CURRENTS

CURRENTS is the Local Government Commission’s free quarterly newsletter providing local elected officials and staff with current information on energy issues affecting…

California has an ambitious goal of doubling energy efficiency by 2030[1]. At the same time, public agencies need resources to improve their…

Written by Sierra Huffman, CivicSpark Climate Fellow Pack you lunch and grab your homework for here comes your new yellow ride! Schools…

Written by Margaret Bruce, Program Manager LGSEC On February 5th, a non-binding resolution titled the “Green New Deal” was submitted by Congress-member…

CURRENTS is the Local Government Commission’s free quarterly newsletter providing local elected officials and staff with current information on energy issues affecting…

In 2016, the California Energy Commission awarded 13 projects through the EPIC Challenge: Accelerating the Deployment of Advanced Energy Communities solicitation. The purpose of this solicitation was to fund a competition that would challenge project teams comprised of building developers, local governments, technology developers, researchers, utilities, and other project partners to spend 18 months developing innovative and replicable plans for accelerating the deployment of Advanced Energy Communities. This post contains updates on the projects, as well as new links to project websites where available.

Leading experts in energy gathered at the 2018 Annual Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) Symposium to showcase groundbreaking technological advancements in clean energy. This year’s symposium was the largest by far, with over 600 participants made up of utilities, cleantech researchers, entrepreneurs, and businesses from all across California.

The momentum for decarbonization by local jurisdictions seems to be growing stronger by the day. Recently, the City of Los Angeles passed a resolution to develop strategies for fuel substitution and set targets for electrification that their climate goals. This is a huge step forward for such a large city but large or small it is clear that local jurisdictions will once again lead the way to more sustainable and healthy communities for all.

Fires ravaged several California communities last year. Their causes, impacts and how to plan for future disasters – as they relate to energy and energy systems – will be a high priority for local governments and state agencies for a long time.