vgsvt.com/climate/2050-vision/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [Dominion Energy in Utah](https://www.swenergy.org/dual-fuel-heat-pumps-case-study/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). But as far as I know, this is the first time in the U.S. that a gas-only utility has been required to run an electrification program,” [Justin Brant](https://www.swenergy.org/staff/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), utility program director at the non-profit Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), told me in an interview. SWEEP testified in support of stronger electrification and energy efficiency provisions in Black Hills' Clean Heat Plan proceeding before the PUC. **Lowest-cost resources** Colorado’s clean heat law ([SB 21-264](https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb21-264?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) gives gas utilities flexibility to achieve the mandated emissions reduction targets. [Clean Heat Plans](https://puc.colorado.gov/cleanheatplans?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) can include a mix of supply-side resources that replace traditional fossil gas and demand-side resources that reduce gas consumption. Approved “clean heat resources” include energy efficiency, recovered methane, green hydrogen, and beneficial electrification. Gas utilities can propose a mix of clean heat resources but “state law requires that utility plans be of the lowest reasonable cost.” “With Xcel's \[Clean Heat Plan\], the PUC found that electrification, as well as energy efficiency, were the two low-cost options to reduce emissions for a gas utility. And they reaffirmed that based on a bunch of information that we provided in the Black Hills proceeding,” Brant told me. “Offering beneficial electrification rebates, in addition to existing demand-side management rebates, offers customers a choice to mitigate their overall gas usage, while still remaining on the gas system, and provides another viable pathway to compliance with the Clean Heat Statute,” the PUC wrote in a [decision](https://www.dora.state.co.us/pls/efi/efi%5Fp2%5Fv2%5Fdemo.show%5Fdocument?p%5Fdms%5Fdocument%5Fid=1035495&p%5Fsession%5Fid=&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on Black Hills’ Clean Heat Plan issued on February 12. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **2030 emissions reduction target** Colorado’s gas utilities must file updated emissions reduction plans every four years – which means utilities will file just one more plan before the 2030 target. Time is running short. Xcel Energy’s Clean Heat Plan included a $440 million budget through 2027, with most of that funding set aside for building electrification and energy efficiency measures that are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 725,000 tons annually. With this additional funding, Xcel Energy [increased its electrification and energy efficiency customer incentives](https://www.swenergy.org/2025-hope-determination/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Starting%20on%20January%201st%2C%20Xcel%20Energy%20significantly%20increased%20its%20electrification%20and%20energy%20efficiency%20incentives%20following%20approval%20of%20its%20inaugural%20Clean%20Heat%20Plan.%20This%20includes%20substantial%20incentives%20for%20cold%20climate%20heat%20pumps%2C%20now%20qualifying%20for%20over%20%242%2C000/ton.), including for [cold-climate heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/), on January 1 of this year. Brant says Colorado’s gas utilities will likely have to invest more to reduce their emissions by 22% by 2030\. The gas utilities’ Clean Heat Plans are supposed to raise customers’ bills by no more than 2.5%, with conditions. “What we've learned with the plans is we need to go well above the cost cap in the legislation of two and a half percent,” says Brant. “For Xcel, the commission approved a plan with spending well in excess of that cost cap.” “Of the plans that have been approved, Xcel's is the only one that puts the utility anywhere on track to meet the 2030 target,” he says. In responses submitted to the PUC as part of the Black Hills Clean Heat Plan proceeding, the Colorado Energy Office said the utility’s large growth in gas sales since 2015 makes it difficult to meet its 2030 clean heat target at a reasonable cost. Nevertheless, the Colorado Energy Office said it is “optimistic that by the next CHP filing in 2027, the company will have developed more cost-effective paths towards meeting its 2030 clean heat targets based on the initial efforts undertaken as a result of this CHP.” Brant says the expanded availability of government and utility incentives is boosting the market for clean heating solutions in Colorado. “With the Xcel money and all the state and local government money, we had been expecting a billion dollars for electrification in the state in the next three years,” he says. “There's now a lot of questions around the future of the federal funds we've been counting on.” “But again, with the Xcel money, we probably have some of the [most generous electrification incentives](https://co.my.xcelenergy.com/s/residential/heating-cooling?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that we know of in the country. So, this is a really big year to see if we can start to transform that market for heating and cooling.” **Thermal energy networks** Black Hills’ approved Clean Heat Plan also included funding to study the feasibility of [thermal energy networks](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-start-pruning-its-fossil-gas-network/)\*. These networks, underground thermal loops that connect buildings in a district system and can be sited in existing gas pipeline rights-of-way, are now being piloted in Massachusetts and are under study in a handful of states including Colorado. The Black Hills feasibility study is to include an analysis of potential sites and outreach to stakeholders to discuss potential projects. In comments submitted to the PUC, the Colorado Energy Office highlighted “that thermal energy service presents an opportunity for Black Hills to begin to ‘bend the curve’ on emissions and can help a gas utility retain its customers and reduce emissions,” according to the PUC. “There's definitely a lot of interest in thermal energy networks in the state,” says SWEEP’s Brant. “Last year, we passed a bill \[[HB 24-1370](https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb24-1370?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)\] looking at neighborhood decarbonization projects.” “That legislation includes a pathway for when the commission could relieve the obligation to serve for a gas utility if you can't get full consensus around a project, assuming it has utility and local government support.” *\*For a comprehensive overview of both thermal energy networks and neighborhood decarbonization projects, read my recent* [*Q&A with the Building Decarbonization Coalition’s Beckie Menten*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-start-pruning-its-fossil-gas-network/)*.* ### What I’m reading: Trump kills the Green Proving Ground, uncertainty reigns on federal clean energy funding, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-trump-kills-the-green-proving-ground-uncertainty-reigns-on-federal-clean-energy-funding-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-02-14T23:08:33.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Ahead of the long holiday weekend, here is another roundup of highlights from what I've been reading – and listening to. Enjoy! **Trump kills GSA’s Green Proving Ground:** Why scrap a program that was delivering tens of millions of dollars in annual savings for taxpayers? The Trump administration recently did just that by killing the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Green Proving Ground program, [reports Fast Company’s Nate Berg](https://www.fastcompany.com/91271870/green-proving-ground-trump-cuts?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In [partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/green-proving-ground-program?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the 15-year-old program had used GSA’s vast real estate portfolio (the GSA is the federal government’s landlord) as a real-world testbed for next-generation building technologies that save energy and reduce operating costs. “Previous GSA officials estimated that the technologies implemented through the Green Proving Ground program avoid 116,000 tons of CO2 emissions and save the government $28 million in energy costs annually,” writes Berg. So, what’s not to like? Perhaps it was as simple as the “Green” in the program’s name getting flagged by Elon Musk’s DOGE team. The Green Proving Ground pages have been [removed from the GSA’s website](https://www.gsa.gov/sandbox/offline-pages/202501/climate-action-and-sustainability/center-for-emerging-building-technologies?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In 2023, the Biden administration [set aside $30 million](https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/newsroom/news-releases/bidenharris-administration-invests-30-million-to-advance-americanmade-clean-energy-technologies-and-accelerate-push-for-netzero-federal-buildings-06092023?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for the Green Proving Ground program, with a goal of “turning federal buildings into testbeds for clean energy innovation,” notes Berg. Scrapping the program could cost U.S. jobs, too. “Getting a contract with GSA is one of the biggest things that could happen to a company, and that’s now stopped,” says Marshall Cox, CEO of the startup Kelvin. **On clean energy funding, uncertainty reigns:** I thought voters returned Donald Trump to the White House because he was a businessman who would lower prices and turbocharge the economy. So, why is it that so much of what Trump has done over the past three weeks is anti-jobs and business? Federal agencies [continue to block clean energy and climate funding appropriated by Congress](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/us/politics/trump-federal-aid-freeze.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), in defiance of court orders. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) [filed a lawsuit yesterday](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/shapiro-sues-trump-administration-frozen-funding-inflation-reduction/740101/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) alleging that the Trump administration is limiting his state’s access to more than $3.1 billion in funding for activities including distributed solar deployment, oil and gas well plugging, and home weatherization. At the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, John Sneed, the new leader of the office, told agency officials he will explore canceling existing financing deals, [Bloomberg reported last week](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-05/trump-mulls-revoking-loans-from-400-billion-clean-energy-office?embedded-checkout=true&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The moves left Sneed’s predecessor, Jigar Shah, incredulous. “When Trump ran for president in 2016, he was like, ‘We need to keep plants here, we need to onshore and reshore.’ This is the fundamental concept of the whole ‘America First’ effort, right? And if as a consequence of his second term, America loses its mojo and decides to ship all manufacturing to China, that would be not what I would have expected,” [Shah told Semafor’s Tim McDonnell](https://www.semafor.com/article/02/11/2025/jigar-shah-has-some-concerns-about-energy-investment-under-trump?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). He went on: “The \[due diligence\] costs of getting a loan through our office were about $6 million. Who will want to pay that, and then just hope and pray that Wright is still the Secretary? They’re playing with not just fire, but like red hot magma, because I don’t see how anyone can make a 20- or 30-year investment in the energy sector without the rule of law.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Breach of contract:** The primacy of the rule of law was [highlighted in an essay this week](https://heatmap.news/politics/trump-funding-freeze-contracts?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by Heatmap’s Robinson Meyer on the role of contracts vis-à-vis the Trump administration’s refusal to unlock clean energy funding from the IRA and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). “The companies and local governments that are now being strung along by the Trump administration did not make a vague handshake agreement with the Biden administration. Instead, they signed a contract *with the federal government* to receive a certain amount of money in exchange for doing a certain activity,” he writes (emphasis in original). “That is because – as long as the freeze continues – the Trump administration is going to start violating hundreds or even thousands of contracts and legally binding spending agreements. The Trump spending fight is not only about policy and the Constitution, in other words, but also about contract law.” **Tracking Biden’s billions in climate funding:** So, where did [the billions in clean energy and climate funding from the IRA and BIL](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/dont-let-trumps-executive-orders-blitz-memory-hole-bidens-billions-for-climate-action/), now at risk because of the Trump administration blockade, go? Yesterday, Grist’s Clayton Alder[published a useful interactive online tool](https://grist.org/accountability/climate-infrastructure-ira-bil-map-tool/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) enabling readers to enter a ZIP code, city name, or other location in a search box to discover projects within any radius of a chosen area. For example, within 50 miles of my home in Concord, California, nearly 850 projects worth $5.8 billion are at risk from the federal funding freeze. In the city of Concord itself, listed projects include three million-dollar upgrades at Buchanan Field Airport and a $1 million urban and community forestry grant from the U.S. Forest Service\*. **Zero-emission construction in Oslo:** Finally, some good news. Construction is a notoriously dirty business, with diesel-powered heavy machinery belching soot into the air. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In Oslo, Norway, the city government recently implemented a pioneering zero-emission construction policy, [reports Nick Hedley at The Progress Playbook](https://theprogressplaybook.com/2025/02/05/in-oslo-construction-projects-are-now-clean-and-quiet/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “As of January 2025, all contractors providing work to Oslo’s government have to use clean and quiet concrete trucks, excavators, and other machinery,” he writes. “In 2023, 77% of city-managed projects used zero-emission machinery, according to Oslo’s climate agency.” “These pilot projects in motion across Oslo are building the evidence base that clean construction is viable, fair and safe for workers, and should be supported by city councils to propel the positive change necessary for a zero-emission future,” the C40 Cities initiative found in a report on Oslo's electrification pilots dating to 2019. **Bonus (what I’m listening to):** The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has dominated the news since Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term. Unfortunately, the attention is coming not because the Trump administration wanted to celebrate USAID’s critical public health and humanitarian mission but because it wanted to raze the agency to the ground. So, why should you care? “Foreign aid” will never top Americans’ list of priorities. Most Americans wildly overestimate what we spend on assistance to other countries, believing the money would be better spent at home. But what if, instead of asking Americans whether they approve of nebulous “foreign aid,” you asked them: Do you support spending money on [HIV vaccine trials in Africa](https://www.science.org/content/article/it-s-tectonic-u-s-foreign-aid-freeze-deals-blow-research-around-globe?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)? Or to [eradicate polio globally](https://2017-2020.usaid.gov/news-information/fact-sheets/support-polio-eradication-activities?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)? Or to maintain a global network to help countries [detect viruses that could trigger the next pandemic](https://www.usaid.gov/fact-sheet/emerging-pandemic-threats-2-program?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)? Atul Gawande is one of my favorite writers. He is also a surgeon and public health researcher. And for the past four years – until January 20 of this year – he had served as the assistant administrator for global health at USAID. Last Friday, he joined the New Yorker “The Political Scene” podcast’s Washington Roundtable with Jane Mayer, Susan Glasser, and Evan Osnos (a must-listen for me every week) to talk about the vital work done by the agency he just left. “You cannot pause a plane in midflight and expect that everything is going to be O.K. That’s what they were trying to do with life-saving health and humanitarian assistance around the world,” says Gawande. [Do listen to the entire conversation](https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/political-scene/why-trump-is-targeting-foreign-aid-with-atul-gawande?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). *\*My wife Carlyn Obringer, the mayor of Concord, advocated for the urban forestry grant on behalf of the City of Concord in meetings with the city’s elected officials in Washington, D.C.* ### Here’s how California plans to start pruning its fossil gas network URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/heres-how-california-plans-to-start-pruning-its-fossil-gas-network/ Last updated: 2025-02-16T18:14:29.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* California is a global climate leader but there are chinks in the state’s green armor. One is the state’s dependence on fossil gas for heating and for cooking. Three-quarters of California’s homes receive utility gas service, and 70% of households use fossil gas for cooking – the [highest such share in the nation](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billAnalysisClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202320240SB1221&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Residential and commercial buildings account for one-quarter of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, with fossil fuel combustion in buildings alone [responsible for 10% of the state’s emissions](https://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/California%5FBuilding%5FDecarbonization.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). To deliver gas to millions of homes and businesses in California, gas utilities operate more than 100,000 miles of transmission and distribution pipelines across the state. But maintaining that vast network of pipelines is expensive – [$3 million per mile on average in California](https://buildingdecarb.org/california-governors-budget-proposal-maintains-over-500-million-for-equitable-building-decarbonization?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), according to the Building Decarbonization Coalition, a non-profit advocacy group focused on eliminating fossil fuels from buildings. Policymakers know California cannot meet its long-term climate targets unless the state's fossil gas dependency is broken. But if customers leave the gas system on a one-off, ad hoc basis by, for example, [retrofitting their homes to run only on electric appliances like heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/), the customers who remain on the system will have to pick up a larger share of the cost of maintaining the sprawling gas distribution network. This reality prompted then-state Senator Dave Min (D) to introduce legislation last year that aims to begin the process of pruning branches from the gas network. Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom (D) in September 2024, [SB 1221](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202320240SB1221&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) authorizes California’s gas utilities to launch up to 30 voluntary pilot projects – so-called "neighborhood decarbonization zones" – and retire aging gas pipeline sections over the next five years. I spoke with [Beckie Menten](https://buildingdecarb.org/about-us/our-team?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the Building Decarbonization Coalition’s California director, to check in on the implementation of SB 1221 and to discuss the challenges ahead. “The gas transition is going to be a *major* issue that the CPUC has to really grapple with,” she says. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. **For those unfamiliar with the concept of “neighborhood electrification” or “neighborhood decarbonization,” can you describe what those terms mean and why it could be an important climate solution?** The terms neighborhood-scale "building decarbonization" and "zonal decarbonization" are frequently used interchangeably. In essence, those describe a strategy for transitioning entire communities to decarbonize energy sources and electric appliances at a time. The end goal here is to manage the transition away from the gas system, so we can shift from our fossil fuel infrastructure in a managed and thoughtful way. What it does is basically allows utilities, instead of investing in the repair or replacement of natural gas infrastructure, to redirect that funding towards cost-effective community-scale home and building upgrades. These upgrades are great, not only for their climate benefits. In many cases, we're seeing that they can lower costs, and they have clean air benefits as well. One of the aspects of a managed transition, and part of the reason we're really interested in this model, is it also allows you to prioritize where you target these investments, and make sure that frontline communities are first in line. That's important because as we see customers transitioning ad hoc, those tend to be customers who have access to more capital and sources of financing. That can cause challenges in the cost of managing the gas system. As you have fewer and fewer customers on that gas system, the customers remaining have a higher cost for maintaining that overall system. So, doing a managed transition like this, where you can both shrink the gas system overall, and cost effectively redirect investment, allows you to make sure those frontline communities, frequently characterized by lower income populations, disadvantaged communities that have high exposure to air pollution, can be the first to receive some of these benefits and help protect them against the future [rate spikes](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/) that could occur as the gas system sees fewer and fewer customers. **What are the goals of SB 1221?** The framework allows both the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and utilities to pilot this concept. One of the critical aspects of SB 1221 that we're very excited about is that it also requires the gas IOUs \[investor-owned utilities\] to submit maps to the CPUC. The first maps are to be submitted by July of this year and annually thereafter. Those maps will show across the gas distribution system where there are planned repair or replacement projects coming up. That's a tool communities can use to identify where there might be possible pilot locations, and then they can approach and work with the utility to identify and submit some of these applications. One of the critical aspects of the program is it reforms the obligation to serve framework. Currently under [California's interpretation of our obligation to serve statute](https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/published/FINAL%5FDECISION/4653-03.htm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), if there is a *single* customer in an affected project, they have the power to stop the project. If a majority of customers who are in an area are interested in receiving those free upgrades and decommissioning the gas infrastructure in their neighborhoods, they now have the power to opt into that project. If you get 67% of customers who are excited and interested in a project, then it allows the project to move forward. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Gov. Newsom** [**included $2 million to advance SB 1221 implementation**](https://buildingdecarb.org/california-governors-budget-proposal-maintains-over-500-million-for-equitable-building-decarbonization?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **in his January budget proposal. Is that funding meant to just cover administrative costs at the CPUC?** This is a very new, untested concept. PG&E \[Pacific Gas & Electric\] has been doing a handful of these kinds of projects, but trying it at scale, there's going to be a lot of important lessons learned. And so, the governor's proposal does allocate staff to support a thoughtful implementation, thoughtful regulatory development, and gathering of lessons learned. We're very, very supportive of that proposal. **Thermal energy networks are gaining popularity as a neighborhood decarbonization solution in the Northeast, especially in Massachusetts. Can you describe how these networks work, and will we see them come online here in California under SB 1221?** Thermal energy networks are a little different than what a lot of people think of around the zonal decarbonization concept. Because California has such a moderate climate, a lot of times an [air-source heat pump-based system](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/) is perfectly sufficient. Thermal energy networks rely on a group of buildings that are able to share energy through thermal loops. Those loops can look a lot like natural gas pipelines, but instead of transmitting methane gas, they carry ambient temperature liquid that can interconnect with ground-source heat pumps located within each building and share a district system. Why I think they're a really interesting concept with applicability here in California is because they have a lot of opportunity for demand management. The examples of siting them next to a co-generation or a data center are great examples. You can take waste heat from one area, leverage that energy to provide heating and cooling services for the surrounding buildings. They can be a little more expensive to install up front because obviously they take quite a bit of effort to bore holes and set up these districting heating systems. But then the benefits both in terms of peak reduction, efficiencies of a system that's able to capture waste heat and distribute across buildings, can make that up over the lifetime of the system. Another thing that should be particularly important to those of us in California is we're finding that thermal energy networks have the potential to save a significant amount of water. We put out a [brief](https://buildingdecarb.org/water-smart-buildings?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) where we estimate that around 5 to 15 billion gallons of water are used daily in U.S. commercial spaces for cooling. Across 80 thermal energy network sites we've looked at, the annual average savings per each site were 337 million gallons – that's about 3,000 households. Given California is always in this drought, bust cycle with water, and water resource management is a huge concern here, we think this is an attractive reason to consider working with or exploring where thermal energy network systems could be applicable here. **PG&E recently** [**withdrew its application**](https://www.kqed.org/science/1995529/this-project-is-a-win-for-the-climate-and-ratepayers-why-is-pge-pulling-the-plug?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **for what would have been the largest neighborhood electrification project in the U.S. to date at CSU Monterey Bay, partly because of the lack of a capital cost recovery mechanism. Will that stymie pilot projects under SB 1221?** SB 1221 does include a prohibition on capitalization of behind-the-meter investments. To say that a little more plainly, the utility can pay for the upgrades to the customer homes, but it has to treat those investments as expenses, instead of as capital expenses, and that restricts the utilities from being able to procure financing to cover the cost of those projects, and it also prohibits the utility from getting a rate of return on those investments. We are optimistic SB 1221 pilots can still move forward, and there are a few reasons for that. One, the restriction is only on behind-the-meter investment, so all the other costs of the project, in theory, can still be treated as capital expenses. That'll be up to the CPUC through its regulatory framework development to weigh in on how to book the expenses the utility incurs here. But those behind-the-meter investments should be able to be covered in large part by leveraging other available incentive programs such as the [Equitable Building Decarbonization Program](https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/equitable-building-decarbonization-program?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which provides comprehensive direct install investments, particularly for customers in low-income neighborhoods. That should be nice synergy with a lot of the neighborhood areas we hope to target with SB 1221 pilots. It's another nice signal to bring some of those projects into these more disadvantaged communities, or communities that are lacking access to cooling and experiencing high air pollution. This is a relatively small effort. It's 30 pilot projects, which could be 3,000 customers or it could be 30,000 depending on the size of the neighborhood in question. It’s a small enough scale of investment relative to the larger picture of operating utility budgets that if we can shrink behind-the-meter investment, then there's an opportunity. It's not a level playing field. The utility can invest in fossil fuel infrastructure, and not only do they get a rate of return on these projects, but the ability to finance those projects means they can spread the impact to ratepayers out over the life of that asset. Versus expense treatment, it's much harder. You can't spread an expense treatment over many years of bills. That's going to limit the amount of investment utilities can do on these kinds of projects. Without a clear mandate for the utilities to be pursuing these alternatives to fossil fuel investment, and without a profit motive for the utility to pursue these non-fossil fuel investments, it's going to be difficult to scale these projects. We either need to incentivize, level the playing field, or mandate implementation. We will get some really valuable lessons learned from SB 1221, and the hope is that we can evolve the regulatory framework over time. These prohibitions on behind-the-meter investments specifically apply just to the SB 1221 pilots, so it does give us a chance to learn what impact that kind of cost treatment has on the appetite of the utility to pursue these projects and the overall cost-benefit analysis. **Does SB 1221 include the goal of developing neighborhood electrification projects in burn zones? If not, what can or should state and local officials do to promote electrification in neighborhoods destroyed by the recent Palisades and Eaton fires in Greater Los Angeles?** We are supportive of all-electric new construction. We find it safer, healthier, and, frankly, more climate resilient than the fossil fuel alternatives. There is a real opportunity for affected customers to leverage available codes and take advantage of the chance to rebuild a healthy, resilient home. When it comes to the applicability of SB 1221, it hinges on the underlying gas infrastructure. There's not a lot of information currently available that explains the scope of the restoration needed to repair the gas infrastructure, and it's not clear to me the state of the underlying pipelines in these neighborhoods. Those become pretty important questions when you're thinking about a zonal decarbonization pilot as applicable to this neighborhood. That is another benefit of the mapping requirements. Starting in July 2025, there will be tools for the customers in those affected communities to understand what the status of the gas pipeline infrastructure in their neighborhoods under the ground is, and if it's a good candidate. One reason it's really important to focus on those sections of pipeline where there is a need for repair or replacement, is it's critical to the zonal decarbonization model to be able to capture avoided gas investment. If the pipeline has plenty of years left, then what you're doing is creating a stranded asset by decommissioning a piece of pipeline that has a lot of useful life. It's unclear to me what the timeline is, or if there are any levers to explore SoCalGas' effort to basically do restoration work in these communities. Is there a process to make sure that the customers who are affected by these tragedies are interested in rebuilding their homes as is, or are they interested in leveraging an opportunity to potentially build safe, climate-resilient, all-electric buildings instead? If those investments are made on that gas infrastructure, that would be eligible to be part of the rate base, meaning it will go on customers’ bills. It's worth pausing and understanding: What is it the community wants? Given the devastation of these tragedies, understanding what the community is interested in is really an important piece here. **Are SB 1221 pilots on track to launch by the 2026 deadline?** It’s January 2026 where the utilities, according to statute, are invited to file pilots. We're optimistic the CPUC has already scoped the mapping provisions and the priorities of designation into the [Long-Term Gas Planning](https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/natural-gas/long-term-gas-planning-rulemaking?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) proceeding. There's already been a public workshop the CPUC hosted to gather input from stakeholders on that mapping provision, and so we are optimistic those provisions are on track. The [building decarbonization proceeding](https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/about-cpuc/divisions/energy-division/building-decarbonization?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) had previously scoped questions related to zonal decarbonization projects. And so, there's a chance there's already enough of a regulatory framework to move forward with developing some of those thoughts and questions. The governor's January budget proposal will significantly help. The gas transition is going to be a *major* issue that the CPUC has to really grapple with. ### What I’m reading: Tracking Trump's climate rollbacks, NYC congestion pricing, building back better in LA, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-tracking-trumps-climate-rollbacks-nyc-congestion-pricing-building-back-better-in-la-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-02-02T02:24:48.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a 100% subscriber-funded publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Ahead of your weekend, here is another roundup of highlights from some of what I've been reading – and watching. Enjoy! **Tracking Trump 2.0 climate rollbacks:** The Trump administration has already initiated its promised rollback of Joe Biden’s climate regulations. Sean Duffy’s [first act](https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/sean-duffy-sworn-secretary-us-department-transportation-and-takes-immediate-action?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) after being sworn in Tuesday as secretary of the Department of Transportation was signing a [memorandum](https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2025-01/Signed%20Secretarial%20Memo%20re%20Fixing%20the%20CAFE%20Program.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) directing staff at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration “at the earliest opportunity to propose the rescission or replacement of any fuel economy standards as determined necessary to bring the CAFE \[Corporate Average Fuel Economy\] program into compliance with Administration policy and the requirements of the law.” For the grim but vital task of tracking the Trump administration's efforts to weaken energy and climate regulations, you can bookmark these helpful resources. On Inauguration Day, the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School launched its [Climate Backtracker](https://climate.law.columbia.edu/content/climate-backtracker?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to identify “steps taken by the Trump-Vance administration to scale back or wholly eliminate federal climate mitigation and adaptation measures.” The Harvard Law School Environmental & Energy Law Program recently launched a[Rollback Resources](https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/topic/rollback-resources/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) page with “resources on the legal and practical implications of the Trump administration's environmental and energy rollback efforts.” **NYC’s congestion pricing is working:** The scheme has been online for less than a month, but New York City’s congestion pricing is working just as its designers intended. Under the program, passenger vehicles are charged $9, and trucks and buses charged up to $21.60, to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street during peak periods. New York City estimates the congestion charge will bring in $500 million in its first year. “New York's congestion pricing has led to 1 million total fewer vehicles entering the busiest part of Manhattan and cut commuting times since the program began on Jan. 5\. … The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said inbound trips times on all Hudson and East River crossings are now 10% to 30% faster or more, while bus service has also improved. Subway ridership has grown by 7.3% on weekdays and 12% on weekends over January 2024,” Reuters’ David Shepardson [reported this week](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-york-says-1-million-fewer-vehicles-have-entered-manhattan-since-congestion-2025-01-29/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Alas, the program may not survive. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) has already [asked President Trump](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-jersey-governor-urges-trump-review-new-york-city-congestion-pricing-plan-2025-01-20/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to reexamine the Biden administration’s approval of the program. And, according to a New York Times [story published yesterday](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/nyregion/nyc-trump-congestion-pricing.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “the Trump administration is considering a move to halt New York City’s congestion pricing program.” **Caltrain’s electrification wins continue:** I [noted in a previous roundup](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-marine-energy-electric-trains-and-buses-and-more/) that electrification of the Caltrain railway in the San Francisco Bay Area had already succeeded in boosting ridership. According to [updated data](https://www.caltrain.com/news/end-2024-shows-growing-caltrain-ridership?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) released by Caltrain this week, the ridership surge continues: “The first three months of electric service saw a 41% in ridership over the same three months in 2023, with Sunday ridership doubling.” It turns out that the quieter, cleaner, faster, and more frequent electric train service is cheaper to operate, too. Caltrain [said last week](https://www.caltrain.com/news/caltrains-electric-fleet-more-efficient-expected?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the regenerative braking systems on the new trains are generating and sending back to the grid 23% of the electricity used by the trains – outperforming original projections. As a result, Caltrain estimates that it will spend $3 million less annually for the electricity to run its trains. Add to this $6 million in annual energy credits Caltrain will receive from California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard program, and “the first year of electric service will have lower fuel costs than the previous diesel service.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Floating solar power and U.S. reservoirs:** According to a study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), reservoirs controlled by the federal government could host enough floating solar panels to generate up to 1,476 terawatt-hours per year – enough electricity to power approximately 100 million homes. “That’s a technical potential,” NREL geospatial scientist Evan Rosenlieb said in a [press release](https://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2025/floating-solar-panels-could-support-us-energy-goals.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “We know we’re not going to be able to develop all of this. But even if you could develop 10% of what we identified, that would go a long way.” Reservoirs that already host hydropower-generating facilities could also do double duty and be ideal locations for floating solar power plants. “A hybrid energy system that relies on both solar energy and hydropower could provide more reliable and resilient energy to the power grid. If, for example, a drought depletes a hydropower facility’s reservoir, solar panels could generate energy while the facility pauses to allow the water to replenish,” according to NREL. **Building back better in LA:** Tragically, dozens of lives and thousands of homes and other structures were lost when the Palisades and Eaton fires swept through Greater Los Angeles this month. There is an obligation – and moral duty – in the aftermath to rebuild neighborhoods quickly but in a way that does not add to the climate pollution that helped to make the fires so destructive and deadly. “Greater Los Angeles’ burned neighborhoods are already revealing a looming natural gas crisis, decades before most American cities will face it,” historian and energy-systems analyst Joshua Lappen [writes in an essay](https://heatmap.news/ideas/la-fires-natural-gas?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published earlier this month at Heatmap. That crisis is the collapse of natural gas distribution networks as customers electrify their homes or businesses – a critical step towards decarbonization – leaving fewer gas customers to shoulder the cost of maintaining and operating the system that remains. Lappen’s answer? “Act proactively. [Prune back](https://woods.stanford.edu/publications/other/costs-building-decarbonization-policy-proposals-california-natural-gas?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the branching gas pipeline network to protect both the system as a whole and the burned neighborhoods themselves. Local government, state regulators, and our gas and electric utilities can together support the transition of burned neighborhoods’ remaining buildings off of gas so that entire branches of the system can be shut off, leaving safer and cleaner all-electric neighborhoods in their place.” But, in their well-intentioned desire to get families back in new homes as soon as possible, some of California’s most powerful politicians have proposed suspending rules and standards ensuring that rebuilt homes are safer, more resilient, and less polluting, the Los Angeles Times’ Sammy Roth reports in a [column published this week](https://www.latimes.com/environment/newsletter/2025-01-30/column-the-los-angeles-fires-are-no-excuse-to-slow-down-on-clean-energy-boiling-point?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) suspended a city requirement that new construction be all-electric. Governor Gavin Newsom (D) issued an executive order directing state officials to report back to him within 60 days on whether any provisions of the building code should be suspended for rebuilding efforts. And Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D) proposed legislation ([AB 306](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill%5Fid=202520260AB306&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) that would block most building code updates until 2031 – statewide, not just in burn zones. “Lawmakers shouldn’t use the fires as an excuse to slow down on clean energy – not when scientists say humanity must slash emissions much faster to keep the climate crisis from getting worse, and not when the climate crisis is a significant reason we’re seeing these catastrophic fires in the first place,” writes Roth. “The burden of confronting global warming can’t and shouldn’t fall on fire victims alone. But building new homes without gas hookups should be a relatively easy lift. Especially for California. Especially for Los Angeles.” **Bonus (what I’m watching): The joy of discovery with the “30 for 30” backlist:** I’m a big sports fan, especially of Major League Baseball (go Padres!). I’m also fan of long-form storytelling. So, I shouldn’t be surprised at how much I’m enjoying working my way through the first season of ESPN’s long-running [30 for 30 documentary film series](https://www.espn.com/watch/series/0514c1ad-efd1-4d3a-ad82-41ca579a94a2/30-for-30?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). My father-in-law introduced me to the series – if you’re reading, thank you, Jim! The films are so well done, and so compelling, that the topic almost doesn’t matter. Who knew I’d be so engrossed watching trash-talking NBA legend Reggie Miller [spar with Spike Lee and other Knicks fans](https://www.espn.com/watch/player/%5F/id/06026d7f-4ad4-4c99-9909-82af9794dcd6?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), discovering how [deeply drug lord (and murderous psychopath) Pablo Escobar was involved with soccer in Colombia](https://www.espn.com/watch/player/%5F/id/3e1449ba-3580-45e0-8f46-f919bfcf9002?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and learning about how a group of nerdy journalists and editors [invented Rotisserie baseball and birthed the multi-billion-dollar fantasy sports industry](https://www.espn.com/watch/player/%5F/id/2d2321e2-b235-4548-9205-97c01e9fdcea?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)? ### Don’t let Trump’s executive orders blitz memory hole Biden’s billions for climate action URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/dont-let-trumps-executive-orders-blitz-memory-hole-bidens-billions-for-climate-action/ Last updated: 2025-01-29T19:11:27.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* As expected, the first week of President Donald Trump’s second and (constitutionally mandated) final term in office was a whirlwind of activity, as the White House released a dizzying flurry of executive orders. Even for those of us who follow politics and policy for a living, it was hard to keep up with the onslaught of orders and memos. That’s the point. For Trump, the blizzard of paper is chaff released to demonstrate the appearance of action, and to project strength, to his supporters. No matter that many of the orders are legally dubious and will be litigated for years, while others are simply red meat to sate the president’s base. Legal experts say it is far too early to know what long-term impact the orders will have on U.S. energy and climate policy. “These orders repeatedly invoke emergency authorities, though it is unclear the extent to which these authorities actually confer on the President the power to dictate these actions,” Michael Gerrard, founder and faculty director of the Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, [wrote in a post last week at the Center’s blog](https://blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechange/2025/01/21/trump-executive-orders-on-energy-and-environment-a-quick-summary/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “As several of the orders acknowledge, it may be necessary to undertake formal rulemakings under the Administrative Procedure Act for many of these actions. A considerable amount of litigation will undoubtedly ensue.” “Few executive orders have any immediate impact. They’re basically nudges to various agencies to carry out his agenda. Presidents love issuing executive orders. It’s easy to do, and many people will credit the president with major accomplishment,” Daniel Farber, faculty director of the UC Berkeley School of Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, [wrote on Inauguration Day at the Center’s Legal Planet blog](https://legal-planet.org/2025/01/20/surfing-the-wave-of-executive-orders/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). He added: “Although there are a couple of exceptions, then, nearly all of Trump’s actions are really statements about policy initiatives to be undertaken later by administrative agencies. It will take a considerable amount of time for most of those initiatives to come to fruition, and they will then face judicial scrutiny.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Biden’s billions for climate action** Trump *wants* us to feel overwhelmed by his manufactured chaos, and to believe that fossil fuels – not solar, wind, and other clean energy technologies – are on the ascent. But to do so would ask us to forget the previous four years. So, for the record, here’s an overview of just some of the billions of dollars in climate funding the Biden administration managed to push out the door before Trump took over. Eighty-four percent of clean energy grants from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), totaling $96.7 billion, had been “‘obligated,’ meaning contracts have been signed between U.S. agencies and recipients,” Reuters’ Timothy Gardner [reported on January 17](https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/biden-protects-84-ira-clean-energy-grants-being-clawed-back-2025-01-17/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Kristina Costa, who served as deputy assistant to Biden and director of the clean energy office at the White House, told Gardner that obligated funds include: 94% of Department of Energy funding for state energy efficiency rebate programs for home retrofits and appliances ($8.8 billion), 97% of the funding for a Department of Agriculture program to help electric co-ops to procure more clean energy ($9.45 billion), and $38 billion in funding at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Obligated funding at the EPA includes 100% of the allotment for the [Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund](https://www.epa.gov/greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), a $27 billion program often referred to as a U.S. “green bank.” Additional obligated funding from either the IRA or Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at the EPA includes $5 billion sent to nearly 1,300 school districts to fund 8,700 new (mostly battery electric) school buses, nearly all the $5 billion allotted to the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program for states, tribes, and territories, and more than $2.5 billion for the Clean Ports Program, which I [reported on earlier this month](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/game-changing-epa-grant-fast-tracks-decarbonization-at-the-port-of-oakland/). At the Department of Energy, Jigar Shah revived the Loan Programs Office (LPO), turning the government lender, moribund during Trump’s first term, into a juggernaut that committed funding to new manufacturing facilities and clean energy projects across the country. “These past four years have been the most productive in LPO’s history,” Shah, who directed the office from March 2021 to January 2025, wrote in a [post published at the LPO website](https://www.energy.gov/lpo/articles/lpo-year-review-2024?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) just before Trump took office. “Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the Office has announced 53 deals totaling approximately $107.57 billion in committed project investment – approximately $46.95 billion for 28 active conditional commitments and approximately $60.62 billion for 25 closed loans and loan guarantees.” Shah made it clear that LPO’s work is not done – should the Trump administration choose to keep it going. “As of January 17, there are over 160 applicants seeking over $200B in loan proceeds to develop their projects,” he wrote. “These projects are proposed by the best and brightest of U.S. entrepreneurs and innovators – and they are depending on LPO’s continued support and vigilance.” Trump’s executive orders blitz aims to will away this progress. “One thing that no one can deny is that Trump is brilliant at political theater. People overlook the importance of that at their peril,” wrote UC Berkeley Law’s Farber. “But theater isn’t reality, and it remains to be seen how many of the grand gestures Trump made today will eventuate in significant policy changes.” Even [the most worrisome](https://heatmap.news/plus/the-fight/spotlight/trump-executive-order-wind?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of the Trump executive actions for the future of the energy transition, the [presidential memorandum](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/temporary-withdrawal-of-all-areas-on-the-outer-continental-shelf-from-offshore-wind-leasing-and-review-of-the-federal-governments-leasing-and-permitting-practices-for-wind-projects/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) halting federal leasing and permitting for offshore and onshore wind, will likely only succeed in creating delay and uncertainty. “The inconsistency with other executive actions designed to boost energy production will result in complete uncertainty for projects at any stage of the development process. It seems inevitable that some directives in the Memorandum will be challenged in federal court,” wrote Laura Smith Morton, a partner at Perkins Coie, in a [post](https://perkinscoie.com/insights/blog/presidential-memorandum-wind-energy-designed-decrease-permitting-efficiency-and?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) last week at the law firm’s blog. Meanwhile, the tens of billions of dollars the Biden administration already handed out under the IRA to local and state green banks will be funding projects across the U.S. for many years to come. Indeed, as the EPA [wrote in a January 13 press release](https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/new-report-celebrates-epas-unprecedented-successes-under-biden-harris-administrations?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com): “Awardees are now implementing their projects to reduce pollution and mobilize public and private capital for clean energy projects around the country.” Climate United, a non-profit consortium staked with $7 billion in federal green bank funding, backed the first such project funded under the program last year, 66 megawatts of solar to be installed at 16 sites across Arkansas, as Jeff St. John [reported for Canary Media in October 2024](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/policy-regulation/the-20b-us-green-bank-program-just-funded-its-first-project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **The looming “impoundment crisis”** The Trump administration is determined to halt this progress. Last night, the acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a [memo](https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/deb7af80-48b6-4b8a-8bfa-3d84fd7c3ec8.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) [initiating a freeze on nearly *all* federal government grants and loans](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/01/27/white-house-pauses-federal-grants/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). A federal judge [temporarily paused](https://www.reuters.com/legal/non-profits-health-groups-sue-over-trumps-freeze-grants-loans-2025-01-28/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the OMB order on January 28 and OMB [rescinded the memo](https://www.axios.com/2025/01/29/federal-funding-freeze-memo-rescinded?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the next day\*. We are careening towards an “[impoundment crisis](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/120-the-impoundment-crisis-of-2025?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)” in which the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether Donald Trump – or any future president – can simply refuse to spend money appropriated by Congress. “In essence, the Trump administration is claiming the unilateral power to at least temporarily ‘impound’ tens of billions of dollars of appropriated funds – in direct conflict with Congress’s constitutional power of the purse, and in even more flagrant violation of the Impoundment Control Act of 1974,” Steve Vladeck, a professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center, [wrote yesterday at his One First newsletter](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/120-the-impoundment-crisis-of-2025?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). With so much uncertainty around federal spending at the moment, it is even more important in hindsight that the Biden administration managed to get so much money out the door so quickly. Tens of billions of dollars are already in the hands of companies with closed loan commitments from the Department of Energy or the non-profits investing in projects with the EPA’s green bank funding. “On the unspent funds, we are at a place where we’re north of $9 out of every $10 of grant funding and other similar dollars that have already hit the economic bloodstream across the country,” Biden’s national climate adviser [Ali Zaidi told The Verge earlier this month](https://www.theverge.com/news/597828/federal-grant-funding-freeze-trump-clean-energy-climate?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Donald Trump can rescind Joe Biden’s executive orders with orders of his own, and he will try to roll back Biden’s regulations limiting climate pollution in the coming months, but the billions from Biden’s signature climate laws already invested in communities across the country will pay dividends in emissions reductions during Trump’s final term and for decades to come. *\*This column has been updated to note that on January 29, 2025, OMB rescinded the memo initiating a federal spending freeze.* ### “Game-changing” EPA grant fast tracks decarbonization at the Port of Oakland URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/game-changing-epa-grant-fast-tracks-decarbonization-at-the-port-of-oakland/ Last updated: 2025-01-18T19:37:18.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Last October, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the Port of Oakland, California, a $322 million grant to help fund the port’s transition to zero-emissions operations. The Port of Oakland is one of the most important ports on the U.S. West Coast, the gateway for 99% of waterborne goods moving through Northern California. The port [calls the grant](https://www.portofoakland.com/port-of-oakland-awarded-historic-322-million-epa-grant/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which was funded under the Inflation Reduction Act’s $3 billion [Clean Ports Program](https://www.epa.gov/ports-initiative/cleanports?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “the largest-ever amount of federal funding for a Bay Area program aimed at cutting emissions from seaport cargo operations.” Quitting Carbon recently spoke with [Matt Davis](https://www.portofoakland.com/about/senior-staff/matt-davis/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the Port of Oakland’s chief public engagement officer, to learn more about how the grant will accelerate the port’s pursuit of zero-emissions operations. “It's going to catapult us into a great trajectory,” Davis told me. “$322 million is more than we ever could envision before the start of this last administration. It's pretty game changing.” This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. **What zero-emissions or sustainability initiatives did the Port of Oakland have in place before applying for the EPA grant?** **Matt Davis:** Our action on the emissions reduction front goes back a couple of decades. In 2009 our board passed our [Maritime Air Quality Improvement Plan](https://www.portofoakland.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/maqip090515.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which was a traditional air quality emissions reduction program focused on toxic air contaminants, diesel particulate matter. It helped to lead the port to an 85% reduction in diesel particulate matter, or diesel soot, for our local residents. That was primarily looking at truck emissions, ocean-going vessels, making sure that we had shore power connections so ships could plug into the electric grid when they were here at port and turn off their auxiliary engines. From 2009 to 2020 was the period more focused on getting zero emissions where we could but focusing on the dirtiest of the dirty and creating a more sustainable path forward. In 2019, our [Seaport Air Quality 2020 and Beyond Plan](https://www.portofoakland.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/2020%5F%20Beyond%20Gr1%20Eval%20Tech%20Memos%20May%202020.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) came into effect, and that was really looking at the next generation: now that we've got a better handle on toxic air contaminants and near-term impacts, what is the greenhouse gas impact? What can we really be doing to decarbonize the footprint of our seaport? That manifested itself into a fairly ambitious plan for technology readiness, electrification, and resiliency to make sure that our electric grid could support the increased utilization of electric power for our own utility. While we get our electrons fed to us by Pacific Gas and Electric, we're responsible for much of the end user last-mile energy provision. We also inherited from the Army and the Navy, from 1927 when we were incorporated, a lot of legacy infrastructure. We really wanted to make sure we had the power capacity, the power distribution, and the capacity and the equipment to deliver our logistics needs. Our board also passed in 2020 an environmental ordinance, which requires that all our marine terminal operators give us their plan on how they're going to decarbonize to get to zero emissions. As a landlord, we have limited regulatory authority. We're not like the \[California\] Air Resources Board or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that can mandate it, but we really tried to pursue a partnership approach. That allowed us to then go and apply for grant funding, which follows on to actually implement the plans. **How did the opportunity to pursue the EPA clean ports grant come about? It looks like the port had significant help from elected officials as well.** **Davis:** The clean ports grant was the largest grant I can recall our having received, and I've been here since 2004\. In 2021, we had received a grant from the federal government for $5 million to help develop a green microgrid. Again, because of the fact that we receive the majority of our electricity through PG&E transmission lines, we're trying to focus on locally generated renewable power so that we're not as dependent on the high-voltage power line running through Moraga in times of extreme heat events or other [public safety power shutoffs](https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/psps/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which, fortunately, are not occurring as often as they were a couple years ago. We then worked with the California Transportation Commission to secure a $42 million grant for a larger microgrid that encompasses more parts of the seaport and includes renewable solar power generation, battery electric storage systems, and truck and heavy-duty charging stations. So again, building up our capacity, including personnel, to implement these grants and then the actual electrical capacity. As more equipment is starting to come into the seaport that is zero emissions, we're attempting to be technology neutral. We have a lot of interest in battery electric. There's also additional interest in hydrogen. We're part of the [California Hydrogen Hub](https://www.energy.gov/oced/california-hydrogen-hub-arches?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and ARCHES, the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems. One of our marine terminal partners is scheduled to have hydrogen equipment deployed for the trucks that move cargo around on the terminal. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. All of this then culminates into the complementary, like you said, tremendous support that we got from our federal elected delegation for the EPA grant. Nearly every member of the Bay Area congressional delegation was in support of our initiative. We also got a strong level of support from the State of California in terms of our Assemblymembers and state senators. All this comes down to the fact that our Board of Port Commissioners, which is our governing agency, has just been really insisting with us and partnering with us in approving and supporting good ideas that we bring from our industry tenants, from our community partners. The clean ports grant for us is a really unique endeavor because it's not just money to pay for equipment or money to pay for infrastructure, it's also supporting initiatives. We have 20 partners, from our industry side, but also from workforce development, from community-based organizations in West and East Oakland, that are going to help design community workforce development training programs so that people can come from our local neighborhoods and be employed in the new greentech economy. We're also looking at ways we can deploy air-quality monitors, in cooperation with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and in consultation with community members, to look at some of the fenceline impacts, to see if we can have some measurable progress in air quality before and after the grant is implemented. **The port estimated that close to 700 pieces of equipment could be funded with the $322 million EPA grant. Walk me through what that investment is going to look like.** **Davis:** We didn't get everything we asked for. The final total was 663 pieces of zero-emissions equipment. The majority of those, about 475, are going to be zero-emissions drayage trucks – Class 8 trucks that move heavy-duty cargo to and from a seaport. 188 was the final tally of cargo-handling equipment. These vary from what are called “yard hustlers,” which move cargo from the cranes to a stack. They could involve top picks, which bring a cargo box into a large stack. It could involve non-diesel forklifts for some of our warehouse operators. We have about 14 different partners that are involved in various versions of how they're going to be deploying those for operations in the port. A couple of our partners, like [CALSTART](https://calstart.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) or [Forum Mobility](https://forummobility.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), are going to work with us to help make the availability of the zero-emissions trucks more aware to the average truck driver who may not otherwise be aware of the incentives, or the capacity for them to have an equally affordable truck to what they currently drive. Electric trucks and hydrogen trucks are going to be more expensive than the typically used port truck that we see in service most of these days. But the fleets are evolving, the entire industry is evolving, and so we're hopeful that we're going to see the integration and the total cost of ownership continue to drop. **That's a good segue into my next question: Does this project include private truckers who service the port? Or is this grant money specifically for on-port equipment?** **Davis:** Our goal and our hope and our expectation is that funding, working with the partnerships that we brought in, is going to be distributed among those that are operating in and around the port economy. Unlike some replacement programs, where they're taking a diesel truck out of service, replacing it, and there is a requirement for so many miles of service, we're not aware that the EPA is being quite as doctrinaire in that regard, which I think does expand the flexibility, but we do need to have some sort of proof of port operations. We want to have the greatest impact in West and East Oakland, communities that have been historically burdened by logistics and truck operations. That's why we're trying to find a group of industry partners that really know port truckers and port drivers. **Could this include the trucks that do medium-term runs from the port to warehouses in the interior, in Tracy or the Central Valley?** **Davis:** The majority of the cargo activity that we see to and from the port is to Tracy. Our local market, if you look at it in a logistics sense, goes all the way out to Utah. The biggest limiting factor, frankly, for battery electric has been range and then cargo carrying capacity. As technology matures, we want to see more people feel comfortable utilizing trucks for that long 100- to 150-mile haul on one charge. That's the goal, to make it a credible alternative to diesel equipment. **What challenges or barriers have you encountered in moving to a zero-emission or battery electric powered model at the port?** **Davis:** It’s just the traditional growing pains that I don't think are too distinct from a lot of other early adopters. It does come down to price. There's been a lot of great programs that have been put into place. California’s [HVIP](https://californiahvip.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)\[Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project\],provides direct vouchers to dealers, reducing the administrative burden for those who want to purchase a lower or zero-emissions truck. We have heard concerns about federal or state excise taxes adding to the overall financial burden because the cost basis for this equipment is higher, so therefore the excise tax is higher. That's an area that we would like to see either the feds or our state partners look at because you don't want to be creating a disincentive to somebody wanting to bring a zero-emissions vehicle into their fleet, or into their very small fleet, if they're an independent owner operator. Reliability is always going to be a concern. The cargo carrying capacity. The ability to go a long distance on a single charge for battery electric. Having fast charging equipment is a big electrical draw. That's one of the things we're very focused on – looking at: How do we smooth out our peak power demand and make sure that, if for whatever reason, 100 truckers all want to immediately do a fast charge, how are we going to ensure that we can provide them with the adequate supply? You have to do a proverbial building that cathedral for Easter Sunday. You can't have anybody left out on the street when it comes to the ability to charge. Those are the considerations we're seeing from the user perspective. Our tenants do these operations every day, for two full shifts a day, in many cases, 16 hours. They're looking at having a single piece of equipment to replace one single piece of diesel equipment and making sure that you can do that in a way that their workers can operate on that almost continuously. That's where the hydrogen versus battery electric comes in. But it's kind of a fun time. We're at the new frontier of a lot of these technology deployments. The biggest difference that we're seeing from a couple of years ago is that industry and our partners and those that have the capital to invest and really make a transformative difference are very eager to do so. They were more reluctant a couple years ago, when technology was more nascent. It's becoming a lot a lot more commonplace. We're seeing a version of "Moore's Law" with the pace of adoption and efficiencies becoming a lot quicker. **You hinted at potential political headwinds. I'm wondering, one, the EPA grant, was the money obligated? Is it already on the way to Port of Oakland? Could it be clawed back should the Trump administration choose to do so? And second, what impact could the state authorities’ decision to** [**withdraw the waiver request for heavy-duty trucks**](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2025/01/14/california-throws-in-the-towel-00198302?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) **have on your plans to clean up the fleet that services the port?** **Davis:** Well, the first one, that is a $322 million question. Our board took an action to accept the grant in late December, so we have a formally obligated grant from the EPA. Obviously, we're going to be very hopeful, and we're going to continue to plan as if all the funding will be released. The message that we're trying to communicate is that the majority of the funding that's going to be matched by this EPA grant is from private industry partners that are, in many cases, corporations that don't have an axe to grind. We're all just trying to get our business done, move our economy forward, and build resiliency within the system, and avoid the supply chain fiasco like we had a couple years ago. This is a platform in which you have industry, government, community, coming together. I think that'd be a tough alliance to crack. So that's our hope, because it is definitely supported by all corners. In terms of the recent news that the Air Resources Board released about the [Advanced Clean Fleets](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-fleets?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) waiver removal and the railroad rule, I haven't had a lot of time to digest it since it's fairly new. I think that the zero-emissions path forward is pretty clear. There's going to be ample demand in this marketplace. **The port referred to the grant as “fast tracking” its plans for zero-emissions operations. If you do get that $322 million in hand and are able to buy those 663 pieces of equipment, where does that get you as far as the port's vision for zero-emissions operations?** **Davis:** It is a fast track. On the grant award, we were granted about 75% of our initial ask. We had envisioned that the full grant amount could have replaced 100% of the cargo-handling equipment with zero-emissions equipment. This would put us nearly 75% or more on the way there, at least on the cargo-handling side. We're trying to do it as quickly as possible. The lessons that we're going to learn from this are going to then help spur on additional improvements. The technology that we're planning for today is being improved six months from now. The first-generation electric trucks put into service are well surpassed by the technology that's out today. It's going to catapult us into a great trajectory. I don't see that it stalls out just because we didn't get all the grant money that we asked for. Because, again, $322 million is more than we ever could envision before the start of this last administration. It's pretty game changing. We just got to get to work and make it happen. ### What I’m reading: Sustainable aviation fuel, U.S. transit expansion, the AI power demand boom, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-sustainable-aviation-fuel-u-s-transit-expansion-the-ai-power-demand-boom-and-more/ Last updated: 2025-01-15T14:29:59.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* I have several stories in the works, including a Q&A on the zero-emissions operations initiative at a major U.S. West Coast port. For now, here is another roundup of highlights from some of what I've been reading. Enjoy! **Wind turbines are (mostly) recyclable:** Unfortunately for the U.S. wind energy industry, one of President-elect Donald Trump’s bête noires is wind turbines. If it was possible to change his mind with facts, perhaps new research from the U.S. Department of Energy might prompt him to reconsider at least some of his animus towards the industry. It turns out that the U.S. can already recycle most wind turbine materials. “Existing U.S. infrastructure could process 90% of the mass of decommissioned wind turbines,” [according to a new report](https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/america-can-recycle-90-wind-turbine-mass-according-new-doe-report?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from a team of researchers led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. “However, the remaining 10% will need new strategies and innovative recycling methods to achieve a more sustainable wind energy industry.” **State of play for SAF:** In the short term, experts consider so-called “sustainable aviation fuels” (SAF) sourced from feedstocks such as used cooking oil and animal fats the best option to decarbonize long-distance flights. But producing SAF at commercial scale has been a challenge. Heatmap’s Katie Brigham [published a great overview](https://heatmap.news/technology/sustainable-aviation-fuel-investing?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) of the headwinds facing the sector earlier this month. “Aamir Shams, a senior associate at the energy think tank RMI whose work focuses on driving demand for SAF, told me that while sustainable fuel is undeniably more expensive than traditional fuel, airlines and corporations have so far been willing to pay the premium,” she writes. “We feel that the lag is happening because we just don’t have the fuel today. Whatever fuel shows up, it just flies off the shelves,” Shams said. The Biden administration just made a big bet to boost the domestic supply of that fuel. Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office [closed a $1.67 billion loan guarantee](https://www.energy.gov/lpo/articles/doe-announces-167-billion-montana-renewables-significantly-expand-us-sustainable?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) with Montana Renewables to finance the expansion of its renewable fuels facility in Great Falls, Montana. The planned expansion will increase biofuels production at the facility to about 315 million gallons per year (up from 140 million gallons/yr today)­­, most of which will be SAF. “Once the facility reaches full capacity, Montana Renewables will be a leading global SAF producer, expected to produce about half of all North American SAF and about 12% of all global SAF through 2030,” according to DOE. **U.S. transit expansion continues:** Yes, Americans love their cars but give us the option of frequent, reliable transit and many of us will choose to ride a bus or train instead. For instance, the national railway Amtrak logged 32.8 million passenger trips in fiscal year (FY) 2024, a 15% increase over FY2023 and an all-time record, Progressive Railroading [reported last month](https://www.progressiverailroading.com/amtrak/news/Amtrak-reports-ridership-record-revenue-improvements-for-FY2024--73415?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Supported by funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, many state and local governments continue to invest in public transit upgrades, too. The best overview of where and when new transit lines will come online – in the U.S. and globally – is published each January by Yonah Freemark. In the U.S., he writes, “there are under construction 138 kilometers \[86 miles\] of new light rail or streetcar lines; 34 kilometers \[21 miles\] of new metro lines; 310 kilometers \[193 miles\] of new and improved bus lines; and 234 kilometers \[145 miles\] of regional rail or commuter rail.” Here are links to his detailed rundowns of all the light rail, metro, and bus rapid transit projects scheduled to open in 2025 [across the United States](https://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2025/01/06/transit-expansion-in-the-united-states-a-2024-roundup-and-a-look-ahead-to-2025/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [around the world](https://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2025/01/12/transit-project-openings-in-2025-a-global-review/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Renewables’ surge blunted by fossil fuels’ resilience:** There is much to celebrate about the rapid deployment of grid-scale renewable energy around the globe. For instance, as a result of the closure of coal-fired power plants and the swift rollout of renewable electricity, especially offshore wind, “the UK’s electricity was the cleanest ever in 2024 … with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per unit falling by more than two-thirds in a decade,” [according to research from Carbon Brief](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uks-electricity-was-cleanest-ever-in-2024/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=The%20UK's%20electricity%20was%20the,two%2Dthirds%20in%20a%20decade.). But fossil fuels are proving remarkably resilient as well. In the U.S., 96% of new power plants in 2024 were carbon-free. “Still, fossil fuels generate the majority of the country’s power and the U.S. [faces an uphill battle](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/us-climate-goals-evs-are-on-track-but-clean-power-is-lagging?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to decarbonize its grid by 2035, a goal set by outgoing President Joe Biden,” Canary Media’s Dan McCarthy [noted recently](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/chart-96-percent-of-new-us-power-capacity-was-carbon-free-in-2024?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Renewables growth could not keep pace with surging power demand in the U.S. last year, which spiked generation from natural gas power plants and meant that the country’s greenhouse gas emissions declined by just 0.2% compared to the year before, according to [estimates published last week by the Rhodium Group](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/climate/us-emissions-solar-wind-power.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “When we consider the year 2025, and the position we currently occupy in the energy transition, we might say that renewables growth has been stronger than even many of the optimists expected, but the intractability of legacy fossil fuels is far nastier than expected,” journalist and energy analyst Gregor Macdonald [observed just before Christmas last year](https://www.coldeye.earth/p/revenge-of-the-fossil-fuels?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **AI’s burgeoning grid burden:** One of the reasons why fossil fuels are proving harder to snuff out on the grid is the surging demand for power from data centers – especially in the U.S., where the AI boom has thrown a lifeline to coal-fired power plants. Yesterday, President Biden [issued an executive order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/14/statement-by-president-biden-on-the-executive-order-on-advancing-u-s-leadership-in-artificial-intelligence-infrastructure/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) directing the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Energy to select and lease federal sites where the private sector can build data centers and accompanying power generation facilities. “Developers selected to build on DOD and DOE sites will be required to bring online sufficient clean energy generation resources to match the full electricity needs of their data centers,” according to a White House press statement. “This year will go down in history as the year the energy sector woke up to AI. ... This is also the year AI woke up to energy,” BloombergNEF Founder and Senior Contributor Michael Liebreich [wrote in a post published on Christmas Eve 2024](https://about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-generative-ai-the-power-and-the-glory/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Do read the whole essay. It’s an exhaustive, measured deep dive into data center power demand estimates as well as potential solutions to blunt and meet that demand. “In the end, the tech titans will find out that the best way to power AI data centers is in the traditional way, by building the same generating technologies as are proving most cost effective for other users, connecting them to a robust and resilient grid, and working with local communities. More, in other words, of what the best of them are already doing,” he concludes. In a story published last week at Heatmap, Emily Pontecorvo [highlighted new research](https://heatmap.news/technology/data-center-solar-microgrids?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that explores another (mostly) clean solution to meet data center power demand. “After a year of concerted hand-wringing about the growing energy needs of data centers, a report that dropped just before the holidays proposed a solution that had been strangely absent from the discussion. ... In a pithily named new analysis – ‘Fast, scalable, clean, and cheap enough’ – the report’s authors make a compelling case for an alternative: off-grid solar microgrids.” **Bonus: Ghosts in the water:** I am determined to make it to the bottom of the stack of New Yorker back issues next to my reading chair because I know there are gems waiting in the pile. Here is another one. In June, Paige Williams [published a dispatch from Maine’s Down East coastal region](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/06/24/inside-the-slimy-smelly-secretive-world-of-glass-eel-fishing?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) profiling men and women who harvest glass eels, or elvers – what National Fisherman magazine calls “likely the most valuable fish in the United States on a per-pound basis.” The story is an example of how the best journalism can transport us to another world. I was rapt reading several thousand words as Williams illuminated an industry and way of life I didn’t know existed and described places I’ve never been and may never see in person. But what I’ll always remember from the story is veteran elverwoman Julie Keene explaining why her chosen profession means so much to her: “It’s not just about how much money you can make. It’s about seeing the alewives trying to get upriver, and an eagle fishing for them. And hearing the river at night. When you see millions and millions and millions of elvers, it’s mind-blowing. You see full moons. You see rings around the moon. You see fog. If you see garbage, you pick it up. You want passage for all the things that are trying to get into the lakes to spawn. You want it to be – *not ruined*.” ### This solution could unlock full electrification in millions of homes URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/ Last updated: 2025-01-19T00:32:26.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* One of the biggest barriers to full electrification of existing homes has been that shifting to electric appliances such as heat pumps and induction stoves has often required the homeowner to pay thousands of dollars to install a new electric panel or upgrade the distribution service line to the home. No longer, based on results from a recently completed demonstration project. In September 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) [announced](https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/doe-announces-winners-home-electrification-prize?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) the winners of the Equitable and Affordable Solutions to Electrification ([EAS-E](https://americanmadechallenges.org/challenges/eas-e?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)) Prize. One of the runners-up from the finalist pool was a whole-home electrification solution demonstrated by Redwood Energy, an Arcata, California-based design firm, and NeoCharge, a home electrification and EV charging technology company based in San Luis Obispo, California. The project team was awarded a $325,000 cash prize. “The prize calls for innovators to address residential building-electrification challenges head-on with new technologies and approaches,” the US Department of Energy (DOE) said in a press release. Redwood Energy and NeoCharge did just that. The partners’ solution used low-power appliances that plug in to standard 120-volt outlets combined with NeoCharge’s smart circuit-splitters to avoid costly electrical service upgrades at two homes operating on a single 100-amp electrical service in McKinleyville, California. “This approach can save homeowners up to $3,575 versus panel upgrades while supporting grid reliability by eliminating unnecessary infrastructure modifications,” NeoCharge [wrote recently at the company’s blog](https://getneocharge.com/a/blog/case-study-nrel?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). NeoCharge added that for DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which verified the technology solution at its testing facilities, “this validates a scalable solution that could enable cost-effective electrification of tens of millions of U.S. households using their existing electrical panels – particularly benefitting low and moderate-income communities.” According to DOE, the solution proves that “many homes in the U.S. can electrify with their existing electrical service without sacrificing the performance of any end use.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **The problem, the solution** In an interview, Sean Armstrong, a partner and managing principal with Redwood Energy, told me that inspiration for the project came from his firm’s experience working to design solutions to retrofit apartments to all-electric service. That task is made more challenging by the fact that apartments are not required to have even 100-amp electrical service. And some apartments even have 50- or 60-amp service, he said. If your electrification plan calls for separate 240V outlets for the stove, water heater, heat pump, and other large electric appliances, then existing homes will likely require significant and costly upgrades. The estimated average cost of a panel upgrade is $4,000 in California and $3,000 nationwide, according to research by Redwood Energy and NeoCharge. The companies say the technology they used to manage electrical loads in the McKinleyville homes and to avoid a panel upgrade, NeoCharge’s Energy Management System (EMS), can be installed for just $150 to $450. “When the EAS-E contest came out, the idea was to try to combine all the different things that we devised as strategies in the most extreme situation that we could think of, which was a 120V house, which had never been done, to my knowledge,” said Armstrong. “If you have an all-electric home, you have a 240V kitchen circuit for your stove. Up until very recently, you've had to do the same thing for your water heater, and you've had to do the same thing for your HVAC and for your laundry dryer – everything, essentially, that was a big electric load was done in 240 voltages,” he said. The project site in McKinleyville comprises a 1,440-sqaure-foot double-wide manufactured home built in 1973 and a new 600-square-foot accessory dwelling unit (ADU) – with both homes operating on a single 100-amp service panel. In the ADU, only high-efficiency 120V appliances, including a new-to-market 120V plug-in solar photovoltaic array, were installed. In the existing manufactured home, 120V appliances were used alongside an existing shared dedicated 240V circuit that was optimized with NeoCharge’s [Smart Splitter](https://getneocharge.com/products/neocharge-smart-splitter?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to balance the loads from a 240V induction stove and 240V heat pump. “The whole solution is capped off with NeoCharge’s whole house API \[application programming interface\] controls that can monitor and manage the smart appliance’s energy use to reduce bills and emissions while always keeping the panel at a safe capacity,” the project team wrote in a report submitted to DOE. **Real-world results** Redwood Energy and NeoCharge validated the performance of their package of solutions, operating under the control of NeoCharge’s EMS, in NREL’s [Systems Performance Laboratory](https://www.nrel.gov/buildings/systems-performance.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Tests were conducted under both baseline (involving standard 240V electric appliances) and experimental (involving the suite of proposed 120V solutions) configurations and under scenarios to account for different climate zones (marine: San Francisco; cold: Cleveland), seasonal variations (mild and extreme weather conditions), and occupancy and behavioral patterns. “The real knowledge gained from the NREL testing comes from doing a side-by-side comparison where we're looking at this existing solution versus our proposed solution,” Redwood Energy research associate Cobe Phillips told me. “We are reducing the overall impact on the \[electrical\] panel by roughly 60% to 70%. The total amount of the peak amperage is about 70% of what we would see from a standard solution. That 30% difference is still pretty significant,” she added. “It allows for us to do these retrofits on 50-amp panels easily.” “Going from the 45-amp range down to even just 40 amps allows us to access a 50-amp panel with this full solution without ever triggering any breakers or any safety devices. That was really important for us to see that the solution, even in cold temperatures, will manage.” Using such a “Watt Diet” approach, most existing homes and apartments in the U.S. could fully electrify without expensive upgrades. “Almost all U.S. houses have a 100A service or larger, more than enough capacity to go all-electric with a Watt Diet approach. Apartments usually have a 60A to 80A service, making a Watt Diet approach even more helpful for electrification,” the project team wrote in the report submitted to DOE. Redwood Energy and NeoCharge’s package of 120V solutions is proving its value in the real world, too, according to the occupants of the two homes in McKinleyville. “The owner of both homes has been living in the ADU with his partner, and the two of them have not yet seen any complications that have come up from utilizing 120V devices, and the circuit-splitter technology, while important, has not needed to engage in a noticeable way,” said Phillips. “I'm happy to report that they're living comfortably so far.” **A poster child project** Redwood Energy and NeoCharge are using lessons learned from the EAS-E Prize demonstration project to inform policymaking. Redwood Energy staff use the project as a poster child when they speak at conferences, Phillips told me. She added that Redwood Energy has also communicated with officials at the California Energy Commission, which develops and approves state energy standards for buildings, who are looking to change how policy is made regarding circuit limitations and circuit-sharing solutions. The project partners have also engaged with the publishers of the National Electric Code to ensure that NeoCharge's EMS aligns with code requirements. “Finding new ways to implement either part of this solution or the totality of it is something that Redwood Energy will continue to push forward – finding niche housing situations with these small panel sizes and coming up with solutions that employ circuit-sharing 120V devices and making it work even in the hardest cases,” said Phillips. ### What I’m reading: Data centers and electricity demand, geothermal networks, and Copenhagen's "five-minute city" URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-data-centers-and-electricity-demand-geothermal-networks-and-copenhagens-five-minute-city/ Last updated: 2024-12-23T14:30:10.000Z **Special offer:* Readers who subscribe to *Quitting Carbon* before the end of 2024 can* [***get one year of this newsletter at a 40% discount***](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/special-offer)*. You can also* [***make a one-time donation***](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/lawsuits-that-reach-state-supreme-courts-could-drive-climate-action-during-trump-2-0/#/portal/support)*.* This look at highlights from what I’ve been reading is the last Quitting Carbon newsletter of 2024\. I'll be taking a break until the new year, spending the week between Christmas and New Year's in a favorite place: Portland, Oregon. I look forward to sharing more of my discoveries, as well as reporting and commentary on the energy transition, with you in 2025\. Until then, enjoy! **DOE’s LPO is closing billion-dollar deals, daily:** It’s hard keeping track of the billion-dollar-deals the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office is announcing or closing on an almost daily basis in the Biden administration's final weeks. Last week, LPO announced its biggest deal yet: a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to a whopping $15 billion to California utility Pacific Gas & Electric. Jeff St. John [reported on this and other recent big deals for Canary Media](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/utilities/pg-e-lands-15b-federal-loan-guarantee-to-expand-clean-energy?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). St. John also reminded readers that despite all the slings and arrows directed at LPO by its conservative critics, the program is providing real value to American taxpayers. “And while the LPO does exist for the purpose of making loans that private-sector lenders find too risky, the office has earned a profit for the federal government on the nearly $35 billion it has disbursed since it was created in 2005\. [As of September 2024](https://www.energy.gov/lpo/portfolio?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the LPO has realized $1.03 billion in actual and estimated losses, but it has also earned $5.4 billion on interest paid and collected $15 billion in principal repaid, meaning the office is in fact a moneymaker,” he wrote. **Data centers and surging U.S. electricity demand growth:** Perhaps the biggest story of 2024 regarding the future of the US energy industry – after the results of the presidential election – is the tech industry’s seemingly insatiable appetite for electricity to run its data centers. A new [report](https://eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/default/files/2024-12/lbnl-2024-united-states-data-center-energy-usage-report.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory [estimates that data center load growth has tripled over the past decade](https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-releases-new-report-evaluating-increase-electricity-demand-data-centers?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and is projected to double or triple by 2028\. The report finds that data centers consumed about 4.4% of total U.S. electricity in 2023, or 176 terawatt-hours (TWh), and are expected to consume up to 12% of total U.S. electricity by 2028 (up to 580 TWh). Experts warn that all that new electricity demand could strain the country’s power grid. “More than half of North America faces a risk of energy shortfalls in the next five to 10 years as data centers and electrification drive electricity demand higher and generator retirements threaten resource adequacy, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. said in a [10-year outlook](https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC%5FLong%20Term%20Reliability%20Assessment%5F2024.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) published Tuesday,” Utility Dive’s Robert Walton [reported last week](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/explosive-demand-growth-blackouts-NERC-LTRA-reliability/735866/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Geothermal networks in Massachusetts:** Could underground thermal networks be part of a decarbonized future for fossil gas distribution companies? A Boston-based non-profit called [HEET](https://www.heet.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and the utility Eversource Energy are piloting such geothermal energy systems in Massachusetts. I first heard HEET’s Zeyneb Magavi and Audrey Schulman pitch the concept at an electrification workshop I attended hosted by the think tank RMI in May 2019\. I [reported on the coming geothermal pilots](https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/can-gas-companies-evolve-to-protect-the-climate-and-save-their-workers?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for Greentech Media in August 2020\. “In June, Eversource completed a geothermal system in Framingham, Massachusetts, that provides heating and cooling for an entire neighborhood, including public housing residents, by tapping low-temperature thermal heat from underground wells. It was the first geothermal system ever built by a gas utility. More than that, it’s a demonstration project that could chart a new course for the industry by transitioning off gas while preserving jobs,” Inside Climate News’ Phil McKenna [reported last week](https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21122024/boston-suburb-taps-geothermal-energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in a helpful update on the status of these projects in Massachusetts, across the U.S., and internationally. **Copenhagen’s “five-minute city”:** Regular readers of this newsletter will recall that the name Quitting Carbon was inspired by [my e-book of the same name on Denmark’s energy transition](https://www.amazon.com/Quitting-Carbon-Denmark-Transition-Low-Carbon-ebook/dp/B01F0LRKWY?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In that book, I wrote about a project then planned for Copenhagen’s former industrial waterfront called Nordhavn. Now, 10 years after I visited the site of the new sustainable neighborhood, which then was nothing but aspiration, The Guardian’s Steve Rose [checks in on the progress thus far](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/dec/10/the-five-minute-city-inside-denmarks-revolutionary-neighbourhood?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Planners designed Nordhavn as a “five-minute city,” with all of life’s basic amenities just a short walk or bike ride away. “If you go back in time, when you did city planning, you would say: ‘Where do the roads go? How do the cars get from A to B?’ That was your main priority,” Ramboll’s Lars Riemann told Rose. “Then we’d put bike lanes next to the roads, pedestrian areas next to that and so on. Here, we did the opposite. We said: ‘What does a walkable city look like? What do the streets look like? What do people like to experience as they are walking?’” So, what does this look like in the real world? “The city of the future increasingly resembles the city of the past – which is to say, the past before motorcars and monolithic modernism took over. Except now we can have clean transport, safe streets and cosy, triple-glazed apartments, but people still make eye contact with their neighbours,” wrote Rose. **A rough year for climate politics:** My friend Justin Guay, now with the Quadrature Climate Foundation, published a column last week at Heatmap on the rough year for climate politics in 2024\. Do [read the whole column](https://heatmap.news/ideas/climate-elections-2024?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – Justin is one of the smartest, most experienced advocates at work in the climate fight today. But I want to highlight one section that especially resonated with me: Justin’s advice to the clean energy industry to join the political fray more assertively. “At the same time, the clean energy industry must step up. For all its economic success, it remains politically underpowered. Researchers Robert Brulle and Christian Downie [found that](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-022-03466-0?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from 2008 to 2018, trade associations opposed to climate action outspent climate-positive industry groups by a ratio of [27 to 1](https://theconversation.com/big-oils-trade-group-allies-outspent-clean-energy-groups-by-a-whopping-27x-with-billions-in-ads-and-lobbying-to-keep-fossil-fuels-flowing-198286?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=We%20found%20that%20trade%20associations%20historically%20opposed%20to%20climate%20policies%20spent%20%242%20billion%20in%20the%20decade%20from%202008%20to%202018%20on%20political%20activities%2C%20such%20as%20advertising%2C%20lobbying%20and%20political%20contributions.%20Together%2C%20they%20outspent%20climate%2Dsupporting%20industry%20groups%2027%20to%201.). This is neither serious nor sustainable. If clean energy is to cement its place as the backbone of the global economy, it must take greater responsibility for its political future. Industries that shape policy don’t wait for others to speak on their behalf – they do it themselves,” he wrote. **Housing is a climate solution:** Policy that enables more people to live near jobs, shopping, and transit is a climate solution. Earlier this month, Sightline Institute’s Catie Gould [wrote about new research](https://www.sightline.org/2024/12/10/parking-reform-alone-can-boost-homebuilding-by-40-to-70-percent/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) showing that parking reform alone can boost homebuilding by 40 to 70%.“Allowing for fully flexible parking could lead to more new homes – more than other land use reforms combined. According to new modeling research out of Colorado, fully flexible parking resulted in two to three times as many new homes as legalizing granny flats or larger multifamily buildings near transit, even when every new building *still* included some amount of parking. When given the option to maximize housing projects for actual housing instead of parking, buildings ultimately get more homes, become more financially feasible, and have a better chance of actually getting built,” wrote Gould. ### Lawsuits that reach state supreme courts could drive climate action during Trump 2.0 URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/lawsuits-that-reach-state-supreme-courts-could-drive-climate-action-during-trump-2-0/ Last updated: 2025-01-19T00:40:44.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* Anyone who cares about the climate crisis should be worried about what the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court could do over the next four years to further hinder the federal government’s ability to force big polluters to reduce their emissions. The Court’s conservative majority has already [constrained how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can regulate pollution from power plants](https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/west-virginia-v-environmental-protection-agency/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and [overturned the decades-long precedent](https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/loper-bright-enterprises-v-raimondo/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) under which judges deferred to federal agencies’ interpretation of the law when implementing legislation. So, with federal climate action threatened by a hostile White House and Supreme Court during Trump 2.0, where else should we look for progress on decarbonizing the economy over the next four years? State and local governments, for certain. Legislatures and city councils [pushed ahead on climate action](https://www.wearestillin.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) during Trump’s first term and will do so again over the next four years. But what about state supreme courts? An important feature story [published by Eyal Press in The New Yorker earlier this year](https://www.newyorkerest.com/2024/states-of-play/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) argued that advocates can look to state supreme courts to preserve or even expand rights not found in the U.S. Constitution. Press’ story, published in June, is even more salient today, with voters having returned Trump to the White House, putting him in charge once again of appointments to the federal judiciary. “Not only do state constitutions generally express a stronger commitment to democracy than the U.S. Constitution does; they enumerate many rights and protections that have no federal analogue. ... Many state constitutions also affirm positive rights absent from the U.S. Constitution,” wrote Press. Press cited the right to “social welfare” enshrined in New York’s constitution and the right to “produce and consume the food of their own choosing” guaranteed by the constitution of Maine. He also mentioned the right to “a clean and healthful environment” added to the Montana Constitution in 1972\. Hawaii [added the same provision](https://www.courts.state.hi.us/special%5Fprojects/environmental%5Fcourt?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Article%20XI%2C%20Section%209%20of,and%20enhancement%20of%20natural%20resources.) to its constitution in 1978. This provision was the crux of a landmark [ruling issued yesterday](https://juddocumentservice.mt.gov/getDocByCTrackId?DocId=500483&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by the Montana Supreme Court. In Held v. Montana, a lawsuit filed in 2020, a group of Montana youth plaintiffs invoked the constitutional right to environmental protection to challenge the state government’s lack of action to respond to the climate crisis, and specifically a provision in state law that had allowed state agencies to ignore greenhouse gas emissions when conducting reviews of energy projects under the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA). On Wednesday, the Montana Supreme Court [ruled in favor of the youth plaintiffs](https://bsky.app/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3ldlxra4xis2o?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). A 6-1 majority (with one justice joining the majority in a concurring opinion) found the provision limiting MEPA reviews “unconstitutional.” “Plaintiffs have standing to challenge the injury to their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. Montanans’ right to a clean and healthful environment was violated by the MEPA Limitation, which precluded an analysis of GHG emissions in environmental assessments and environmental impact statements during MEPA review,” Chief Justice Mike McGrath wrote for the majority. The majority also affirmed that “Montana’s right to a clean and healthful environment and environmental life support system includes a stable climate system, which is clearly within the object and true principles of the Framers inclusion of the right to a clean and healthful environment.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Ease of amending state constitutions** One advantage of a state-focused courts strategy is the fact that it is so much easier to amend state constitutions than it is to amend the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution has been amended just 27 times over the nation’s history. Meanwhile, “the current constitutions of the 50 states have been [amended around 7,000 times](https://bookofthestates.org/tables/general-information-on-state-constitutions-as-of-january-1-2022/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com),” John Dinan, a professor of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest University, [wrote at the State Court Report last year](https://statecourtreport.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/constitutional-amendment-processes-50-states?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Legislatures generate more than 80% of these state constitutional amendments, according to Dinan. Most of the rest are adopted in the 17 states that allow for amendments to be enacted via citizen-initiative processes. In a handful of states, constitutional amendments are adopted multiple times each year. “The constitutions of Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, and California are amended more than three to four times per year, on average,” wrote Dinan. With multiple paths for amending constitutions in individual states, climate and clean energy advocates could push for the adoption of amendments in some or all the 50 states over the next four years. If enough states follow Montana and Hawaii’s lead in enshrining the right to a clean environment, or even a stable climate system, in their constitutions, not only would it help to advance climate action in individual states at a time when federal action will be under assault, it could build momentum for the adoption of these same rights at the federal level, too. With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to stymie federal climate action for years to come, it could be state supreme court rulings on lawsuits filed by advocates that help to move the needle on action to stabilize the climate during Donald Trump’s second term. ### Special offer: Get one year of Quitting Carbon at a 40% discount URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/special-offer-upgrade-to-a-paid-subscription-to-quitting-carbon-at-a-40-discount-2/ Last updated: 2024-12-16T18:59:59.000Z Dear readers, I launched **Quitting Carbon** last month with the goal of providing context on the projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. This newsletter offers a mix of original [reporting](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/reporting/), [commentary](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/commentary/), and [recaps of what I've been reading](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/tag/what-im-reading/). I've already reported on research [debunking the notion](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/) that heat pumps don't work in the cold, [profiled an innovative program](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/taking-the-emergency-out-of-water-heater-replacement-and-slashing-emissions/) to boost heat pump water heater adoption, and warned about Donald Trump's plans to [target federal employees working to protect the climate](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-2-0-will-be-a-disaster-for-federal-employees-working-on-climate-action/) and [kill the Postal Service's electric delivery fleet](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-plan-to-cancel-usps-ev-trucks-contracts-shows-contempt-for-taxpayers-letter-carriers-and-climate-action/). I have big plans for 2025, including reporting from the field, filing dispatches from events in California and beyond, and publishing interviews with the policymakers and business leaders shaping the energy transition. But I can only keep this project going with your support. There are no annoying and distracting ads, pop-up windows, or auto-play videos at this site. As of now, I don't plan to erect a paywall either. This truly is and will be a reader-supported publication. If independent journalism on the energy transition matters to you, I hope you will consider becoming a paid subscriber. As an extra incentive, I'm offering you the chance [**to get one year of Quitting Carbon at a 40% discount**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/special-offer). But act fast. This offer only lasts until the end of 2024\. And if a paid subscription is too big a financial lift for you at the moment, no problem. Please consider [**making a one-time donation instead**](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support). With gratitude, Justin ### Trump’s plan to cancel USPS EV trucks contracts shows contempt for taxpayers, letter carriers, and climate action URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trumps-plan-to-cancel-usps-ev-trucks-contracts-shows-contempt-for-taxpayers-letter-carriers-and-climate-action/ Last updated: 2025-01-19T00:33:53.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* You would think that a multi-billion-dollar program to deploy tens of thousands of safer, more efficient mail delivery trucks made in the United States would align with Donald Trump’s “America first” mantra. Not if electricity powers the trucks, apparently. Trump’s disdain for electric vehicles is seemingly so all-consuming that he is now threating to kill the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) next-generation fleet of all-electric delivery trucks. “Donald Trump's transition team is considering canceling the U.S. Postal Service's contracts to electrify its delivery fleet, as part of a broader suite of executive orders targeting electric vehicles, according to three sources familiar with the plans,” Jarrett Renshaw and Alexandra Ulmer [reported last week](https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/trump-may-cancel-us-postal-service-electric-mail-truck-contract-sources-say-2024-12-06/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in an exclusive for Reuters. “The move, which could be unveiled in the early days of Trump’s administration that begins on Jan. 20, is in line with Trump's campaign promises to roll back President Joe Biden’s efforts to decarbonize U.S. transportation to fight climate change – an agenda Trump has said is unnecessary and potentially damaging to the economy.” Such a move not only defies common sense – the new electric delivery trucks are cheaper to operate and maintain than the decades-old model they are replacing. It also demonstrates Trump’s contempt for federal workers and climate action. **EV trucks save money** Staked with the $3 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to replace its aging fleet of mail delivery trucks, the Postal Service [announced](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2024/1030-usps-headquarters-showcases-new-next-generation-delivery-vehicle.htm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in December 2022 it would purchase at least 66,000 battery electric delivery vehicles over the next five years. The procurement included 45,000 so-called Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs), which Oshkosh Defense is building at a plant in South Carolina, as well as 21,000 commercial off-the-shelf vehicles from manufacturers like Ford, Ram Trucks, and Mercedes. The USPS pledged that all NGDV fleet purchases would be all-electric starting in 2026. The Postal Service is also installing at least 14,000 charging ports from vendors like Siemens, ChargePoint, and Blink at its facilities across the country. In all, the USPS is investing $9.6 billion in its next-generation vehicles fleet. The new NGDV, with 70 miles of range on a full charge, replaces the clunky, gas-guzzling (9 mpg) workhorse Grumman mail delivery truck. The new truck’s larger cargo area and electric drivetrain are two of the money-saving improvements compared with its aging predecessor, which debuted in 1987. “The increased cargo capacity of these vehicles enables the transportation of more packages per trip, leading to a reduction in the number of required trips and resulting in greater efficiency. Coupled with their improved reliability these vehicles minimize downtime for maintenance and repairs,” the USPS said in an [October 30 press release](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2024/1030-usps-headquarters-showcases-new-next-generation-delivery-vehicle.htm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). A March 2022 USPS Office of Inspector General [report](https://www.uspsoig.gov/reports/white-papers/electric-delivery-vehicles-and-postal-service?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) – published before the IRA had allocated $3 billion for the Postal Service to buy zero-emission vehicles – noted that “the upfront costs of an electric delivery vehicle and necessary charging infrastructure is significantly higher than the cost of buying a new gasoline-powered vehicle, but once purchased, electric vehicles are generally cheaper to operate.” The report added that “longer routes are more suited to electric vehicles because the agency saves money on each mile driven.” ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Letter carriers love the new trucks** The USPS started sending the new electric delivery trucks into the field this fall. Letter carriers love them. “The first handful of Next Generation Delivery Vehicles that rolled onto postal routes in August in Athens, Georgia, are getting rave reviews from letter carriers accustomed to cantankerous older vehicles that lack modern safety features and are prone to breaking down – and even catching fire,” the AP’s David Sharp and Ron Harris [reported in September](https://apnews.com/article/postal-service-next-generation-delivery-vehicle-a2ebbfc7afec0eea2e036eef93bee4d9?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The NGDVs come equipped with safety features lacking in the old Grumman trucks such as airbags, 360-degree cameras, blind-spot monitoring, collision sensors, and anti-lock brakes. Letter carriers will also benefit for the first time from another feature missing in the Grumman mail delivery truck: air-conditioning. “I promise you, it felt like heaven blowing in my face,” postal worker Avis Stonum told Sharp and Harris, referring to her first experience working in an air-conditioned truck. “Richard Burton, another driver, said he appreciates the larger payload area, which can accommodate bigger packages, and the fact that he doesn’t have to crouch, helping him avoid back pain.” “It makes the job easier to do because you’re not sweating bullets out there. And in Georgia, you can imagine how hot it gets,” Burton [told](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/26/us/usps-new-mail-trucks.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.dE4.i2lD.ZwifbZ0Gsitr&smid=url-share&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) New York Times reporter Michael Levenson in November. **New trucks delay strengthens Trump’s hand** It is head-scratching that Trump appears to be so eager to scuttle a project that will save taxpayers’ money and make postal employees’ workdays safer and more satisfying. When contacted by Reuters, a spokesperson declined to confirm whether Trump plans to cancel the USPS’ EV trucks contracts. "President Trump will protect the freedom of Americans to drive whichever vehicle they choose, enhance his tough tariffs on Chinese-imported cars, and save the U.S. auto industry for generations to come. No policy should be deemed official unless it comes directly from President Trump," Trump transition team spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Given this hedging, it is unfortunate that Oshkosh and the Postal Service handed Trump a gift – and political cover to kill the EV truck contracts – by failing to deliver the new NGDVs on time. In an exclusive published yesterday, Jacob Bogage [reported for the Washington Post](https://wapo.st/4gyB39J?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that as of November Oshkosh had only delivered 93 of the new NGDV trucks – compared to 3,000 originally expected by now. The transition to a zero-emission vehicle fleet is a critical component of the Postal Service’s [plans to reduce its carbon emissions by 40% by 2030](https://apnews.com/article/postal-service-green-environmental-goals-7fd7002e1c82270315f62f9d34ceae24?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Scrapping the USPS’ electrification push, just as the new delivery trucks are starting to enter service, would waste taxpayer money, needlessly immiserate postal workers, and prevent the creation of what would have been “[one of the world’s largest electric delivery vehicle fleets](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2024/0625-presidential-federal-sustainability-award.htm?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com).” ### What I’m reading: Agrivoltaics, US solar boom, global EV deployment, and California dreaming URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-agrivoltaics-us-solar-boom-global-ev-deployment-and-california-dreaming/ Last updated: 2024-12-10T14:30:26.000Z Today’s newsletter is the latest roundup of nuggets I’ve unearthed from my daily reading. These roundups will return to Fridays in the coming weeks, with the next installment arriving before the Christmas break. Enjoy! **One of Biden’s legacies: energy-efficient, comfortable affordable housing:** If you haven’t tracked daily press releases and announcements from federal agencies over the last four years, you likely have missed just how successful the Biden administration has been in advancing climate action across the country. Here’s one of many such examples. The AP’s Jennifer McDermott [reported last month](https://apnews.com/article/apartment-buildings-climate-upgrades-renewable-energy-solar-93a2f3c8d62e04db6963c680f77b7f78?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development had notched a milestone: the last $30 million of more than $1 billion had been spent under the Inflation Reduction Act’s [Green and Resilient Retrofit Program](https://www.hud.gov/grrp?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to modernize and upgrade older buildings for thousands of low-income renters nationwide. “If there’s anything that this billion dollars has done, in addition to doing the work that those of us know needs to be done to deal with the impact of climate change, it’s given people who live in those buildings hope, so that they can live comfortably, and hope that they can live safely,” HUD acting Secretary Adrianne Todman told McDermott. **Agrivoltaics are booming – and promoting biodiversity:** Recent research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) documents the explosive growth of so-called “agrivoltaics” in the US.The term refers to “the practice of bringing together agricultural activities and photovoltaics (PV) – using the same land to harvest solar energy and reap agricultural benefits, like grazing, crop production, increased pollinator habitat, and soil health.” In 2020, US agrivoltaics sites covered 27,000 acres and produced 4.5 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy, [according to NREL](https://www.nrel.gov/news/features/2024/lighting-the-way-for-agrivoltaics.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). By November 2024, US agrivoltaics covered 60,000 acres and produced 10GW of solar energy. Solar arrays are compatible with ecosystem restoration, too. In a series of studies funded by the US Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office and undertaken by NREL, along with federal and state partners, researchers documented the benefits of so-called “ecovoltaics” projects: “colocating PV and ecologically-beneficial planting practices.” The [studies found](https://www.nrel.gov/news/program/2024/utility-scale-solar-fields-can-foster-abundant-biodiversity.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) “it is possible to establish native prairie under solar panels and, by doing so, provide soil benefits and habitat for wildlife and pollinators.” **Record-breaking year for US solar:** Boosted by incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as [the expiration of tariffs targeting solar panels made in Southeast Asia](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/chart-us-solar-installations-hit-record-high-but-could-drop-in-2025?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), the US solar market is projected to have a record-breaking year in 2024, with more than 32GW of project additions, according to the American Clean Power Association’s [latest Solar Market Monitor report](https://cleanpower.org/news/solar-market-monitor-2024-h1/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The report finds that solar capital costs should continue to decline over the next decade, with a 14% reduction by 2035 projected. The competitiveness of new solar is making it possible to deploy gigawatt-scale projects even outside the powerhouse US solar markets of California and Texas. For example, Oregon officials approved Sunstone Solar, which will include 1,200 megawatts of solar power and 7,200 megawatt-hours of battery storage, The Oregonian’s Gosia Wozniacka [reported last week](https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2024/12/oregon-approves-states-largest-solar-farm-on-10000-acres-of-farmland.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). IRA incentives are making it attractive to manufacture solar panels in the US again, too, [as Canary Media’s Eric Wesoff recently reported](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/the-us-is-making-and-deploying-more-solar-panels-than-ever-before?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “As a testament to the effectiveness of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), domestic solar module manufacturing capacity has nearly quintupled since 2022 — courtesy of new or expanded factories in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Texas that benefited from the law’s tax credits. The U.S. added a record-breaking 9.3 gigawatts of new solar module production capacity in the third quarter alone,” writes Wesoff. **Global ZEV fleet advances:** Americans’ preference for trucks and SUVs makes it hard to achieve big gains quickly but the US vehicle fleet is getting more efficient and cleaner. According to the [latest data from the US Environmental Protection Agency](https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-report-shows-us-fuel-economy-hits-record-high-and-co2-emissions-reach-record-low?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), model year 2023 vehicle fuel economy reached a record high (27.1 MPG), while greenhouse gas emissions dropped to record low levels (319 grams of CO2/mile). Americans are increasingly opting for electric vehicles, too. Combined sales of hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and battery electric vehicles in the US increased from 19.1% of total new light-duty vehicle sales in 2Q 2024 to a record 21.2% in 3Q, according to estimates from Wards Intelligence [tracked by the US Energy Information Administration](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=63904&utm%5Fmedium=email&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Outside the US, the transition to electric vehicles is happening even faster, especially in the world’s leading markets. Over the past two and a half years, internal combustion engine vehicles’ share of the global market declined from 78% to 63%, while EVs’ share increased from 10% to 17.4%, [according to New AutoMotive's latest Global Electric Vehicle Tracker](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4382540/study-global-ev-market-share-tops-cent-petrol-diesel-sales-stall?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In Norway, the EV transition is nearly complete, with battery electric vehicles [accounting for a remarkable 93.6% of new car registrations](https://electrek.co/2024/12/02/norway-breaks-another-ev-record-nearly-completing-its-ev-transition/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in November. And in China, the world’s largest vehicle market, EV sales “have reached a tipping point,” Bloomberg [reported last month](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-28/china-s-ev-boom-threatens-to-push-gasoline-demand-off-a-cliff?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “They’ve accounted for more than half of retail passenger vehicle sales in the four months from July, according to the China Passenger Car Association, a trend that’s poised to send appetite for transport fuels into a decline that will have a major impact on the oil market.” **Electric buses in India, electric ferries in San Francisco:** “Talk about mission impossible. Your assignment: Electrify India’s fleet of public buses, which transport 128 million people a day. The economics are harrowing,” writes Bloomberg’s Lou Del Bello. Mahua Acharya figured out a way to make the impossible happen. As the head of a government-owned company called Convergence Energy Services Ltd., or CESL, Acharya devised a scheme under which five large Indian cities, including New Delhi and Kolkata, partnered on two large acquisitions of battery electric buses, “the Grand Challenge, an act of financial alchemy that would ultimately put 12,000 on the road for little upfront cost.” [Read the full story](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-12-03/cheap-e-buses-india-shows-developing-world-how-to-pay-for-clean-transport?cmpid=BBD120624%5FCITYLAB&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fterm=241206&utm%5Fcampaign=citylabdaily) to see how Acharya pulled it off. Closer to home for me here in the San Francisco Bay Area, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) [announced last month](https://pelosi.house.gov/news/press-releases/pelosi-announces-55-million-san-francisco-zero-emissions-ferry-project?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the Port of San Francisco was awarded $55 million under the US Environmental Protection Agency’s [Clean Ports Program](https://www.epa.gov/ports-initiative/cleanports?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to establish “the first zero-emissions fast ferry network in the country.” The grant funding “will support electrification infrastructure at the Downtown San Francisco Ferry Terminal, construction of a 400-passenger zero-emission vessel, establishment of a Mission Bay Ferry Terminal, and support of a regional maritime workforce development program.” **What happens to DOE’s Loan Programs Office under Trump?** I knew the Biden administration was serious about climate action the day it announced the hiring of clean energy entrepreneur Jigar Shah to run the US Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) in March 2021\. LPO went dormant during Donald Trump’s first term. But under Shah’s leadership, the office has emerged as a formidable player in the clean energy economy. “The LPO is a secret weapon in Biden’s climate portfolio,” as Semafor’s Tim McDonnell [aptly put it last week](https://www.semafor.com/article/12/04/2024/biden-is-racing-to-dole-out-clean-energy-cash-before-trump-cuts-it-off?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), “a relatively small and obscure agency that sits on a huge pile of cash with the aim of underwriting innovative clean energy projects that are considered too risky for private investors.” McDonnell noted the – as of his writing – “up to $41 billion in conditional commitments to about 20 projects the office is now racing to finalize before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.” But what happens to Shah’s revived LPO with Trump returning to the White House? “Especially with the Department of Energy, you want to have government efficiency. I think the Loan Programs Office, and everything can be really scrutinized, because we’re 36 trillion in the hole,” Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), a candidate to run the House Energy and Commerce Committee, [told E&E Daily’s Nico Portuondo](https://www.eenews.net/articles/republicans-mull-fate-of-doe-loan-program-2/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Ahead of the election,” noted Portuondo, “the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a blueprint for the next Republican president, [said the loan office](https://static.project2025.org/2025%5FMandateForLeadership%5FCHAPTER-12.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) should be ‘eliminated or reformed.’” **Bonus: California dreaming:** I decided to launch this newsletter partially because so much of what is driving the energy transition has roots in my home state of California. A big new feature from journalism legend James Fallows captures this dynamic brilliantly. Despite decades of reporting from across the US and overseas, especially China, Fallows hasn’t forgotten what makes the state where he was born and raised so special. “I’m happy to report that the America taking shape on its Pacific coast is again inventing solutions far more rapidly than conventional wisdom has accounted for. Whoever guides national politics, California deserves new attention as the ‘reinvention state’ rather than a ‘resistance state,’” [writes Fallows in a Wired dispatch](https://www.wired.com/story/california-will-keep-moving-the-world-forward/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) focused on the construction of the state’s high-speed rail system, the rollout of its CalVolunteers program, and the global reach of GIS pioneer Esri (a company founded and headquartered, it so happens, in Fallows’ home town of Redlands). “California is America, but sooner,” the USC sociologist Manual Pastor has said, as recounted by Fallows. Yes, and in the months to come, I’ll be watching for the next big innovation to advance the energy transition that emerges in California, first. **Quitting Carbon* is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* ### Soaring electricity rates threaten climate action URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/soaring-electricity-rates-threaten-climate-action/ Last updated: 2025-02-19T19:41:33.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/#/portal/support)*.* “What I wanted to do is blow the whistle on this.” So, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D) told reporters last month. “This” is a reference to soaring electricity rates in the service territory of Portland General Electric (PGE), Oregon’s largest investor-owned electric utility. Wyden’s session with reporters was in response to a November 25 [letter](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25402527-2024%5F11%5F23%5Fwydenletter%5Fpge%5Fincreasingrates?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) he sent to Maria Pope, PGE’s CEO, calling out recent rate increases that have left customers paying 41% more for their electric than they did four years ago. PGE has increased rates, on average, by 11% in 2022, 7% in 2023, and 18% in 2024, and is asking the Oregon Public Utilities Commission to approve a 7.3% increase for 2025, Alex Baumhardt [reported for the Oregon Capital Chronicle](https://www.opb.org/article/2024/11/26/sen-wyden-calls-on-oregons-largest-electric-utility-to-detail-true-drivers-of-massive-rate-hikes/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “The people I’m hearing from are balancing the food bill, against the rent bill, against the gas bill, and there’s another PGE rate hike, apparently, on offer right now, and folks are telling me this is not sustainable,” Wyden told reporters. “After 41%, it’s time to take a timeout and give a break to the ratepayer.” **Soaring rates in California** In California, soaring electricity prices are an even bigger issue – and, left unaddressed, could hinder the state’s ability to achieve its climate goals. When I started writing about California energy policy two decades ago, the common refrain, when policymakers were pressed by reporters or advocates about California’s then-high electricity rates, was: focus on utility *bills*, not on *rates*. And until recently, that was reasonable advice. Beginning in the 1970s, with the establishment of the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the pioneering research by the late energy efficiency champion Art Rosenfeld, the Golden State became a world leader in energy efficiency. California policymakers developed a system of R&D programs and standards – including Title 24, the best energy efficiency standards program for buildings in the country – that almost single-handedly created a national market for high-efficiency refrigerators, lighting, and other household appliances. All that effort held utility bills in check, even as electricity rates in California remained above the national average. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Exacerbated by climate change** But in the years ahead, power demand is expected to increase in California as buildings and vehicles transition from fossil fuels to carbon-free electricity as part of the state’s push to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045\. Climate change makes the job even tougher. Even erstwhile temperate coastal cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles now experience stifling heat waves. And northern cities like Sacramento, Chico, and Redding regularly top 100˚F (38˚C) in summer. Millions of households across the state are either using electricity to cool their homes for the first time or using much more electricity than they did previously to keep their homes comfortable. If electricity rates keep rising faster than inflation, as they have over the past decade in California, potentially life-saving summer cooling could become prohibitively expensive, especially for low-income households that use conventional air-conditioners rather than [heat pumps](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/) to keep cool. The average residential price of electricity in California (31.64 cents per kilowatt-hour) is already nearly two times the national average (16.83¢/kWh), according to the [latest data](https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm%5Ftable%5Fgrapher.php?t=epmt%5F5%5F06%5Fa&ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has [increased its rates *four times* in 2024 alone](https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/heres-how-much-pge-customers-monthly-bills-will-increase/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Nearly 1 in 5 California households are behind on their energy bills, [according to the Public Advocates Office](https://www.publicadvocates.cpuc.ca.gov/press-room/reports-and-analyses/2024-q2-electric-rates-report?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/02/4950-fig7.png) [Credit](https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4950?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#Why%5FAre%5FCalifornia.2019s%5FElectricity%5FRates%5FHigh.3F): California Legislative Analyst's Office. **Status quo not tenable** Democratic leaders in the California Legislature [signaled this week](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2024/12/02/its-a-trump-session-but-energy-costs-arent-far-behind-00192269?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the status quo is not tenable. “California has always led the way on climate. And we will continue to lead on climate. But not on the backs of poor and working people, not with taxes or fees for programs that don’t work, and not by blocking housing and critical infrastructure projects,” Assembly SpeakerRobert Rivas said Monday in opening remarks at a special session of the Legislature convened by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). “This Senate must double down on our efforts to make life more affordable and livable, make our economy work for all, and not just a privileged few,” Senate leader Mike McGuire said in his opening remarks. It’s a big and complicated problem. Myriad factors\* have sent electricity rates soaring in California, including expensive legacy renewables procurements, an unwillingness by commissioners at the CPUC to push back on rate increases proposed by the state’s largest utilities, transmission and distribution upgrades, and investments to prevent wildfires. CalMatters’ Alejandro Lazo [reported this week](https://calmatters.org/environment/2024/12/pge-utilities-wildfire-prevention-customer-bills-california/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that the CPUC authorized the state’s three investor-owned utilities – San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and PG&E – to collect $27 billion in wildfire prevention and insurance costs from ratepayers from 2019-2023. **Solutions lacking** Thus far, the [solutions proposed by California lawmakers](https://calmatters.org/environment/2024/08/california-energy-bills-last-minute-legislation/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to make electricity more affordable – including a gimmicky one-time bill credit of between $30 to $70 floated earlier this fall – have not been commensurate to the challenge. Newsom [issued an executive order](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/10/30/governor-newsom-issues-executive-order-tackling-rising-electric-bills/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on October 30 that directed the CEC and CPUC to examine all the electric ratepayer-supported programs they oversee and report back by January 1, 2025, on those “that may be unduly adding to rates.” I’ll note here, by the way, that the 2023 average residential price of electricity at large publicly owned, not-for-profit California utilities like the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (22.99¢/kWh) and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (16.89¢/kWh) was significantly less than it was at the for-profit giants SDG&E (45.48¢/kWh), SCE (32.33¢/kWh), and PG&E (34.04¢/kWh), [according to the EIA](https://www.eia.gov/electricity/sales%5Frevenue%5Fprice/pdf/table%5F6.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/a2/97a2d4c5-8e93-4ddc-b34c-aaaff1b1b93a/content/images/2025/02/4950-fig6.png) [Credit](https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4950?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#Why%5FAre%5FCalifornia.2019s%5FElectricity%5FRates%5FHigh.3F): California Legislative Analyst's Office. **The path forward** California policymakers need to find ways to shift more of the financial burden for public goods like wildfire prevention, low-income customer bill assistance, energy efficiency programs, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure to those most able to pay by funding these critical investments in the state’s general budget, and not on utility bills. The German government, for instance, [eliminated the renewable energy surcharge on utility bills](https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/how-germany-aims-get-net-zero-without-breaking-bank-2024-07-18/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=A%20renewable%20energy,on%20the%20grid.) that had been used to pay solar and wind power plant operators for power sent to the grid and now covers the cost of these feed-in tariff payments via the country’s general budget. Danish lawmakers have [reduced the country’s electricity tax in recent years](https://www.thelocal.dk/20220624/denmark-to-reduce-electricity-tan-in-2022-and-2023?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) to lower the cost of energy but also to give households an incentive to switch to renewable electricity. California’s political leaders are asking the state’s residents to [shift their homes and vehicles to run on clean electricity](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/this-solution-could-unlock-full-electrification-in-millions-of-homes/) to help the state achieve carbon neutrality over the next two decades – as they should. But if they don’t succeed in curbing electricity rate increases that outpace inflation, Californians may balk at joining the energy transition. It’s clear that the current trajectory is, as Sen. Wyden noted, not sustainable. *\*I purposely left the fraught topic of rooftop solar incentives’ contribution to California’s recent electricity rate increases out of this column. It’s a topic I’ll return to later. I will note, however, that research published last month by M.Cubed Consulting (commissioned by the California Solar and Storage Association) found that rooftop solar would* save *California utility customers $2.3 billion in 2024, not impose a $8.5 billion cost shift on non-solar customers,* [*as reported by Canary Media’s Jeff St. John*](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/californias-rooftop-solar-is-a-benefit-not-a-cost-to-the-state?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com)*.* ### Forget what you’ve heard, heat pumps can thrive in the cold URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/forget-what-youve-heard-heat-pumps-can-thrive-in-the-cold/ Last updated: 2025-01-18T19:53:24.000Z Report on heat pumps and it won’t take long to hear: “Heat pumps just don’t work in the cold.” The reality is that – as with any home appliance – you need to select the right product for the job. If you live in Maine or Alaska, you likely need a heat pump designed for cold climates. The good news for these households is that the US Department of Energy (DOE) just made it even easier to find a heat pump that will keep your home cozy on all but the most frigid winter day. Last month, DOE [announced](https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/articles/doe-efforts-send-new-and-improved-cold-climate-heat-pumps-market?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that eight manufacturers had completed field testing of products as part of the department’s [Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge](https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/residential-cold-climate-heat-pump-challenge?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). In homes, the units “reliably provided heat with little assistance from auxiliary elements, even during the coldest winter periods,” according to a department press release. And just in time for winter, heat pumps tested under the challenge are already being stocked in stores. **The Challenge** DOE launched the Challenge in 2021 with the goal of bringing centrally ducted air-source heat pumps to market that "would be capable of operating at 5˚F (-15˚C) or lower with energy performance well beyond current best-in-class products.” Electric heat pumps are at least two to three times more energy efficient than either electric resistance heaters or fossil fuel-fired furnaces or boilers. But the performance of conventional air-source heat pumps declines as temperatures plunge, which explains both the stubborn conviction that heat pumps won’t work in extreme cold and DOE’s determination to supply the market with products that will put those concerns to rest. The eight participating manufacturers – Bosch, Carrier, Daikin, Johnson Controls, Lennox, Midea, Rheem, and Trane – tested heat pump prototypes at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and other facilities in 2022 and 2023, with some units operating efficiently in temperatures as low as -15˚F (-26˚C). The heat pumps were then tested in homes in 10 US states and two Canadian provinces, with data collected for a full year in partnership with DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). According to a [report](https://www.aceee.org/sites/default/files/proceedings/ssb24/pdfs/Rising%20up%20to%20the%20Challenge%20-%20Cold%20Climate%20Heat%20Pumps%20in%20the%20Field.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) on key findings from the field testing prepared by a team led by PNNL, Challenge prototypes both met the program’s performance metrics and satisfied occupants who tested the units in their homes. “In the field, the CCHPs were observed to be reliable and were able to provide equal or better comfort to the homes compared to the previous furnace systems. Initial evaluations of the performance and efficiency of the units indicate promising results with all units capable of providing heat with little assistance from auxiliary elements even during the coldest weather,” the PNNL team concluded. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **New models hitting the market** Most of the Challenge manufacturers had planned to make their prototype units commercially available by late 2024 or early 2025\. Some models are already hitting the market. Electrek [reported last month](https://electrek.co/2024/10/28/bosch-ids-ultra-cold-climate-heat-pump-just-hit-the-market/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that Bosch was the first manufacturer to bring to market a cold-climate heat pump tested under the Challenge. Lennox is manufacturing heat pumps tested under the Challenge and plans to start selling the units before the end of this year, a spokesperson\* at DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy confirmed in an email. Carrier separately confirmed to me that its [Infinity Variable-Speed Ultimate Cold Climate Heat Pump](https://www.carrier.com/residential/en/us/products/heat-pumps/27vna1/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) is available for purchase. “Carrier started manufacturing in September and has produced over 30 units since. We also have units available in our Indianapolis Technical Training Center and are preparing our dealers for best installation practices,” Michael Carter, Carrier’s associate director for residential outdoor product management, wrote in an email. DOE has not yet requested an update from all participating manufacturers on their commercialization efforts but may do so in the coming months, according to the department spokesperson. **Defense Production Act** Cold-climate heat pumps are getting a boost from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), too. Households can [claim up to a $2,000 tax credit per year for qualified heat pumps](https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/energy-efficient-home-improvement-credit?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) under the IRA. The Biden administration and congressional Democrats also inserted language into the IRA that authorized up to $500 million in funding to [support domestic manufacturing of critical clean energy technologies such as heat pumps](https://www.energy.gov/mesc/enhanced-use-defense-production-act-1950?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), solar panels, and transformers under the Defense Production Act (DPA). The White House determined that DOE could use $250 million of the funding, with a focus on heat pump manufacturing and deployment. Some of the awards made under the DPA will support cold-climate heat pump manufacturing, a spokesperson with DOE's Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains confirmed in an email. “Two of the eight Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge participants, Johnson Controls and Daikin, received awards and will be manufacturing residential heat pumps that meet the CCHP Challenge. Additionally, another DPA heat pump award recipient, Ice Air, will be manufacturing residential and commercial cold-climate heat pumps.” *\*A shout-out to DOE’s Maria Payan for going above and beyond to track down manufacturer cold-climate heat pump commercialization updates for me. Thank you, Maria!* *Like what you are reading? *Quitting Carbon* is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-marine-energy-electric-trains-and-buses-and-more/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-marine-energy-electric-trains-and-buses-and-more/#/portal/support)*. Thank you to all who have already subscribed!* ### What I’m reading: Marine energy, electric trains and buses, and more URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/what-im-reading-marine-energy-electric-trains-and-buses-and-more/ Last updated: 2024-11-22T23:33:32.000Z We journalists read all day, sifting through reams of news stories, PR pitches, press releases, reports, and studies to inform and shape the stories we bring you. Not all this raw material will be grist for one of our own stories, but so much of it is still well worth your time. With that in mind, today’s newsletter is the first installment of an ongoing series where once or twice a month on Friday I’ll highlight nuggets I’ve unearthed from my daily reading. Enjoy! **Marine energy is still emerging but getting closer:** Marine energy – converting the power of waves, tides, or currents into electricity – has been an emerging sector for a *long* time. I [published](https://ensia.com/features/oceans-of-energy/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) a survey of the potential for ocean energy for Ensia a decade ago. But a project under development off the coast of Oregon should jumpstart the nascent sector. Seven miles offshore the town of Newport, Oregon State University is building the $100 million [PacWave facility](https://pacwaveenergy.org/south-test-site/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), where developers will test wave energy conversion devices at four berths and send up to 20 megawatts of electricity to the local grid beginning next year. (I [reported on PacWave in 2020](https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/oregon-pacwave-marine-energy-jumpstart?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) for Greentech Media, when the project received $35 million from the US Department of Energy.) “The research that’s been done in the past 15 years is reaching the point of what we can do just in labs or in theory. We’ve got to start testing some of this stuff out and see what works and what doesn’t,” DOE’s Matthew Grosso [told the Washington Post’s Sarah Raza](https://wapo.st/3YXAK0H?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **Biden administration rushes to complete energy efficiency standards:** Energy efficiency rules are one of the most effective tools policymakers have available to reduce climate pollution and advance the energy transition. The current White House has made the rules a priority. “The Biden administration has made great progress updating appliance and equipment efficiency standards,” Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) Executive Director Andrew deLaski [wrote in a blog post this week](https://www.aceee.org/blog-post/2024/11/biden-can-hit-his-target-appliance-standards-final-push?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Just how much progress? ASAP calculated that the Biden administration is about 85% of the way to meeting the target it set last year to complete efficiency standards this term that would save nearly $1 trillion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2.5 billion metric tons over 30 years. Donald Trump will try to undermine existing efficiency rules and make it harder to write new ones going forward, as he did in his first term, but as the Washington Post’s Nicolás Rivero [reported this week](https://wapo.st/3Ofgkvg?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), it will not be easy. “Although it’s hard to roll back a standard that’s already in place, it’s not that hard to slow-walk all of the standards that need to be looked at every year,” National Consumer Law Center Senior Attorney Charlie Harak told Rivero. **Riders love Caltrain’s new electric trains:** I’m convinced Americans will become evangelists for high-speed rail – *when* a line is actually built in this country. Caltrain is not high-speed rail but the electrification of the line’s San Jose-San Francisco segment will enable California’s under-development high-speed rail line to roll into downtown San Francisco sometime early next decade. Until then, we’re seeing how enthusiastic Bay Area residents are about Caltrain’s new electric trains. “In the first month of its electric train service, Caltrain saw over 753,000 passengers – a 54% increase from October 2023 and its best ridership numbers since the coronavirus pandemic,” Mass Transit [reported this week](https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/news/55244186/ca-caltrain-ridership-soars-to-highest-levels-since-covid-with-new-electric-trains?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “Quieter, cleaner air, faster, more frequent, cheaper to run. Winwinwinwinwin,” climate investor Bill Weil [replied](https://bsky.app/profile/billweil.bsky.social/post/3lbilxbeusc2m?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) when I [shared](https://bsky.app/profile/justingerdes.bsky.social/post/3lbi6iwhqos2d?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) this news on Bluesky. Exactly. **Infrastructure Week finally delivers – under Biden:** Want a sense of the scale of the projects underway across the country with funding from the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law? “If I visited a project every day for the rest of my life, I would not live long enough to see half of the projects,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an interview with Fast Company’s Adele Peters. The [whole interview is worth a read](https://www.fastcompany.com/91229752/the-biden-administration-launched-66000-infrastructure-projects-pete-buttigieg-talks-about-whats-next?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). **NREL boosts combat vehicle fuel efficiency:** The US Department of Energy’s national labs are a national treasure. Here’s yet one more reason why. Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will over the next three years develop traction invertors that will [double the range of Army combat vehicles](https://www.nrel.gov/news/program/2024/nrel-selected-to-design-next-generation-power-inverters-for-us-combat-vehicles.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). The new power electronics “will enable 53% fuel savings compared to existing technologies, meaning Army vehicles will be able to stay in the field for nearly twice as long before needing to refuel. Combined with silent performance thanks to the hybrid-electric engine and electromagnetic interference shielding, Army ground combat vehicles are poised to become safer, longer-range, and higher-performing than ever before,” according to NREL.The improved fuel efficiency will also save lives: attacks on fuel conveys were a lethal vulnerability for US forces during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. **Electric buses on campus:** UCLA [received a nearly $20 million grant](https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-receives-nearly-20-million-for-electric-transit-projects?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) from the State of California to support 100% electrification of the BruinBus fleet by 2028 and to install California’s first in-road electric charging system.I’m also happy to share campus climate mobility news from my alma mater. Northern Arizona University [announced](https://news.nau.edu/nau-shuttles-are-going-green/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) this week it was one of three universities nationwide to receive a grant from the US EPA to roll out new electric buses. NAU received $991,772 to replace two 2008 diesel buses with battery electric buses and to install high-speed charging infrastructure. NAU says the new electric buses should save the university up to $50,000 on annual operational costs.Go Lumberjacks! **Bonus:** (*in which I'll highlight a story focused on a non-energy transition-related passion of mine – perhaps travel, baseball, or craft beer – or that showcases some lovely writing from a writer I admire*) I’m working my way through a stack of hard-copy New Yorker back issues and last night read a gem of an [essay by Kathryn Schulz on the Westminster Dog Show](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/05/20/dogland-passion-glory-and-lots-of-slobber-at-the-westminster-dog-show-tommy-tomlinson-book-review?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Schulz’s beautiful close made me think of my rescue dog, Coco: “Dogs are remarkably attuned to our physical needs, able to assist disabled people and warn us of impending danger, not to mention detect and in some cases help patients manage a wide range of diseases, from epilepsy to lung cancer. In part through these acts of aid and attentiveness but also through their mere presence, they seem to demonstrate two qualities almost all of us crave – adoration and loyalty. Yet the crucial thing is not that they love us, or seem to, but the converse: they give us a way to love the world, our most important bulwark against despair. That makes all of them, not just the St. Bernards, rescue dogs—still showing up to save us, no matter how cold or dark or steep or scary it gets out there.” **Coming up next:* I’ll be back in your inbox early next week with new reporting on heat pumps. After that, I’ll take a break to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my family in Arizona.* *Like what you are reading? *Quitting Carbon* is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*. Thank you to all who have already subscribed!* ### Taking the emergency out of water heater replacement – and slashing emissions URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/taking-the-emergency-out-of-water-heater-replacement-and-slashing-emissions/ Last updated: 2025-01-18T19:52:02.000Z One big concern lingers for any homeowner: When will your home’s water heater die? Live in a house long enough and the water heater will eventually fail, triggering a quick decision on a replacement *and* a prime opportunity to slash the home’s carbon footprint. The problem for the planet is that more than 90% of these swap-outs are emergency replacements. The homeowner frantically calls plumbers, saying yes to the first one who promises to install a new water heater that same day. All too often, the plumber installs what is on the truck or in storage, typically a fossil gas-fired unit – locking in carbon pollution for the next 10-15 years. A clever new program from a San Francisco Bay Area electricity provider aims to disrupt this status quo, buying homeowners critical time to select, and contractors to install, a water heater that is better for the planet. MCE\*, an electricity provider for three-dozen communities in Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano counties, [launched a program in September](https://mcecleanenergy.org/mce-launches-emergency-water-heater-loaner-program/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) that offers contractors a $1,500 per-unit cash incentive for the installation of an electric heat pump water heater after the installation of an emergency loaner. The $1,500 incentive is intended to cover contractors’ costs to maintain loaner water heaters (gas or electric) and additional labor or administrative costs associated with installing a heat pump water heater. Contractors have up to 45 days to install the heat pump water heater to allow for contingencies. For instance, the homeowner may need to upgrade the home’s electric panel to accommodate a heat pump water heater. “Most people, like 95 to 99% of folks, don’t do what you did, where they take the proactive step of replacing gas with electric. They wait until there’s an event where they must get the new water heater,” Jennifer Green, MCE’s manager of customer programs, told me in an interview. I had mentioned replacing my home’s aging gas-fired water heater as part of a larger electrification project last December. “We were hearing from contractors that they were somewhat averse to offering the heat pump water heater, and by and large, ended up just installing the gas water heater, just for simplicity’s sake, and the customer getting back in hot water,” she added. “From the customer’s perspective, we wanted them to be able to have hot water the same day. From the contractor’s perspective, we wanted them to be able to sell heat pump water heaters, and truly believe that they’re going to be an improvement in the customer’s life and lifestyle.” Heat pump water heaters are [at least two to three times more energy efficient](https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/decarbonization-tech-snapshot%5Fheat-pump-water-heaters.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) than conventional electric resistance and gas-fired water heaters, so opting for one comes with substantial utility bill and carbon savings. If all electric resistance water heaters sold in the US were instead heat pump water heaters, it would save consumers $8 billion, and prevent 75 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, annually, [according to the ENERGY STAR program](https://www.energystar.gov/products/heat%5Fpump%5Fwater%5Fheaters/benefits-savings?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=If%20all%20electric%20water%20heaters,more%20than%2014%20million%20vehicles.). ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **Successful pilots** MCE modeled its Emergency Water Heater Loaner Program on successful pilots completed in the city of Palo Alto and elsewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area. Barnett Plumbing, a contractor operating in the greater Bay Area, installed nearly 150 heat pump water heaters under [a 2022 pilot](https://techcleanca.com/quick-start-grants/2021-quick-start-grant-recipients/barnett-plumbing/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) funded by a grant from the state’s [TECH Clean California](https://techcleanca.com/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) initiative. The program offered contractors $975 to cover the cost of installing and removing a loaner water heater. Giving customers time to make an informed decision succeeded in driving heat pump adoption during the pilot: the rate of customers converting from gas water heaters to heat pump water heaters increased from less than 1% to 17%. “The ability to provide an emergency replacement heat pump water heater solution that doesn’t inconvenience the customer is essential to moving California toward their carbon-neutral goals,” Barnett concluded. **Contractor buy-in** MCE sees the emergency loaner program as a bridge to help contractors and households prepare for new regulations that prohibit the sale of NOx-emitting (i.e. gas) water heaters in the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s territory [beginning in 2027](https://www.baaqmd.gov/news-and-events/page-resources/2023-news/031523-ba-rules?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). Next year, the California Air Resources Board will vote on a proposal to [ban the sale of non-zero-emission water heaters](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/building-decarbonization/zero-emission-space-and-water-heater-standards/faq?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com#:~:text=Is%20the%20regulation%20finalized?,CARB's%20%E2%80%9CBuilding%20Decarbonization%E2%80%9D%20listserve.) statewide beginning in 2030. MCE’s [Green Workforce Pathways program](https://mcecleanenergy.org/grow-your-business-expertise/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) aims to ensure that contractors have enough trained workers to keep up with heat pump water heater installations when the new rules take effect. The program pre-vets job seekers, matches them with contractors, and provides ongoing technical support for participating contractors. “A lot of the work that needs to be done still is winning the hearts and minds of the contractor and providing them with the training they need to feel comfortable with installing heat pump water heaters,” Green told me. Contractors that specialize in electrification projects don’t need convincing. “I think the program is a great idea,” Alex Sloan, VP of Operations at Electrify My Home, told me in an email. Electrify My Home, which is based in Vacaville, California, completed my home electrification project, which included the installation of a State 66-gallon tank heat pump water heater to replace the original gas-fired water heater. “The bit of advice/consulting we offered to MCE and others around emergency replacements is that instead of installing temporary gas water heaters, they should just skip the line and install 120-volt plugin water heaters since they don’t require 240v and can be installed quickly (even with a temporary extension cord if needed),” added Sloan. “And if the customers don’t like them, the program should offer a subsidy to upgrade to a 240v unit within a year.” **The path ahead** Green is optimistic both that homeowners will increasingly opt for heat pump water heaters and that manufacturers and contractors are preparing to meet the increased demand. “Customer appetite is getting higher,” and the TECH Clean California initiative is pushing manufacturers to stock heat pump water heaters at distribution centers and on service trucks, she said. Contractor buy-in is key because “people trust their contractor and their contractor’s recommendation.” “We’re hoping that programs like our loaner program will entice the contractor at the midstream and incentivize those technologies.” If that happens, MCE’s loaner program should thrive. “The expectation is that the program is going to do really well. The pilot will succeed. We’ll see a lot of need, and then we will add funds to the budget.” Referring to the initial $145,000 budget, she added, “I don’t foresee that that’s the last of the funding.” *\*Disclosure: I’m a residential MCE customer. My wife Carlyn Obringer is the Vice Mayor of the city of Concord, California. Concord is an MCE member community, and while the Concord City Council designates a councilmember to sit on MCE’s Board of Directors, my wife does not currently serve on the MCE board.* *Like what you are reading? *Quitting Carbon* is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*. Thank you to all who have already subscribed!* ### Trump 2.0 will be a disaster for federal employees working on climate action URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/trump-2-0-will-be-a-disaster-for-federal-employees-working-on-climate-action/ Last updated: 2025-01-19T00:38:53.000Z **Quitting Carbon* is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, please consider* [*becoming a paid subscriber*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) *or* [*making a one-time donation*](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/support)*.* In the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election to the White House, many smart observers have argued that even the incoming administration’s open hostility to climate action can’t stop the global clean energy transition. “No matter what Trump may say, the shift to clean energy is unstoppable and our country is not turning back,” Gina McCarthy, President Joe Biden’s first National Climate Advisor, [told the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/06/trump-climate-change-environment-threat?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). McCarthy is right. Clean energy resources like onshore wind and solar are the [cheapest new-build technologies almost everywhere](https://about.bnef.com/blog/cost-of-clean-energy-technologies-drop-as-expensive-debt-offset-by-cooling-commodity-prices/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and deployment is soaring. Solar PV additions in the first half of 2024 were up 36% globally, and 80% in the US, over the same period in 2023, the International Energy Agency [noted](https://www.iea.org/news/clean-energy-transitions-continue-to-accelerate-but-progress-is-uneven?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) in its latest Clean Energy Market Monitor report. While it’s true Trump cannot stop the energy transition, he can slow it down. And he will do so by undoing some of what made the Biden administration so successful in developing and implementing energy and climate policy: hiring competent people to staff federal agencies and run the government. The incoming Trump team plans to immediately reverse course. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. “The model for this transition is President Biden, Mr. Trump’s allies said. On the first day of the Biden administration, hundreds of staff members were hired and in place to focus on climate change. The Trump team aims to do the reverse,” the New York Times’ Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman [reported last week](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/08/climate/trump-transition-epa-interior-energy.html?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com). “They have the model of what Biden did the first day, the first week, the first month. We’ll look at what Biden did and put a ‘not’ in front of it,” Myron Ebell, who led the EPA transition team ahead of Trump’s first term, told Davenport and Friedman. Ebell correctly diagnosed an unappreciated strength of the Biden presidency. The administration filled key energy and climate roles with people like Costa Samaras and Sonia Aggarwal, Kate Gordon and Jigar Shah – experts who left academia, think tanks, or the private sector for tours in government service. But what is coming from Trump 2.0 goes well beyond swapping these experts for anti-regulatory idealogues with ties to industry. The incoming Trump administration wants to drive rank-and-file career civil servants from the federal government altogether. The Schedule F reforms [proposed](https://static.project2025.org/2025%5FMandateForLeadership%5FCHAPTER-03.pdf?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) under the Heritage Foundation’s [Project 2025](https://www.project2025.org/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which will be the new administration’s governing playbook, despite Trump’s attempts to distance himself from the document during the campaign, would [make it easier for the new administration to fire tens of thousands of federal employees](https://www.govexec.com/management/2024/11/what-trumps-win-means-federal-workforce/400870/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) by removing their jobs’ civil service protections. These employees would be reclassified as at-will political appointees, their jobs subject to the whims of the White House. But Trump also wants to reprise a policy he used to disastrous effects in his first term: relocating potentially thousands of employees out of Washington, D.C. “According to people involved in the talks, the transition team is particularly eager to move forward with Mr. Trump’s vision of relocating tens of thousands of federal employees, starting at the E.P.A. Those discussions are in early stages, the people involved said,” Davenport and Friedman reported. When Trump tried this in his first term, scores of Washington-based employees at the Bureau of Land Management and Department of Agriculture’s research arm chose to leave the government rather than relocate to Colorado and Kansas, respectively. For the mission-driven career employees at the EPA (my brother is one of them), relocation might just be the final straw that pushes them to leave. Already, anyone near retirement is likely thinking about an early exit, especially longtime employees who served during the first Trump term and the George W. Bush presidency. Trump’s team knows this. The goal is not, as Trump put it in a [video](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/agenda47/agenda47-president-trumps-plan-to-dismantle-the-deep-state-and-return-power-to-the-american-people?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) at his campaign website, to move employees “out of Washington to places filled with patriots who love America.” Trump followed that comment with the real goal: “This is how I will shatter the deep state.” Myron Ebell’s admiring recognition of the Biden administration’s success in staffing the government with experts who could execute decarbonization policies is the real tell. Trump’s team knows that personnel is policy. The Trump-Vance White House will use Schedule F reforms, relocation, and still other means to push demoralized federal employees out the door. Thousands of employees left the EPA during Trump’s first term. Thousands more will leave during Trump 2.0. Trump’s team knows it needs to keep just enough career civil servants in place to write new rules to overturn Biden-era regulations such as EPA rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, power plants, and the oil and gas sector. But they would also be happy to watch tens of thousands more employees depart over the next four years, leaving federal agencies hollowed out and weakened for years to come. ### Welcome to Quitting Carbon URL: https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/welcome-to-quitting-carbon/ Last updated: 2025-01-19T00:37:00.000Z *Reporting and analysis on the projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition.* Welcome to **Quitting Carbon**, a newsletter that will chronicle the most important story of our lives: humanity’s urgent and vital obligation to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy to power our economies and avert climate catastrophe. I’m your guide, **Justin Gerdes**, and I’ve been reporting on climate solutions and clean energy for more than 20 years. **What to expect from Quitting Carbon** My plan for Quitting Carbon is explaining the unfolding energy transition. In the coming months, expect to hear from me once or twice a week. I’ll report from the field, from across my home base of California, and occasionally beyond. I’ll publish Q&As with researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. And I’ll write columns digging into legislation and policy sausage-making in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. The through line at Quitting Carbon will be the projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition and reducing climate pollution – everything from efforts to stand up a floating offshore industry on the US West Coast to decarbonizing buildings to building renewable energy microgrids in fire-prone areas, and so much more. ## Sign up for Quitting Carbon The projects, people, and policies advancing the energy transition. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. **About me** I studied environmental science and political science at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, in the shadow of the San Francisco Peaks. My J-School was an editorial internship and fellowship with the fact-checking department at Mother Jones magazine, in San Francisco, arriving in the Bay Area just after 9/11/2001. In the fall of 2008, I accepted a job in Copenhagen, Denmark, to work as an editor for the Copenhagen Climate Council, a project run by a prominent Danish publishing house and think tank called Mandag Morgen (Monday Morning), in the lead up to COP15 UN climate negotiations. For a decade after returning home to Northern California from Copenhagen, I reported on energy, climate, and the environment as a freelancer for outlets like Yale Environment 360, Smithsonian.com, and Chinadialogue, and as a longtime contributing writer for Greentech Media. My time in Copenhagen, and subsequent reporting trips back to Denmark, was grist for an e-book I published on the country’s energy transition, [Quitting Carbon](https://www.amazon.com/Quitting-Carbon-Denmark-Transition-Low-Carbon-ebook/dp/B01F0LRKWY/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), which inspired the name of this newsletter. In the fall of 2020, I joined a startup online publication called Energy Monitor, a guide to the global energy transition, as the US correspondent. Later, as [managing editor](https://www.energymonitor.ai/author/justingerdes/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), I helped to lead a team of talented reporters and data journalists. **Why Quitting Carbon – and why now?** So, why launch my own newsletter? At Energy Monitor, we rarely broke news. We were the place to go to for long-form reporting and analysis on *why* breaking news, or emerging trends, mattered. Context. Like far too many journalists, I’ve both hustled to try to make a decent living as a freelancer and been laid off from a staff job. Never-ending rounds of layoffs continue to send too many talented journalists to the freelance ranks, depressing rates for us all. And my recent stint in corporate media, which ended when Energy Monitor’s parent company laid off me and other senior members of the team, makes me doubt that traditional media will be a source of stable, good-paying jobs for journalists going forward. Two recent health scares have also focused my mind ever more on what truly matters in my life, and in my work, that means writing stories I genuinely want to share, on my terms. Even more so now, with Donald Trump set to return to the White House. Quitting Carbon is a bet that many of you will crave stories of success in the ongoing quest to get off fossil fuels and decarbonize our economies. I know it’s a big ask for many of you to subscribe to *yet another* publication. I get it. I subscribe to nearly a dozen publications and newsletters myself to support fellow journalists whose work I respect. But I promise not to waste your time. When you hear from me, you’ll know you’re getting reporting or analysis you can’t find anywhere else, from a journalist with more than two decades of experience covering the energy and climate beat. Please join me on this journey by [becoming a paid subscriber](https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/#/portal/signup) to Quitting Carbon, or by sharing this post with friends, family, colleagues, or anyone else interested in following the world’s most important story. With gratitude, Justin P.S. You can find me on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/justingerdes.bsky.social?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/justingerdes/?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com), and [Mastodon](https://mastodon.green/@JustinGerdes?ref=quittingcarbonmedia.com) and reach me at justingerdes@gmail.com to share feedback, tips, and story ideas.