Aker Solutions, Cognite Win $2M Grant for Floating Wind Farm Tech
California Energy Commission has awarded Aker Solutions and Cognite a $2 million grant for a project called NextWind Real-Time Condition Monitoring.The project is focused on next-generation solutions in wind through digitalization and aims to develop a holistic digital solution…
California Wind Demand Energizes Transmission Firms
A firm controlled by Philip Anschutz, the billionaire entertainment and pro sports magnate, will soon build the largest wind farm in the United States to serve utilities in California, where officials have set ambitious green power goals. The $5 billion project, however, will be constructed 700 miles away in Wyoming…
California to Adopt Energy-saving Rules for Computers
California regulators moved a step closer on Friday to the first mandatory U.S. energy efficiency standards for computers and monitors, gadgets that account for 3 percent of home electric bills and 7 percent of commercial power costs in the state. The latest draft standards issued by the California Energy Commission…
ExxonMobil Defends Handling of Torrance Refinery Outage
ExxonMobil has defended its handling of an outage at its Los Angeles refinery following a blast in February 2015 after a prominent trading company told a state commission that the process had lacked transparency. Speaking before a committee of the California Energy Commission on Tuesday…
Vitol: Exxon Mobil Lacked 'transparency' During Torrance Outage
Swiss commodity trader Vitol SA criticized Exxon Mobil Corp this week for failing to be transparent about maintenance at its Los Angeles refinery following a February 2015 blast, which contributed to tighter gasoline supplies and higher prices. Speaking before a committee of the California Energy Commission on Tuesday…
Environmentalists: California Oil Train Risks Worse in Minority Areas
Californians most exposed to the risks of oil train derailments or fires overwhelmingly live in poorer, minority neighborhoods, two environmental groups in the state said on Tuesday. The report, the first of its kind to explicitly link issues of class and race to the ongoing oil train safety debate…
California Crude by Rail Imports at 2-Year Low
California imported 176,203 barrels of crude by rail in February, the lowest single-month level since January 2013, the California Energy Commission said on Tuesday. The February total is nearly half of the January import total of 342,901 barrels, the CEC said. For the first two months of 2015…
Calif. Renewable Energy Zone Plan Revamped
An ambitious plan to put California's renewable energy projects in areas where the environment will face the least harm is getting a major overhaul after years of delays and criticism from developers, environmentalists and counties. Started in 2008 under then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger…
Linde, Sandia Look to Expand Hydrogen Fueling Network
Sandia National Laboratories and Linde LLC have signed an umbrella Cooperative Research & Development Agreement (CRADA) that is expected to accelerate the development of low-carbon energy and industrial technologies, beginning with hydrogen and fuel cells. The CRADA will kick…
California Sets Meeting for Proposed Solar Power Plant
California regulators said a committee will hold a meeting on May 7 on BrightSource Energy's proposed 500-megawatt Palen solar power plant, which could provide electricity for more than 200,000 homes. Privately held California solar power company BrightSource and Spanish engineering firm Abengoa SA are developing the Palen project…
