With each passing day, I can see California’s energy future a little bit more clearly.  Not because I have 20/20 vision, but because a series of new reports from state regulatory agencies is providing a wealth of information about the status of and progress toward California’s goal of creating a cleaner, more sustainable energy economy by 2020. 

It would be more accurate to say “goals” as policymakers at all levels have enunciated or imposed scores of policies, mandates and…

On October 31, I represented Sustainable Silicon Valley as part of a delegation of renewable energy advocates in a meeting with members of Gov. Jerry Brown's energy staff.  We were there to show support and seek assistance for our plan to contribute 2,400 MW of renewable energy/distributed energy projects by 2020--the Bay Area's proportional share of the Governor's 12,000 MW goal.

This listing of groups and resources, compiled by Bruce Riordan of Elmwood Consulting, shows…

If nothing else, the Solyndra bankruptcy and continuing political controversy about the Department of Energy’s $530 million loan/guarantee for the failed solar cylinder manufacturing company have put an unprecedented focus on the U.S. solar industry and green power sector. 

Terabytes of online commentary and blogged opinion have been unleashed, and even the leaders in the mainstream news media have assigned investigative reporters and columnists to ferret out fresh angles…

Whenever electric utility folks get together to talk about the “Smart Grid” – which includes many functioning parts, from transmission network automation on down to the so-called Smart Meters in your home – they usually describe about all the potential system benefits.  These range from reduced costs of labor to improved voltage control, and system diagnostics that might reduce outage impacts or even “self heal” problems.

One utility executive told me that the decision to…