Home Energy Systems
The Duck Curve, NEM 3, and YOU - Addendum 5A
All power plants are not the same. This addendum familiarizes you with Grid Basics, common terms, and Grid components — the nuts and bolts of the Grid.
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Home Energy Systems
The Duck Curve NEM 3 and YOU - Part 5
We've looked at how the Duck Curve affects our energy costs on the home front. Now let's take a look at the utilities and see how their ecosystem affects our bills.
Large Scale Storage
Moss Landing Health Issues - Part 2
Part 2 starts with the May 20th Board of Supervisors meeting, which for me raised more questions than it gave answers about who is accountable for the community's health concerns.
Large Scale Storage
Moss Landing Health Issues Report Part 1
This part of the Moss Landing fire story has more questions than answers — there still is no toxicology report, but here's what was reported in the aftermath.
Large Scale Storage
Moss Landing Fire: Battery Primer and NIMBY reaction
Let's take a closer look at Lithium Ion batteries and why Moss Landing has scared people.
Large Scale Storage
Moss Landing Fire: Summary
We're taking a break from our six-part Duck Curve series to give an update on the Moss Landing fire recovery, right up the road from Mission City Research.
Home Energy Systems
The Duck Curve, NEM 3, and YOU - Part 4
In Parts 1-3 we've made the case that Solar plus Battery Storage is still a solid investment - if you can afford it. Now let's maximize that investment.
Home Energy Systems
The Duck Curve, NEM 3, and YOU - Part 3
There are various state and local programs to assist with financing, installation, and billing discounts for solar plus storage, and speaking as a bureaucrat, they are NOT easy to navigate.
Home Energy Systems
The Duck Curve, NEM 3, and YOU - Part 2
A homeowner-level look at how NEM 3.0, batteries, rising utility rates, and financing assumptions change the payback math for solar plus storage in California.
Home Energy Systems
The Duck Curve, NEM 3 and YOU - Part 1
I was fascinated by Mehrnaz's report on the SunWorks bankruptcy and the implosion of California's solar installation industry, and how it ties directly back to the CPUC's Net Metering 3 decision.
Home Energy Systems
Are Solar Installers in Trouble?
A difficult 2024 exposed deep stress in the US residential solar business, but the shakeout may also separate weaker operators from companies that can adapt.
Western Grid
The Continuing Decline of Coal in the Western US
Coal generation has fallen sharply across the Western United States, and scheduled retirements point to another major reduction in capacity before the mid-2030s.
Mission City Research
Where to Start
What would you do if you wanted to help build a better future for America? That is what we asked ourselves at Mission City.